I have a couple really old, well seasoned, cast iron skillets that I use on a regular basis. When they have a slick surface, they release foods readily.

I was looking at America's Test Kitchens' website, and they have a review of cast iron vs. Enamel coated cast iron. You should be able to view it without a subscription since it was done during the 2015 season.

According to their testing among cast iron skillets, the Lodge Classic 12" Cast Iron Skillet (model L10SK3) came out on top. It's oven safe to 1,000 degrees and priced under $35.

Among the enamel coated cast iron, the winner was Le Creuset 11-3/4" Signature Iron Handle Skillet, Marseille on sale on Amazon for $189.95. According to their review, no other enamel coated skillet came close.

Search: cast iron skillets America's Test Kitchen ....and you'll find it.

Happy cooking!

I too would go ahead and get the cast iron that was requested. However, your question makes me wonder if there are different quality levels of the Lodge cast iron products since they can be found in stores of varying price points. Buyer beware as well because even though Lodge claims their products are "preseasoned", they will rust unless you reseason them again before their first use. I received a dutch oven one year as a gift and had stored it in the pantry. A few months later I took it out to give it a try and it already had signs of rust.

The 10" Lodge was only $25! I think they have a 12", too, just not on the shelf.

Academy has the best prices on cast iron Lodge skillets. Go with cast iron!:)

The bare cast iron is better for searing and developing seasoning, if that is what he is after. The enameled cast iron will be better left for dutch ovens. If you were looking at an upgrade, you can buy vintage (like Wagner or Griswold, specifically), usually in your local antique mall. The main difference there is that the inside is smoother (it is ground down), a step Lodge stopped doing. I have a Lodge and a Wagnerware (and the Le Creuset). BTW, Home Goods/TJMaxx/Marshalls usually has Lodge for even less.

I have several Lodge cast iron skillets - they are great and would definitely recommend them. They aren't as smooth as the cast iron from our grandparents, but do the trick nicely at a great price point. We do have Le Creuset pots, but for a skillet I can't see paying so much extra for the pretty enameling. I would expect function to be the same.

Thanks! Real cast iron it is. Now we just have to learn how NOT to care for it.

Never, ever, ever wash it with soap...EVER. I keep a green Scotch Brite scrubbie that I use on my cast iron...just hot water and that scrubbie...maybe some salt if you have really stuck on stuff. Dry it on the stove burner and then lightly, lightly apply a tiny bit of oil or shortening. Do not soak it...EVER. I have cast iron that has been handed down to me from 3 generations ago. It is so smooth and non-stick I frequently fry eggs in it with just the tiniest bit of butter for flavor more than anything else. It is my favorite and most used cookware. A really great gift for someone wanting some iron would be some vintage Griswold or Wagner iron.

I used to wash mine with soap and a metal scrubby all of the time. I think the main thing is to use it on such a regular basis that there's no possibility of rust. When you go to buy the pan, I would definitely run my hand around the inside and make sure it is really smooth. I really loved my cast iron pans but after a while they bothered my wrists a lot. Now I use a stove with a griddle on it and a collection of lighter weight cookware.

We have a smooth cooktop. Anything to be careful of with cast iron on it? Besides not dropping it?

I'm with dcward, no soap ever! ...and forget the new stuff, do your hubby a great favor and find him some good quality vintage cast iron. I do about 90% of my stovetop cooking on cast iron or my griddle, (no soap there either;).

Most of my pieces are over 80 years old, and some 100+!

The quality old stuff is super smooth, and lighter weight than the new stuff, well seasoned they are nearly as nonstick as any artificially coated pan out there.

Here are just a few of my favorites...

Linked is a great website to research and get familiar with brands. I have purchased a few piece from Mary at thepan-handler.com, have not been disappointed with any.

She can be a little pricey, but you get whet you pay for, and saves you the legwork of scouring the country for wares. She packages well, and ships promptly too!

bpathhome, re smoothtop range...just be sure, if you get any older pieces, that they are flat on the bottom. Some older iron has a raised heat ring on the bottom and that is the only part that would sit on the burner if you had one like that. I cook on a smoothtop range and use my cast iron 90% of the time...no issues...I just make sure I don't drop it onto the glass and I also don't slide it across the glass. I wouldn't trade my iron for anything!

Cookncarpenter, I am so envious of your beautifully seasoned pans!

Those are beautiful! Mine are old, but one of them is all crusty and rough on bottom. I haven't used that one and not sure how to fix the bottom so that I can use it. Perhaps whoever once owned it used soap and water? Don't know.

The other thing about cooking gone a smooth top is you can't leave them to dry. With gas I would just heat them on the stove and leave them to dry/cool down when not using. I just switched to induction and they will rust on the bottom if you don't dry off the bottom or move them after heating to dry! On the plus side they are *much* easier to keep seasoned on electric.

Be sure to read this article on cast iron, 7 myths that need to go away.

