If you don’t own a Cast Iron pan yet, you should probably get at least 1 and here is why: Cast Iron is versatile, durable, fairly easy to use and clean up. But it does require some maintenance, and its definitely not light.
I own a variety of cookware and sometimes its hard to decide which pan to use. For me, I reach for cast iron when I plan to make a 1 pan meal, or for searing a beautiful steak cooked sous vide. I don’t use it for everything but I absolutely love my 12″ Lodge brand pan. Cast Iron is also inexpensive running about $30 compared to quality stainless steel pans costing $100+.
I have been using a Lodge 12″ pan for years and its been pretty fantastic. However, the surface of the inside of the pan isn’t as smooth as I would prefer, and tends cause my towels to leave a lot of lint behind. I typically use my pan for searing meat, making pizza in the oven, and pan frying fish with small amounts of oil.
But the question is, Do you need to add cast iron to your toolset? I would say absolutely. Although you might not use it everyday, its a fantastic tool to have around for searing, baking, and frying. The high heat tolerance and its ability to maintain an even temperature (even on electric ranges) has allowed me to make things I otherwise couldn’t with some nonstick or basic pots and pans.
I would love to get my hands on some vintage pans from lodge which tend to be smoother on the inside. I am also looking at other brands like Stargazer and Field and hope to get my hands on a few of these for reviews.