Best cast iron skillets and frying pans 2024, tried and tested by experts

In this guide we cover two types of cast iron skillet: enamelled and uncoated. Enamelled pans have a coating similar to non-stick, which increases their versatility and reduces the risk of rusting. Uncoated cast iron has great durability since you don't have to worry about damaging the coating and, if seasoned properly, will last a lifetime.

Read on for the best cast iron skillets, tried and tested by our reviews team.

Tring to find the best pans for you? Read our guide to the best induction pan set UK, best stainless steel frying pan and best ceramic frying pan UK.

Jump to:

• Best cast iron skillet at a glance
• Best cast iron skillet to buy 2024
• How to season a cast iron skillet
• How to clean a cast iron skillet
• Cast iron vs non-stick: which is better

Best cast iron skillet at a glance

• Best for versatility: Our Place Cast Iron Always Pan, £100
• Best colourful cast iron skillet: Le Creuset Signature 23cm Cast Iron Round Skillet, £101.13
• Best wooden handle cast iron skillet: Staub Cast Iron Frying Pan, £159
• Best affordable cast iron skillet: ProCook Cast Iron Skillet Pan, £35.10
• Best lightweight skillet: Kuhn Rikon Black Star Iron Frying Pan, 128.96
• Best non-stick cast iron skillet: Staub 26cm Cast Iron Frying Pan, £107

Best cast iron skillet to buy 2024

Our Place Cast Iron Always pan

• Available from Selfridges (£99.99), Our Place (£100), Liberty (£108)

Best for versatility

Star rating: 5/5

This pan was impressive straight out of the (entirely recyclable) packaging. As we've come to expect from Our Place, the look is beautiful, with a sleek, elegant handle and shiny enamelled exterior in a choice of colours from Blue Salt to Spice. It's also a versatile piece of kit thanks to accessories including a domed glass lid that allows you to bake and steam in the pan, and a wooden spatula that nests on the handle.

Removable silicone covers for the handles mean you can move the pan from the hob top to the oven to the grill safely, and on test we found it wasn't too heavy compared to some other skillets we've tried. The non-stick coating meant we could fry an egg without it sticking at all, leaving a beautiful soft yolk and lacy golden white.

Le Creuset Signature 23cm Cast Iron Round Skillet

• Available from Amazon (£101.13), Le Creuset (£155), John Lewis & Partners (£155)

Best colourful cast iron skillet

Star rating: 4.5/5

Le Creuset is best known for its enamelled cookware, so it's no surprise its skillet makes this list. Firstly, it looks beautiful, with elegant curves and a wide range of colours so you can pick something that suits your kitchen. User-friendly features include a grab handle so you can carry the pan with two hands, and a pouring lip on both sides which makes it accessible for both right- and left-handed users.

We were impressed by the fantastic heat distribution of this pan. It heated up very quickly, and there were no cool spots, making it great for searing. The non-stick was also effective, meaning the pan was really easy to clean, without needing any excessive scraping.

Staub Cast Iron Frying Pan

• Available from Zwilling (£159)

Best wooden handle cast iron skillet

Star rating: 4.5/5

Part of Staub's heritage range, this pan has a beautiful design, with a comfortable wooden handle that gives it a classic look. While the wooden handle means the pan can't go in the oven, we were still impressed with how it performed.

The enamelled surface is high quality and our fried eggs lifted from the surface without any fuss. We were also impressed with the pan's reactivity and heat retention — it heated quickly and meant our steak caramelised nicely. It also stayed hot for a long time, which means you could use it as a serving dish on the table as long as everyone is careful of their hands.

ProCook Cast Iron Skillet Pan

• Available from ProCook (£35.10)

Best affordable cast iron skillet

Star rating: 4.5/5

ProCook is brilliant for cookware that performs well without breaking the bank. With a 25-year guarantee, this enamelled pan is built to last, and we found it easy to use and clean on test. The pan is oven-safe up to 260C and has two handles, meaning it can be carried with two hands – which you'll need since it weighs 2kg.

