Almost nobody who gives up on cast iron has a bad pan. They have a pan that
was not hot enough, a pan that was too dry, or food they moved too soon. All three are free
to fix, and none of them requires buying anything.
The three reasons, in order of how often they are the culprit
You started cooking too early
Cast iron heats slowly and unevenly. Give it four or five minutes on medium before
anything goes in — a drop of water should skate across the surface, not sizzle and
sit. Nearly every sticking problem is this one.
Not enough fat
Seasoning is not a non-stick coating and was never meant to work dry. A thin film across
the whole surface, not a puddle in the middle.
You moved it too soon
Protein bonds to hot iron, then releases on its own once a crust forms. If it is stuck,
it is not ready. Wait thirty seconds and it will usually let go by itself.
Care is simpler than the internet suggests: hot water and a brush, dry it on the burner so
no water sits in the pores, wipe a trace of oil in while it is warm. A little dish soap will
not strip a cured seasoning — leaving it wet will.
If you are buying one, what to look for
Ten to ten and a quarter inches
Fits a standard burner, holds four eggs or two steaks, and is still liftable one-handed
when full. Twelve-inch pans are the ones that end up in a cupboard.
A helper handle opposite the main one
A loaded skillet is genuinely heavy and often going into an oven. The second handle is a
safety feature, not a detail.
Pour spouts on both sides
For draining fat without wearing it. Both sides, so it works whichever hand you favour.
Pre-seasoned, understood as a starting point
Factory seasoning gets you cooking on day one. It is not a finished surface — the
pan gets better for about a year of ordinary use.
The one that meets all four: the Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet,
10.25 inches.
Helper handle, spouts on both sides, pre-seasoned with vegetable oil and nothing else,
and still cast in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, where Lodge has been pouring iron since 1896.
Oven, broiler, grill and campfire capable. It is the default answer to this question for
good reason, and the reason is not price.
The honest limit. Lodge's cooking surface is sand-cast and slightly
pebbled, not machined glass-smooth like vintage Griswold or the modern boutique makers.
It takes a few months of real cooking before it goes properly slick, and if you want smooth
on day one you will pay several times as much for it. It also weighs about five pounds
empty, which is worth knowing if wrist strength is a consideration.