Cast iron is an essential in many kitchens, but do you need bare cast iron, enameled cast iron, or both? What are the differences, and what is each best for? Let's take a closer look and see what we find out.
What Is Cast Iron?
According to Britannica.com:
Cast iron is an alloy of iron that contains 2 to 4 percent carbon, along with varying amounts of silicon and manganese and traces of impurities such as sulfur and phosphorus.
Cast iron is a simple metal with many different uses, cookware being one of the most popular. It's one of the oldest cookware materials known, with evidence of its use found as early as the third century A.D. in China.
The high percentage of carbon in cast iron makes it brittle, which is why cast iron pans are so thick: the thickness helps prevent cracking. The thickness combined with the density makes cast iron cookware heavy, but these also improve cast iron's heating.
Today, cast iron cookware can be found in two varieties: bare (seasoned) and enameled. We'll look at the features of both and discuss what each type is best for.
Is Cast Iron Good for Cooking?
Cast iron excels at some cooking methods, but it's not great for everything.
Cast iron has excellent heat retention--that is, once hot, it holds onto heat for a very long time. It has the longest heat retention of all cookware materials. High heat retention makes cast iron excellent for searing, deep frying, and braising--all cooking methods that do best with great heat retention.
The issue with high heat retention is that it means slow response time to temperature change. When cookware is slow to respond to heat changes, it can mean overcooked food, particularly heat-sensitive food like eggs and fish. It's also not great for more delicate foods like candies and sauces.
Cast iron heats slowly and unevenly. This is due to both its density and its chemical structure, which is rough and uneven, as shown here:
Magnified view of cast iron: it's rough and uneven.
Once heated through, cast iron works fine, but always give your cast iron pan at least five minutes of preheating before you start cooking in it.
As we mentioned, cast iron is also heavy, so it's not a good choice for people with ergonomic issues. And some people dislike having to deal with seasoning bare cast iron, although it's really not hard to do.
Finally, bare/seasoned cast iron and enameled cast iron pots are good for different things, which we'll talk more about below.
Even with its drawbacks, many people love cast iron and use it for almost everything. It's a good choice for most daily cooking tasks, it's easy to care for, and it lasts forever. As with all cookware, if you use it regularly you learn to work around its shortcomings.
Bare Cast Iron
Bare, seasoned cast iron is one of the great workhorses of the kitchen and is great for many tasks. Here's a look at the basic features and important things to know about it.
Bare, seasoned cast iron is best for skillets.
Features
Bare cast iron--also called seasoned cast iron because it requires seasoning to prevent rusting--has no coating. It's black, or will become black with seasoning and use. It's dense and heavy, which, as we already said, makes it durable and gives it its excellent heat retention.
Cast iron can be brittle, especially when new, so you have to be careful handling it and heating it. After heating several times, the iron "tempers" a bit and becomes less brittle--so the older your cast iron is and the more you use it, the less likely it will crack (though it can still happen).
Aside from being brittle, cast iron is extremely durable. A pan that costs less than $40 can last for a really, really long time. There are many stories about people using their grandmother's cast iron, or even their great-grandmother's cast iron, and about finding rusty cast iron pans in junk heaps and restoring them to like-new condition.
Bare cast iron isn't great for acidic foods like tomato sauces, vinegars, and citrus-based dishes. The acids can eat away at the seasoning, which can add a metallic flavor to your food and destroy the seasoning, requiring you to re-season the pan.
Most bare cast iron brands are inexpensive, but there are some artisanal brands that range into the hundreds of dollars. Since all cast iron has nearly identical heating properties (depending primarily on thickness), when you buy expensive cast iron, you're paying for a smoother cooking surface and (usually) a traditional forging method. Inexpensive brands--like Lodge and pretty much everything made in China--are shipped with a roughish cooking surface due to the cheaper manufacturing methods--but it fills in and becomes smooth with seasoning and use.
Artisanal cast iron can also have fancier features--fancier handles, for example--but if you're patient with the cooking surface and don't mind a utilitarian look, there's no reason to spend a small fortune on bare cast iron. $30-$40 will get you a pan that will last for decades, and probably even centuries.
