Is an enameled cast iron skillet worth it?

If I had to pick just one kind of cookware to have in my kitchen, it would be enameled cast iron. No, it&#;s not the most practical choice (that would be stainless steel) or the sexiest (wassup, carbon steel?) or even the trendiest (we all see you, DTC nonstick). But for someone like me who does a lot of stovetop-to-oven cooking, and who doesn&#;t have a lot of time for a multistep cleaning routine when I&#;m done, enameled cast iron is as close to perfect as it gets.

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Enameled cast iron works with all kinds of cooktops, including my fancy Italian induction range, and it offers amazing heat distribution and retention. The porcelain enamel isn&#;t just for looks; it protects the cast iron, making it rust-resistant and nonreactive to acidic foods like tomato. The most ubiquitous enameled cast iron pieces, Dutch ovens, are great for simmering soups and stews, braising big cuts of meat, frying chicken, and even baking bread. At my house, an enameled cast-iron pan is also the go-to for flawless pancakes, seared steak, and crispy grilled cheese.

Le Creuset Signature Dutch Oven with Gold Knob

The moral of the story here is that enameled cast iron is the best because it&#;s incredibly versatile, amazingly durable, and easy to clean. But there&#;s one thing it&#;s not: nonstick.

The nonstick misconception

Last year, when researching enameled cast-iron skillets to test for Epicurious, I learned that a lot of people expect enameled cast iron to release an omelet as easily as traditional nonstick cookware. Among the most popular and top-rated models, nearly every bad review was from someone complaining about the fact that food stuck to the cooking surface. Take, for example, the &#;Amazon Customer&#; who was very disappointed that Le Creuset&#;s &#;nonstick promise is bogus.&#; The real problem, of course, is that Le Creuset doesn&#;t make a nonstick promise because enameled cast iron is not supposed to be nonstick.

I understand why people who aren&#;t used to cooking on enameled cast iron might be confused. Enameled frying pans with light interiors kind of resemble those aesthetically pleasing ceramic nonstick pans that are nowhere near as durable as enameled cast iron. A textured black enamel could easily be mistaken for pre-seasoned raw cast iron. Even I was fooled by Staub&#;s traditional cast-iron skillet the first time I laid eyes on it, mistaking the matte black-enamel for a high-end factory seasoning job.

But now, I know better&#;and my enameled Staub is one of my favorite pieces in my kitchen because it&#;s a low-maintenance pan that (if you don&#;t look too closely) seems like meticulously maintained raw cast iron.

Staub Cast Iron 11-inch Traditional Skillet

Cooking with enameled cast iron

While most Dutch ovens feature a smooth white porcelain interior, enameled frying pans usually have a darker, slightly textured cooking surface. When I tested 10 different pans, I found that the darker, more textured enamels did a much better job of browning food and of releasing it. The texture helps to prevent sticking by allowing a tiny bit of fat to move around between the food and the surface.

To get the best performance out of your enameled cast iron, you have to follow a few rules. No matter what the inside of your enameled cast iron cookware looks or feels like, food will stick to it if you don&#;t allow it to fully preheat. Five or six minutes usually does the trick. You&#;re also going to have a sticky situation if you try to skip the butter or oil.

On the flip side, enameled cast iron doesn&#;t require seasoning, so cleanup and maintenance are pretty simple. With very little effort, high-quality enameled cast iron cookware will last a lifetime&#;which is more than you can say about any nonstick pan.

Made In Enameled Cast Iron Skillet

Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Everyday Braiser Pan, 3-Quart

BUY IT: Lodge 3 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Lid

Straight to the Point

While we think both pans are worthwhile, if you don't own either it's hard to beat the longevity and versatility of a traditional cast iron skillet like our favorite (after testing 11 pans!) from Lodge.

When you read the words &#;cast iron pan,&#; what&#;s the first image that comes to mind? A heavy black metal skillet with years of patina&#;a.k.a seasoning&#;built up into a glossy top coat? Or do you picture that pan with a smooth, naturally (somewhat) nonstick surface made from enamel? Maybe you imagine a 5-quart Dutch oven with a colorful exterior or a wide and shallow braising pan. All of these are made from cast iron (the exact composition of which varies with each manufacturer), and they are all excellent pans for a variety of cooking tasks. 

Compared with stainless steel or nonstick, cast iron pans are heavy, durable, and great at heat retention. To evaluate the pros and cons of bare versus enameled cast iron (and help you decide which one is right for you), we&#;ll look at skillets. Although you can find uncoated Dutch ovens and braisers, these shapes are most often coated in enamel&#;meaning the qualities inherent in enameled cast iron skillets apply to them, too.

