Should I Buy a Cast Iron or Stainless Steel Skillet?

Faith Durand
Faith DurandSVP of Content
Faith is the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and Editor-in-Chief of Kitchn, and the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters.
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published Jul 25, 2011
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Q: My boyfriend and I are in the market for a new frying pan/skillet, and we’re trying to move away from non-stick cookware. We’ve done a lot of research on cast iron vs. stainless steel cookware, and we’ve heard a lot of great things about both, so we are having trouble deciding which way to go!

I wanted to ask you all and your readers what they prefer to cook with- we’re willing to make this frying pan an “investment piece” since we use our current frying pan on a nearly daily basis.

Sent by Kate

Editor: Kate, I love my cast iron skillet, but I do almost everything in my stainless skillet. It’s just a bit more versatile. So, personally, if I didn’t have a solid 10-inch sauté pan or skillet, I’d pick one up. Cast iron pans are much cheaper, too, than good stainless steel pans; can you spring for both?

Readers, any advice?

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Related: Good Question: Stainless Steel vs. Non-Stick

(Images: Emily Ho; Emma Christensen)

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