About Seasoning
Because cast iron rusts quite easily, it needs to be seasoned in order to work as cookware. Seasoning is a process of "baking" oil onto the surface of cast iron at high heat (heat above the smoke point of the oil). The high heat turns the oil into a polymer that bonds with the cast iron to form a protective coating. This coating is also very slippery, similar to PTFE nonstick cookware, but without the health hazards, and it gets better with time rather than wearing out in just a few years (or less) of use.
Many brands of cast iron come pre-seasoned, but this seasoning usually isn't great, so expect to season your new pan before use, even if it comes pre-seasoned. (This is true for all brands, regardless of how much you pay,) There are many excellent articles and videos online about seasoning cast iron, so we won't go into detail here. It can be a little tricky to get it right the first time, but it's a simple process that, once figured out, is easy to do.
Caring for Bare Cast Iron
Cast iron chain metal scrubber.
Bare cast iron is simple to care for. Once seasoned, it cleans up easily, but if you do have gunk to scrape off, you can do so with whatever tools you have and it won't harm the cast iron. If you scrub too hard, you may remove some of the seasoning, and need to re-season. You can buy cast iron brushes and cast iron chain metal scrubbers that can help with cleaning, or you can just use a standard sponge, abrasive sponge, or dish rag.
Contrary to popular opinion, you can--and should--use soap on seasoned cast iron. The soap won't ruin the seasoning, and will (of course) result in a cleaner pan.
One thing you shouldn't do is let cast iron soak, because this can cause rusting. And you should dry cast iron thoroughly after every wash and apply a thin coat of cooking oil to the surface. This helps prevent rusting and also helps protect the seasoning.
Always dry your cast iron thoroughly after cleaning and apply a thin coat of cooking oil. This protects the seasoning and prevents rusting.
Cooking with Seasoned Cast Iron
Well pre-heated cast iron is the key to a finely seared steak.
Seasoned cast iron is best for frying, deep frying, and searing--anything that uses cooking oil rather than liquids. Liquids, especially acidic liquids like tomato sauce or vinegar- and citrus-based sauces, can eat away at seasoning. This won't ruin your pan, but may add a metallic flavor to your food and result in a pan needing to be re-seasoned. If you don't want to re-season, then restrict your seasoned cast iron to cooking that uses cooking oils, or fatty foods that produce their own cooking oils (hamburgers, for example).
You also see bare cast iron woks and Dutch ovens (more on these in a minute).
Cast iron withstands high heat, so there are no heat restrictions on cast iron, unless you have a pan with a glass lid or plastic handle (try to avoid these).
Seasoned Dutch ovens aren't great for a lot of kitchen uses, but they do have their place: they're an excellent choice for baking bread, and because they're black, they won't get discolored by the high oven temps required to get the crust and crumb bread bakers are looking for. They're also good for camping, also because the campfire or grill won't discolor them.
Many traditional cooking methods use seasoned cast iron for everything--stews, soups, baked beans, spaghetti, and much more--so don't be afraid to use your seasoned Dutch oven for anything. Just be prepared to re-season it as necessary if you do.
One other great feature of seasoned cast iron is that you can use metal utensils. Though metal utensils get a bad rap, they're really the best tools for cooking with because they're durable and work better than plastic or wood. So if you're a fan of metal utensils, don't be afraid to use them on your seasoned cast iron.
Bare, seasoned cast iron is best for skillets or other pans used for dry heat cooking (e.g., frying). They aren't great for liquid cooking (e.g., braising, soups, and stews).
Summary: Pros and Cons of Bare Cast Iron
Pros
Cons
Enameled Cast Iron
Enameled cast iron has many of the same properties as bare cast iron, but the enamel coating makes it best for very different uses.
Enameled cast iron is the best choice for Dutch ovens.
Features
Enameled cast iron is cast iron that's been coated with a tough, glass-based enamel coating. The coating is applied at high heat and "baked" onto the cast iron. This results in a very durable exterior that protects the cast iron from rusting, which means two important things: no seasoning is required, and you can use the pan for any type of food you want, including liquids and acidic foods.
Like all cast iron, it's dense and heavy, so it's durable and has excellent heat retention. You hear less about enameled cast iron cracking, but it can happen, so you should heat and cool your enameled cast iron slowly, especially when new.