I love my cast irons pans. I have many different brands, and use all of them stovetop, oven, and campfire. I even did an entire Thanksgiving meal in a series of stacked Dutch ovens while camping one year :)

What I would get him, but not sure if this is a good price. Good luck. http://www.ebay.com/itm/GRISWOLD-12-SKILLET-Large-Logo-Heat-Ring-Black-Cast-Iron-/191744113162?hash=item2ca4d6fa0a:g:ATsAAOSwAKxWUhwm

DH's aunt gave me a big Griswold skillet last year she found at a thrift store for $5. It is so nice and smooth. It also feels like it's half the weight as my same size Lodge. I definitely recommend the Griswold but Lodge is nice too.

I have three cast iron skillets, two dutch ovens, and a grill/griddle which are all Lodge. I would never get any other cookware again. I am waiting for the day when I can replace all of my aluminum cookware with Lodge.

I do everything in my Lodge, including boiling pasta and rice. I frequently start dishes on the stove and then move the Lodge to the oven for baking. With proper seasoning and care they are the easiest cookware to clean, most things wipe right out of them.

I also have one of those fancy, high-end, French Dutch ovens, I won't meant the name, and I hardly ever use. For me, it's just a little to delicate for me. So, it generally just sits and looks pretty on my range top. I got it as a gift from my husband, but I have told him to please not waste his money on any more, to just buy Lodge.

The cast iron can be used on a glass top electric range, just be careful not to bang it on the top.

Cookncarpenter.....How did you get your cast iron so nicely seasoned? I bought a few Lodge cast iron pans from Kroger. My DH cooked burgers in one of them and then soaked it with soap and water!!! The pan is still dirty and I don't know how to get it clean.

charon70, I'm attaching a link that I found very helpful for caring for my cast iron. First rule, keep your husband away from it!!! Haha!

My husband used to 'take care of them'; I use the term lightly because he would frequently leave the one skillet we had outside on the grill for days at time and then try to clean it with soap and water. It was a wreak and I never used it. To be honest, he threw out and replaced the cast iron skillet because it would rust and he didn't know how to get it out. And, I wasn't about to take it one!

When I found this article, I took over caring for the skillet. This was when I first started using the skillet and discovered that I loved it! So, I started acquiring more Lodge. My husband is now fully versed on the care of the cast iron, but I still quiz him every time he takes it outside to the grill to make sure he doesn't forget to bring it back inside!

http://www.southernliving.com/food/how-to/cast-iron-skillet-recipes-cooking/cast-iron-skillet-recipes-how-to-care-for-cast-iron

Good luck!

Well, I think I'm sold myself on cast iron now! Lodge is about $25 at W-S, while an old (why did they close down 60 years ago?) Griswold is $150+! Is the difference worth it? I've learned from sushipup's "7 Myths" link that Lodge now leaves out a final step in manufacture. But it seems to be okay.

bgpathome: I got a vintage Wagner for $35 for 10" at the local antique mall The Griswold was maybe $45. The online and ebay providers are going to be way more (as shown in the link above). Finding them in thrift stores is getting tough. Here's a link to help you identify marks and find the genuine article-- I used it when shopping (on my phone): Guide to Vintage CI

I find the outside of the vintage to be smoother than the new Lodge as well -- this may help any scratching issues you may face on your smoothtop. It's tough to avoid shaking a pan or shifting it slightly.

Now, although I own both new and vintage CI, I only use it for specific purposes. Tomato sauces and acidic braises go into an ECI dutch oven or tin-lined copper, for example. Since cast iron is uneven without oven preheating, I use either thick aluminum (Demeyere) and thick copper (Mauviel, Falk and vintage French) skillets and saute pans. With the last kitchen remodel came an extensive search for cookware.

Thanks, gooster. Besides a CI for DH, I'm looking for some new cookware for us. There's a whole other search :) I know there's a thread (or two!) on it here somewhere.

@ charon "How did you get your cast iron so nicely seasoned?" as I mentioned, most of my pans are 80-100 years old, and they just don't make them like they used to!

Nothing against Lodge, in fact one of my favorite pans is a pre-war Lodge #7 deep skillet with self basting lid,... perfect for one small chicken :) (top left in my photo above) but Griswold and Wagner are superior wares, IMO.

Unfortunately after the war, as stainless pots and pans became the "new standard", and C-I manufacturers began modifying their casting process. By the late '50s, early '60s Griswold, Wagner, and others were gone. Today Lodge remains, although the pans they produce today are rough, heavy, and don't season or cook even close to the way their heritage wares did.

My vote goes to vintage as well. I have great Griswold....just make sure they sit flat and away you go....

For cookware I have vintage copper bottom Revere Ware. You have to be particular about the stamp on the bottom, but it's work the search!! I had considered doing all clad, but I couldn't believe how heavy they were.... definitely not something I'd look forward to using every day like I do my Revere Ware.

http://www.revereware.org/info/id10.html