The Best Cast Iron and Enameled Skillets

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Heat Conduction and Retention

Heat conduction (how efficient and quick a pan is at transferring heat from the cooking unit) and heat retention (how consistently the pan holds its desired temperature throughout the cooking process) are two different concepts. Because most cast iron pans are large and heavy, they are slower to heat and are inferior conductors of heat. But they shine at heat retention, maintaining a consistent temperature even when food is added.

It's a myth that cast iron pans are superior at conducting heat. Instead, they're actually excellent at heat retention.

The presence or absence of an enamel coating won&#;t affect either of these qualities. What does determine a pan&#;s efficiency in both categories is the type of metal used, as well as its thickness. As we've found in our reviews and use of both of these pan types, thinner, lighter-weight pans are faster to heat, and more prone to temperature fluctuations. Heavy pans with thick bottoms will excel in heat retention.

Performance

When we talk about a cast iron pan&#;s performance, we&#;re discussing its ability to sear as well as its potential for sticking. A high-performing pan with good heat retention will sear well, creating a strong Maillard reaction that produces a golden-brown crust. The pan should also easily release the food from its surface, which happens once the reaction has been completed. So a pan with poor ability to sear will cause food to stick or flake to its surface.

When we tested enameled cast iron skillets, we seared a whole bunch of pork chops. You can see how the browned differently per pan here.

Both enameled and bare pans are great at searing. The presence of an enamel coating may slightly hinder browning, though. As for the stick factor? When a bare cast iron pan is well-seasoned&#;meaning it&#;s coated in even, consistent layers of fat built up over time&#;it has natural nonstick capabilities. Note here we didn&#;t say it&#;s entirely nonstick. For delicate tasks, like cooking an omelet, we still recommend forgoing cast iron entirely and going with nonstick.

Versatility

Kitchen folklore warns that it&#;s bad to cook acidic ingredients like tomatoes in a bare cast iron pan, because those foods may strip the iron from its surface, causing the pan to degrade. So you may think it would follow naturally that enameled pans are a better choice, due to their &#;all foods welcome&#; abilities. However, it&#;s debatable how much iron leaching actually happens with uncoated pans; a study showed the heat needs to be very high for this to occur. Stripping and corrosion also happen primarily when a pan is used without a layer of proper seasoning. And you wouldn&#;t use your bare cast iron pan without seasoning it, would you? 

We think both traditional and enameled cast iron pans are exceptionally versatile.

Our conclusion: With ample seasoning and an adequately hot temperature, uncoated pans are more versatile and nonstick than their enameled brethren. It's worth noting, too, that while traditional cast iron can be used at any temperature (literally, throw it over a fire!), enameled cast iron is more sensitive. One of our favorite enameled cast iron skillets, from Le Creuset, has a max temp of just 500°F&#;limiting some of its versatility.

Longevity

Here&#;s where bare cast iron absolutely takes the cake: These pans are built to last for generations. They&#;re incredibly durable, practically impossible to crack or break, and can even be brought back from the dead. It&#;s totally possible to revive a rusted cast iron pan at home, and if things get really bad, you can sand them back to a base layer, from where you&#;ll rebuild the seasoning over time. 

Enameled cast iron pans are prone to chipping, cracking, and scratching over time, or with misuse. Metal utensils cannot be used on the enamel surface, so you&#;ll need to invest in silicone-tipped tongs and food turners if you plan on cooking with enameled pans. That said, high-end enameled pans like Le Creuset and Staub have excellent quality control to ensure proper construction. You&#;ll take your chances with cheaper coated pans. 

Care and Maintenance

There&#;s no denying bare cast iron requires more meticulous care and maintenance than enameled cast iron. We don&#;t believe in babying cast iron&#;we&#;re fine with a little sudsy water&#;but it should not be left to soak or drip dry. Water is the enemy of exposed iron, so to properly maintain a bare pan, it should be washed, rinsed, dried, and then heated with a thin layer of neutral oil to seal and protect the seasoning. 

If that sounds too fussy, you&#;ll be happy to know you can soak, wash, and dry an enameled pan with almost as much cavalier abandon as you do other cookware. Just remember that it should not be introduced to metal, so use a bristle brush rather than steel wool for stuck-on food. Although some enameled cast iron pan manufacturers give the green light for dishwasher use, we still recommend washing it by hand to preserve the coating.

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