We were impressed that, despite being far more affordable than many of its competitors, the pan still heated up pretty quickly and there weren't any cold spots when cooking. On test, although our fried eggs did stick a little, we were able to achieve a beautiful sear on our steak.

Kuhn Rikon Black Star Iron Frying Pan

• Available from Kuhn Rikon (£128.96)

Best lightweight skillet

Star rating: 4.5/5

This skillet is a little different from many others on this list. Firstly, it's not enamelled, which means you'll need to pre-season the pan before first use and season it regularly to stop food sticking – although we did find the non-stick very effective after a single round of seasoning. Secondly, the pan is made from spun iron rather than cast iron, which makes it far lighter than many of the other pans on test.

The spun iron is noticeably thinner than many cast iron skillets we've used, which means it's quick to heat up. We were able to get the pan nice and hot for searing our steak since we didn't need to worry about damaging any coating, and the resulting sear was fantastic, producing an excellent crust without sticking.

Staub 26cm Cast Iron Frying Pan

• Available from Zwilling (£107)

Best non-stick cast iron skillet

Star rating: 4.5/5

This pan offers everything you could want from a cast iron skillet – a beautiful rustic look, a choice of colours and a deep interior with a silky-smooth enamelled interior. It had the most impressive non-stick of any pan we've tested, with no need for seasoning before first use. Our fried egg glided off the pan with minimal oil.

It's also a brilliant pan for searing, which we tested on chicken thighs before transferring to the oven – easy thanks to the extra handle on the far side, embossed with the Staub logo.

How to season a cast iron skillet

The term seasoning refers to a process of applying fat to a cast iron pan which, when heated up, forms a coating to stop food sticking and stop the pan from rusting. Most pans will come pre-seasoned, but you'll need to regularly season any cast iron which isn't enamelled to ensure your pan lasts.

To season your pan, add a small amount of vegetable or sunflower oil to some kitchen paper and rub this across the interior and exterior of your clean pan. Once you've buffed the pan with a thin layer, put it over a medium-high heat until smoking a little. Once the smoke has died down, that's your sign that the pan is seasoned. Remove from the heat and add another layer of oil on kitchen paper, using kitchen tongs to avoid burning yourself, before returning the pan to the heat. A properly seasoned pan will have a shiny layer coating it all over.

For more tips, our friends at Good Food have a guide on how to season cast iron.

How to clean a cast iron skillet

You should clean enamelled cast iron pans the same as any non-stick frying pan. In other words, clean them by hand rather than in the dishwasher, and use hot, soapy water and a relatively gentle cleaning tool to avoid damaging the coating.

When it comes to cleaning uncoated cast iron, things can get a little more tricky. The main danger here is causing a build-up of rust on your pan. Contrary to popular belief, you can clean your cast iron pan with hot soapy water, but you want to avoid it sitting in water for too long, or it being exposed to moisture on your drying rack. After gently cleaning your pan, put it onto a medium-high heat, which will cause any moisture to evaporate and help you avoid the pan rusting.

Cast iron vs non-stick: which is better

If you're kitting out a new kitchen or looking to invest in a new all-rounder piece of cookware, it can be hard to know where to start. Generally, cookware falls into two categories: coated and uncoated. Coated cookware includes non-stick pans, but also pans which might have an enamelled finish, like many in this list. Uncoated cookware includes cast iron, which needs to be seasoned, as well as stainless steel cookware.

We'd argue that there's a place for both types of cookware in your kitchen, but if you're trying to choose between them, there are a few things to consider. Perhaps the primary considerations are price and longevity. Cast iron pans are likely to be a bigger investment, but they're designed to last; Staub and Le Creuset both have lifetime guarantees on their cast iron products, for example. The nature of non-stick pans, on the other hand, means they don't stand the test of time: once a non-stick coating is damaged, it's no longer safe to use.

The other key thing to think about is the type of cooking you plan on doing. Most skillets can be heated to high temperatures, which makes them well suited to searing meat and vegetables, and they can typically be used in the oven too. If you're cooking something delicate like pancakes, however, you're unlikely to achieve a good result on anything other than a non-stick frying pan.

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