Best cast iron skillet

While there are myths aplenty about the curing, caring, and cleaning of cast iron, I subscribe to very few of them.

After examining heat conduction, frying dozens of eggs, searing steaks, and baking cornbread, we found five cast iron skillets that performed well.

A cast iron skillet is arguably a traditional cook's best friend! But is there lead or other heavy metals in cast iron? And what about enameled cast iron cookware -- is it safe, especially for pregnant or nursing mothers and children? Watch, listen, or read to learn the 3 dangers of cast iron, and how to mitigate them through proper seasoning and other methods so you can still utilize these amazing, naturally non-stick pots and pans!

Hint: Avoid anything sticky.

Cleaning a cast iron skillet after using it to cook is pretty simple. Here's exactly the steps to take how to clean a cast iron skillet after using.

Spoiler: It's the method Kitchn has been using all along!

If you need a quick dinner recipe that you can make in a single pan or dish, check out these easy to make cast iron skillet recipe ideas and tutorials to get started!

Any guesses?

Since I bought my cast iron in a hurry, without doing any research, I made a few silly mistakes along the way.

At the campsite or in your home kitchen, cast iron is the workhorse cookware you need. Learn everything you need to know about cooking with, cleaning, and seasoning cast iron so that it will be the first pan you reach for year after year.