Season Kitchen · Guide

The case for a cast iron frying pan

There are jobs a non-stick pan should never be asked to do. Searing a steak. Blackening peppers. Going from hob to oven. High heat is what degrades a non-stick coating, and it also happens to be where cast iron is at its best. So the two make a sensible pair: cast iron takes the heat, your non-stick lasts years longer, and everything gets cooked in the pan built for it. Here's a quick guide to the pros and cons.

The positives

High heat - no problem

Cast iron is the only pan genuinely unfazed by high heat. Nothing ruins a non-stick pan faster, and while a steel pan copes better, serious heat can discolour it and, in extreme cases, warp it. Cast iron has no such fears. Crank it up and sear - steak, fish, asparagus, even pineapple.

The sear itself

The mass of a cast iron pan holds heat. That means even cooking, and it means the temperature doesn't drop the moment a cold steak hits the surface - which is exactly what produces a proper crust. The surface strikes a useful balance too: smooth enough to release your steak when you flip it, with enough grip to build a sear in the first place.

Hob to oven

Sear a larger cut on the hob, then put the whole pan in the oven to finish. The same trick works for a frittata: cook your mushrooms, add the eggs, transfer to the oven.

Metal utensil safe

Spatulas, whisks, fish slices - use whatever you like. There's no coating to protect.

Longevity

There's nothing on a cast iron pan that can fail. No coating to wear off, no parts to break - just iron. The worst that can happen is rust, if it's left wet, and even that isn't fatal: scrub it off with wire wool, re-season, and the pan carries on as if nothing happened. Looked after properly it will last a lifetime, and neglected badly it can still be brought back. Not many things in a kitchen offer a second chance like that.

The drawback

It needs a little care

Cast iron rusts if left wet, so you can't leave it soaking in the sink, and it should never see the inside of a dishwasher. The routine instead: wash it out with warm water, dry it thoroughly with a tea towel, and leave it on a warm hob for a couple of minutes to finish the job. A thin rub of vegetable oil on kitchen roll afterwards is a good habit. That layer of oil does two things - it keeps rust away, and over time it builds the pan's natural non-stick surface. This is what people mean by seasoning, and it's the reason cast iron pans improve with age rather than wearing out.

Summary

A Season Cast Iron Frying Pan probably shouldn't be your only pan. Keep a non-stick for low and medium heat, and for delicate jobs like a fillet of fish. Get the cast iron out when you want serious heat and a proper sear. Use each pan for what it's good at and you'll get better results from both - and a longer life from your non-stick.

The pan

Built for exactly this

Season Cast Iron Frying Pan

Five sizes, pre-seasoned and ready to use.