Many brands of enameled cast iron are available in several bright, beautiful colors, so you can choose a color that goes well in your kitchen. The enamel is safe, although some colors--reds, oranges, and yellows--can contain very small amounts of cadmium. Since these are on the exterior, they aren't likely to leach into your food, but it's something to be aware of when choosing a color.
Enameled cast iron cooking surfaces are either off-white or black, depending on the brand. There are pros and cons to each. For example, the lighter cooking surface makes it easier to judge cooking progress and browning, but the dark cooking surface hides stains. Some sources say that the dark surface browns faster and more evenly, but our testing shows little difference between the two.
The enamel is generally quite durable, but can crack and chip under duress, so be careful with utensils: though metal utensils are okay to use with most enameled cast iron, try not to scrape or scratch the cooking surface too much, as it can cause permanent marks and even weaken the enamel. If you don't want to use metal utensils, we recommend wooden ones over plastic because of the microplastics issue (all plastics you use for cooking and storage can leach small amounts into your food).
Enameled cast iron is generally more expensive than bare cast iron, but there is a wide range of prices. You can spend $50-$70 on a 5-6 quart Dutch oven (the best size to make whole meals for a family), or you can spend well over $400 on Le Creuset or Staub, the two premiere brands. If you're on a budget, an inexpensive Dutch oven is a fine purchase, but if you can afford a premium brand, we recommend it: the enamel is more durable, so it will last longer. See our Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven Review if you want to learn more.
Finally, contrary to popular belief, enameled cast iron is not nonstick. At best, the enamel coating is semi-nonstick. This is important, because it means that seasoned (bare) cast iron is the better choice in many cases (we'll talk more about this below).
Caring for Enameled Cast Iron
Enameled cast iron is easy to care for. Because it doesn't need to be seasoned, most people think it's easier to care for than seasoned cast iron, though we think the level of care is about the same for both.
Wash it like you'd wash any pan: use hot soapy water, and scrub if you need to, although we recommend avoiding abrasive cleaners, which could scratch the enamel (they probably won't hurt it, but could cause permanent superficial scratch marks). If you have gunk stuck to the pan, it's best to soak it in a baking soda or vinegar solution to help loosen it before washing.
The enamel prevents rusting, so you can soak these pans and let them air dry, unlike seasoned cast iron. You should definitely hand-wash them, though, because dishwasher detergents can dull the finish.
Most enameled pots have a thin layer around the rim that is not enameled; this is from the way the enamel is applied to the cast iron during manufacturing. Keep an eye on this rim, and if you see any rust forming, scrub it off gently with an abrasive sponge or brush, being careful not to scrub any of the enamel, then apply a thin coat of oil to the exposed cast iron.
Using Enameled Cast Iron
Enameled cast iron is great for all liquid cooking methods.
Enameled cast iron has few heat restrictions unless the knob on the lid is phenolic resin (a type of plastic). If you get a pot that has a metal lid pull, then you can use your enameled cast iron at any temperature. Resin knobs limit max heat level to anywhere from 350F-500F, depending on the pot you get.
Enameled cast iron is usable for any type of cookware, but the enamel coating makes it especially good for liquid heat cooking such as braising, soups, stews, and stocks. The enamel permanently protects the cast iron from rusting, so all liquid cooking works with enameled cast iron, even acidic foods.
The truth is, you can use enameled cast iron for any type of cooking, and you can find whole sets of it that include skillets, sauce pans, and Dutch ovens (and/or stock pots). But there are a few reasons why you wouldn't want to buy a whole set of enameled cast iron.
First, it's heavy, so you should only use cast iron--bare or enameled--where you need it. There's no reason to use an enameled cast iron sauce pan when stainless steel is lighter and provides adequate heat retention for just about anything you'd use a sauce pan for.
Second, the enameled cooking surface, once again, is not nonstick, so if you want nonstick properties in a skillet, you're better off with a seasoned cast iron pan. Yes, the enamel is semi-nonstick, but it doesn't come close to well-seasoned bare cast iron.
And third, enameled cast iron cookware can be expensive, so you should only use it where it's needed. There's no reason to spend the money on an enameled skillet or sauce pan when you get better performance from seasoned cast iron (skillet) and clad stainless steel (sauce pan).
