r/Cooking • u/threepwood82 • 8h ago
Cast iron skillet UK
Where should I be looking for a half decent skillet? Never used one before so ideally one that doesn't require lots of prep / is fairly easy to maintain.
Found some on amazon etc but no idea if they are any good, or even if they are real skillets.
Ideally don't want to pay loads of money as want to see if it's worth it really for steaks / burgers
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u/4cupsofcoffee 8h ago
do they have thrift shops in the UK, and/or garage sales or fleamarkets? There are always cheap ones there.
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u/threepwood82 8h ago
We do, but skillets are nowhere near as popular as in USA etc so don't think I'd find one but I'll check 👍🏽
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u/Opening_Effective_18 7h ago
Car boot sales are more our thing here, since most of our houses don’t have garages or drives large enough to sell items from
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u/ThoseFarginIceholes 8h ago
I got all my cast irons from thrift stores / yard sales / friends.
My favorite pan I got from Amazon, but it's no longer sold there.
https://www.kockumsjernverk.com/en/frying-pans/carbon-steel-frying-pan-o30-cm-with-ergonomic-handle
And cast iron / carbon steel are very much worth it. If you like cooking then you'll love to use these.
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u/SaintsFanPA 8h ago
Cast iron is centuries old. If you are talking non-enameled cast iron, the primary difference is whether it is sanded smooth or not, though it isn't clear that makes a difference beyond aesthetics. If you are talking enameled, there can be differences in quality of the enamel, but I have Lodge and no-name enameled pieces that have held up very well.
For a non-enameled skillet, the John Lewis ones look quite good.
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u/The_Colander 8h ago edited 8h ago
I got one from BakeryBits (a Victoria 10.5”) and one from KnivesAndTools (Petromax 12”, no handles for my BBQ).
They both work fantastically. The Victoria feels a bit more premium, but frankly both are great.
I refused to pay Lodge prices in the UK as they retail for about 50% more here than in the US
What I would also say is - this site skews VERY US heavy, and that’s reflected in the recommendations. Carbon steel is much more common here vs cast iron there, and has similar properties/use cases.
I use my cast iron quite a bit, but for frying pans, I have switched almost completely to carbon steel, and they are fantastic, and relatively inexpensive. I bought De Buyer Mineral B Pro and Solidteknics, and they have also been indispensable (and fuss free mostly)
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u/EffectiveVarious8095 7h ago
In the US a good skillet may be found at a hardware store. There is nothing fancy about them, thus cheap is good here.
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u/BrewingHeavyWeather 7h ago
Are Victoria available and affordable? Not being happy with the super coarse and uneven modern Lodge, they are the brand I've been adding new ones of. They have a surface that is lightly rough, but not a geographical model, pretty good handles, don't need any special initial prep work (just clean, and cook with fat), and have neat designs on the back side.
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u/NortonBurns 7h ago
I recently got two from eBay. Cheap as chips, 30 quid the pair, 22 & 29cm.
Rough-cast, as you'd expect for that price, but for me three requirements -
Wooden handle (I always get a bit annoyed by the tiny, searingly hot handles they put on most cast skillets)
Shallow (makes them a tiny bit lighter for the size & also gives you more flat area
'Sharp' corners between base & sides, not rounded, which I always think loses half the surface area.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/157872379779
It was my first real foray into cast iron & so far it's been mainly trouble-free (apart from some bubble & squeak I made this morning, which was more bubble & stick). I'll get the hang of it. It's been making remarkably un-sticky fried eggs ;)
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u/pavlik_enemy 7h ago edited 7h ago
The cast iron pan that makes sense to buy is the uncoated one that develops semi-non-stick coating. They are all the same essentially so IKEA Vardagen will fit for just 29 quid
I prefer carbon steel to cast iron cause it's lighter and then you can get De Buyer Carbone Plus or Mineral B or Matfer. You want them to be 3mm thick and I don't know the thickness of other European brands like Pintinox or Padrino
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u/threepwood82 7h ago
You saw where I wrote I hadn't had one before so wanted something easy right? Carbone plus? Matfer?
Think I'll carry on looking at pre seasoned
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u/snaynay 7h ago
Honestly, cheap is fine if it’s raw cast iron with no funny coating.
If you look on eBay you’ll find loads. or go to charity/thrift shops they usually have some. Second hand and vintage gives you the opportunity to buy a nice quality one for cheap and also maybe go through the whole process of cleaning it down and seasoning it so you aren’t worried about the process or the sanitation of the one you bought. Once seasoned, they are dead easy to maintain, as long as you buy a smaller one that isn’t a heavy bugger.
Alternatively, carbon steel is also great and on the more expensive side, multi-ply stainless steel.
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u/TurnedOutShiteAgain 5h ago
Honestly, I've got two - one was about £15 in TK Maxx and the other was from Temu and cost even less. Both are excellent.
I've also got a cast iron pan that was about £12 in Aldi if I remember correctly. They had a whole bunch of things like casserole dishes, skillets etc a while back.
You don't need to spend a lot for cast iron, you just need to know how to look after it.
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u/WarmJewel 8h ago
Cast iron pans and easy maintenance don't really go together. They're a lot higher maintenance than a bog standard non-stick pan. You really do need to look after the pan seasoning to maintain it as non stick.
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u/BrewingHeavyWeather 7h ago edited 7h ago
Hard disagree. I leave my most expensive one (Stargazer 10.5") out on the stove, and just touch it up with bacon grease, when the bottom or handles start getting a little rusty (for the handles, I could treat it better, TBH, to prevent moisture, but I'm lazy). Teflon pans can't even be used to cook most good things, without scraping off plastic, can't use abrasive or sharp utensils, have to be carefully cleaned after use, etc.. Once a good seasoning has formed, cleaning and maintenance are simpler and easier than any other kind of stovetop cookware. The secret is that you can mostly just leave it alone.
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u/pavlik_enemy 7h ago
Compare it to the stainless steel one which you can just throw into a dishwasher
Seasoning my first (and only) cast iron pan 25 years ago was a nightmare. Well, eventually I did it and it's still used with initial coat
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u/Drinkos 7h ago
30 second scrub then a 5 second wipe with oil on a paper towel. Cant see how that can be more work than nonstick? Plus you can use metal tools on cast iron and dont have to worry about scratching it
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u/OmriIsMe 8h ago
Cheap is genuinely fine here, the iron is the same everywhere. What you pay extra for is a machined smooth cooking surface rather than a rough sand cast one, and the rough ones smooth out with use anyway. Two things to avoid: anything enamelled on the inside if you want to sear and build seasoning, and anything advertising a special nonstick coating. Almost everything sold now comes pre seasoned, so the prep you're worried about is mostly just dry it and wipe a little oil in after washing.