Guides
Enamelled or bare cast iron: which should I buy?
The short answer: buy enamelled cast iron for braises, stews, tomato sauces and anything with wine in it; buy bare cast iron for searing at very high heat, for metal tools and for less money. Most kitchens are best served by one of each: an enamelled casserole and a bare cast iron frying pan.
The difference at a glance
| Enamelled cast iron | Bare cast iron | |
|---|---|---|
| Seasoning | None needed: the glass surface is sealed | A baked-on layer of oil that you keep up by cooking and oiling |
| Acidic food (tomato, wine, vinegar) | Fine for any length of time | Fine for quick cooks; long simmers strip the seasoning |
| Heat | Medium to high; heat gradually | Very high, including grill and barbecue |
| Utensils | Wooden or silicone | Metal is fine |
| Cleaning | Soak and wash | Wash, dry on the heat, wipe with oil |
| Looks | Coloured outside, can go to the table | Black |
| Price | Higher | Lower |
When enamel is the right choice
Enamel is glass fused onto iron. You get all the heat-holding weight of cast iron with a surface that does not react with food and does not need looking after. That makes it the better material for anything wet, slow or acidic: a beef and red wine braise, a tomato sauce that simmers for two hours, a pot of beans, a dal, stock. It is also what you want for bread baked in a covered pot, because the lid traps steam and the iron holds an even 230°C.
It is the more sociable material too. A coloured casserole goes from oven to table and looks like it belongs there. The trade-off: enamel chips if it is dropped or hit with metal, so wooden and silicone tools are the rule, and it prefers gradual heat to a blast on full.
When bare cast iron is the right choice
Bare cast iron is for heat. It will happily sit over the highest flame you own, go under the grill or onto a barbecue, and take a metal fish slice scraped across it. That makes it the better pan for steak, chops, smash burgers, crisp-skinned fish, cornbread and anything you want to go from hob to blazing oven.
Its surface is seasoning: oil baked into a hard, slick layer. It gets better the more you cook, and if it ever rusts it can be scrubbed back and rebuilt, which is why bare cast iron pans outlive their owners. It asks for a little care: dry it on the heat after washing, wipe on a film of oil, and keep long acidic simmers for the enamelled pot.
What Season makes in each
We make both, and we chose the material for the job each piece does.
Enamelled:
- Cast Iron Casserole: 22cm (3.3L) £80 to 30cm (7.5L) £120. The 26cm is £100. Six colours, oven safe to 230°C, all hobs including induction, 10 year warranty.
- Cast Iron Shallow Casserole: 26cm (2.3L) £80, 30cm (3.5L) £90.
- Enamelled Cast Iron Griddle Pan: 27cm, £60. No seasoning needed, and the matte enamel grips oil on the ridges where the searing happens.
Bare, pre-seasoned:
- Cast Iron Frying Pan: £12 to £38, in 10, 16, 20, 25 and 30cm. All hobs, oven, grill and barbecue; metal utensils fine.
- Cast Iron Wide Reversible Griddle: £55, 45.5 x 25.7cm, spans two hobs.
- Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Griddle Pan: 26cm, £38.
If you are starting from nothing, a 26cm casserole and a 25cm frying pan between them cover almost everything a home kitchen cooks.
Keep reading
- Do I need a cast iron frying pan?
- How to season your cast iron frying pan
- How to clean an enamelled cast iron casserole
- Can you use cast iron on an induction hob?
Questions people ask
Is enamelled cast iron non-stick? Not in the way a coated pan is. Heat it gradually with a little fat, and food that is browning releases on its own once it has formed a crust.
Can I cook tomato sauce in bare cast iron? A quick one, yes. A long simmer strips the seasoning and can give the sauce a metallic edge, so use enamel for anything that cooks for more than about half an hour.
Does enamelled cast iron need seasoning? No. The enamel is a sealed glass surface, so there is nothing to season.
Which lasts longer? Both last decades with reasonable care. Bare cast iron is almost impossible to ruin, because rust can be scrubbed off and the seasoning rebuilt. Enamel lasts as long as you keep metal and hard knocks away from it.
Which heats more evenly? Both are slow to heat and hold it well once hot. Give either a few minutes over a medium heat before you turn it up.
Cook it with
Cook like it matters.
From the cooks at Season, a London cookshop since 2005.