The one essential enameled cast iron piece most cooks need is a Dutch oven. It's an extremely versatile pan, which you can use for almost any cooking task in a pinch, from searing and browning to making stock. But they really excel at braises, soups, stews, beans, and tomato-based sauces, and basically all liquid cooking methonds. These all require heat retention for best results, which cast iron is great for, and the enamel eliminates worries about rusting.
Le Creuset says you can use metal utensils with their enameled cast iron, but they recommend using wooden or silicone utensils. If you do use metal utensils, be careful not to scrape the pan too hard, as you can leave marks on the enamel. They probably won't damage it, but the marks can be permanent (and it's possible they can weaken the enamel, especially if it's a lower priced pot).
Summary: Pros and Cons of Enameled Cast Iron
Pros
Cons
So Which Is Best?
Cast iron and enameled cast iron are both good cookware choices, but for different things. Here's the summary:
Cast Iron Vs. Enameled Cast Iron FAQs
Here are some common questions about cast iron and enameled cast iron.
What Is Cast Iron Best For?
In a nutshell, bare, seasoned cast iron is best for skillets and enameled cast iron is best for Dutch ovens.
How Is Cast Iron Different from Carbon Steel?
Cast iron and carbon steel are nearly identical metals, but carbon steel contains less carbon than cast iron: about 0.25%-1.25% vs. 2%-4% in cast iron. The higher carbon content in cast iron makes it more brittle, which is why cast iron pans are thicker than carbon steel pans: the thickness helps prevent cracking. But cast iron's thickness gives it better heat retention, so is a better choice for most things you'd want to use cast iron or carbon steel for (e.g., searing and deep frying).
Carbon steel is lighter than cast iron only because it's thinner. The density of the two materials is about the same, depending on the specific elements in the alloy.
Is Cast Iron Safe to Cook With?
Yes, cast iron is a very safe cooking material. One caveat is that when seasoning cast iron, you must do so in a well-ventilated area because when you heat oil above its smoke point (which is essential for proper seasoning), the smoke can break down into some toxic substances you should avoid breathing. No worries, though, because none of these toxins remain in the seasoning, and it is completely safe to cook with.
Enameled cast iron is also safe. The enamel has to pass California Prop 65 and other safety tests to ensure the enamel contains no toxic substances. Some enamel colors--red, orange, and yellow--can contain small amounts of cadmium, but these are always on the exterior, not on the cooking surface, so it isn't a serious safety issue.
Is Seasoning Cast Iron Hard to Do?
Seasoning can be tricky to do right, and you may need to practice a bit before you get the hang of it. But it's really a simple process, and there are many online guides and videos to help you get it right.
How Does Cast Iron Compare to Stainless Steel?
Cast iron rusts, is very heavy, and the price varies quite a bit. Stainless steel is lighter, is almost completely impervious to rust, and good quality brands tend to be expensive. Both are extremely durable and make good cookware, but clad stainless steel is the more versatile, all-around material, and the best material to buy in a set, because it's good for everything.
Is Cast Iron Cookware Expensive?
Some is and some isn't. Traditionally, bare cast iron is inexpensive at about $30 for a 10-inch skillet. But today there are several artisanal brands on the market that go for several hundred dollars. There isn't a lot of difference in heating or quality, but more expensive brands tend to be prettier and have a smoother cooking surface (which less expensive brands will develop with use).
Enameled cast iron is typically more expensive than bare cast iron, with high-end brands like Le Creuset going for several hundred dollars per pot. There are many less expensive brands (most made in China), but most will be more than any bare cast iron pots.
Can You Put Cast Iron in the Dishwasher?
No: all cast iron cookware should be washed by hand.
Final Thoughts
Seasoned cast iron and enameled cast iron both have their uses, but are best for different things. Use bare, seasoned cast iron for skillets (frying, deep frying, searing) and enameled cast iron for Dutch ovens (braises, soups, stews).
We don't recommend buying whole sets of cast iron because although it's great for some things, it's not as versatile as clad stainless steel, and it weighs more, which makes it harder to use. So we highly recommend cast iron, but only for what it's best at.
Thanks for reading!
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