Cast Iron Skillet / Frying Pan

MummyRivett

Hello Everyone,
I thought OS Thread may be able to help me and give some advice.  I have been interested for some time in purchasing a cast iron skillet.   I have seen numerous videos on YouTube including Frugal Jo's video regarding restoring a skillet.  Obviously I wanted to get a good model and was looking around but found that they were all quite pricey.  I was given a JLP gift card with enough on there to purchase a Le Creuset Skillet:   https://www.johnlewis.com/le-creuset-cast-iron-23cm-signature-skillet/satin-black/p4851242 which although extravagant in price, I know are a reliable brand.

The main reason for purchasing a cast iron skillet is that you can put the whole thing in the oven and under the grill, my current frying pans have plastic handles and are unsuitable.  My question is those of you who own a skillet is,  do you think that they are worth the investment? or is this just an extravagance?  I may point out that Amazon are cheaper and I do not usually shop in John Lewis, the only reason I am going to John Lewis is that this purchase would be with the gift card, I'm not sure if they still do the not knowingly undersold price promise, again one of you may be able to answer this, as I am not a John Lewis or Waitrose customer.

Thank you in advance for your help.

thriftwizard

I have a feeling that they dropped the "Never knowingly" bit recently, but can't swear to that. But I will swear to the general usefulness of skillets; we have and regularly use about 6 in different sizes, at least one of them Le Creuset. (5 adults in the house, with several different diets going on.) Being able to pop them into the oven or under the grill (or even onto the grill over the campfire) without worrying about the handles is invaluable. To be fair, I don't think we've bought any of them new; they've mostly been found for pennies at car boot sales, though some serious work has gone into renovating them - much scrubbing with wire wool & baking them with lashings of flax oil, mostly. I would certainly buy the JL Le Creuset in your position; look after it well (I.e. rinse & scrub with hot water after use, then wipe with oil before putting away, & stay away from detergent & dishwashers! Soak any burnt bits until they lift easily) & it'll still be doing you proud in 40 years' time, as our LC frying pans & casserole dishes are.

PipneyJane

The picture in your post looks more like a classic black-iron cast iron frying pan, not a Le Creuset one.  (More on the latter, later).  I have a both a cast iron frying pan and a cast iron skillet, which I bought from JLP in the 1990’s.  They are “Warner” brand and were sold unsealed.  Much cheaper than the Le Creuset cast iron frying pan that I broke, which they were bought to replace.   They are also bigger.

Pro’s:  good, even heat distribution.  Once sealed, they are almost non-stick. Oven and BBQ proof.   You shouldn’t need to seal the Le Creuset brand one.

Cons:  these pans are heavy, even when empty.  When full, you need two hands to lift and carry.  The handles get very hot.  (Le Creuset sell “handle gloves” that are very useful and fit a range of brands.). Not suitable for the dishwasher.  Never soak or you’ll destroy the sealed finish.  Cast iron is very friable - if you drop it, it will break.  

To seal a black iron pan, smear it all over with oil and bake at 150C for at least an hour. Leave in the oven overnight to cool and then wash off any stickiness.

Now, on to Le Creuset pans.  In general, I’m a big fan.  I have several of their cast iron enamel saucepans and larger cooking pots.  As mentioned before, I have owned - and broken - one of their cast iron frying pans (cast-iron inside;  enamel outer).   They are a pleasure to cook in.  

The downside is that Le Creuset pans are very expensive.  If you want one of their frying pans without the cost, keep an eye out for when L!dl sell their cast iron cookware.  I have one of the L!dl frying pans, too, for frying eggs.  It’s excellent and cost less than £40.   (The surface of  Warner pan is too rough, so eggs stick.)

HTH

- Pip.  (My old boss gave me JLP gift vouchers every Christmas.  I spent mine on Le Creuset.).

Floss

One thing I would say is if you are cooking with a skillet in the oven, buy a handle sleeve to reduce the chance of a full palm & fingers burn from thoughtlessly picking up a pan from the hob, that has just come out of the oven. My ex-husband had to go to A&E for treatment after he did that.

goldfinches

I had to sell my set of cast iron pans as they were too heavy to hold comfortably, even with two hands and empty, after I got arthritis in my hands. They did hold their value quite well so that wasn't so bad but it's still something to bear in mind as one ages.

bouicca21

My favourite frying pan ever was my mum’s black iron one.  Could do anything in it - and it was easily resealed just by heating it with oil on the stove top.  Would love to have one.

coffeehound

bouicca21 said:

My favourite frying pan ever was my mum’s black iron one.  Could do anything in it - and it was easily resealed just by heating it with oil on the stove top.  Would love to have one.

That's something (aside from the price tag) that I don't like about the LC one linked by the OP.  It is enamelled in the LC tradition. Maybe it works well on a skillet, I don't know, but it goes against the appeal of a skillet of being a rustic, tough indestructable thing that you can abrade back to bare metal and re-season again and again.

MummyRivett

@thriftwizard @PipneyJane @Floss @goldfinches @bouicca21 @coffeehound
Thank you all so much for your advice, I knew that OS would be the best place to ask the question and get a sensible answer.  Having been MSE Forumite for over 20 years, the informal financial education, motivation and friendly advice I have received has been amazing, it has helped get me out of debt, learn to save, buy a house, set me up financially and live beneath my means; hence not being one to intentionally shop in John Lewis.  But as mentioned, this was a gift card given in the same vain as @PipneyJane boss so that resonated immensely. 

I have taken all your advice and decided to go for it and treat myself.  Once lockdown is lifted and boot sales become a regular thing, I will be on the lookout for a cast iron Dutch Oven too.  We have just got a Lidl and Aldi open up five mins from us, so I will keep my eyes open for any bargains, I believe that TK Maxx and Home Sense have also had items for sale at reasonable prices.

I appreciate your help regarding the purchase and thank you all once again.  Have a great weekend and Mother's Day all, Leanne x

PipneyJane

bouicca21 said:

My favourite frying pan ever was my mum’s black iron one.  Could do anything in it - and it was easily resealed just by heating it with oil on the stove top.  Would love to have one.

@bouicca21 - keep an eye out for the Warner ones in JLP. They still sell them.  A couple of years ago, I bought one as a present for a close friend, who'd been admiring mine.  It was less than £40 at the time.  (£25 springs to mind, but that may be what I paid for mine in the 1990's.)

HTH

- Pip