Should You Buy A Cast Iron Skillet Or An Enameled Cast Iron Skillet? Here'S A Comparison

Both pans will brown a steak, but which one is better?

What do you have in mind when you read the word "cast iron pan"? A heavy, black metal skillet that has accumulated a glossy sheen (aka seasoning) over the years? Or do you picture a pan made from enamel that's smooth and naturally (sort of) nonstick? Maybe you picture a five-quart Dutch oven with a brightly colored exterior, or a wide, shallow saucepan. All are made from cast iron (the exact ingredients vary from manufacturer to manufacturer), and they're all excellent pans for a variety of cooking tasks.

Compared to stainless steel or nonstick pans, cast iron pans are heavy, durable, and hold heat well. To assess the pros and cons of bare and enameled cast iron pans (and help you decide which one is right for you), we're going to look at skillets. While you can find uncoated Dutch ovens and stew pots, these shapes are often enameled, which means that the qualities inherent to enameled cast iron apply to them as well.

Heat Conduction and Retention
Heat conduction (how efficiently and quickly a pan transfers heat from a cooking device) and heat retention (how consistently a pan maintains the desired temperature throughout the cooking process) are two different concepts. Since most cast iron pans are large and heavy, they heat up slower and conduct heat poorly. But they retain heat well, maintaining a consistent temperature even after food is added.

The presence or absence of an enamel coating does not affect either of these properties. What determines a pan's efficiency in either category is the type of metal used and its thickness. As we found in our reviews and use of both pan types, thinner, lighter pans heat up faster and are more prone to temperature fluctuations. Heavier pans with thicker bottoms are better at retaining heat.

Performance
When we talk about the performance of a cast iron pan, we're talking about its searing and baking abilities and the likelihood of sticking. A good pan will have good heat retention, will sear well, and will produce a strong Maillard reaction that produces a golden brown crust. The pan should also easily release food from its surface, which happens after the reaction is complete. Therefore, a pan with poor searing ability will cause food to stick to the surface of the pan or flake off.

Both enameled and bare pans are great for searing. However, the presence of the enamel coating may hinder browning slightly. As for the stickiness factor? When a bare cast iron pan is well seasoned (i.e. it is covered with an even, consistent layer of grease over time), it has a natural non-stick property. Mind you, we didn't say it's completely non-stick. For delicate tasks like omelets, we still recommend ditching cast iron altogether and opting for a non-stick pan.

Versatility
It is said that cooking acidic ingredients like tomatoes in bare cast iron pans is bad because these foods may strip the iron from the surface of the cast iron pan, causing the pan to deteriorate. Therefore, you might think that enameled pans are a better choice because of their "suitable for all foods" functionality. However, there is still debate about how much iron leaching actually occurs with uncoated pans; a 2020 study suggests that very high heat is required for this to occur. Flaking and corrosion also occur primarily when using a pan without a proper seasoning layer. And, you wouldn’t use a bare cast iron pan without seasoning it, would you?

We think both traditional cast iron and enameled cast iron pans are extremely versatile.
Our verdict: If well-seasoned and at a high enough temperature, uncoated pans are more versatile and nonstick than enameled ones. It’s also worth noting that while traditional cast iron can be used at any temperature (literally, throw it on the fire!), enameled cast iron is more sensitive.

Longevity
Sear short ribs in a cast iron skillet. Almost any skillet, as long as it’s preheated properly, will brown meat on both sides.
Bare cast iron pans are the absolute best: These pans last for generations. They’re extremely durable, almost impossible to crack or damage, and can even be brought back to life. It is entirely possible to restore rusted cast iron pans at home, and if the situation is really bad, you can send them back to the base layer, which you can then re-season over time.

Care and Maintenance
It is undeniable that bare cast iron pans require more meticulous care and maintenance than enameled cast iron pans. We don't believe in the need for special care for cast iron pans - we can tolerate a little soapy water - but they should not be left to soak or drip dry. Water is the enemy of bare iron pans, so to properly care for a bare pan, it should be washed, rinsed, wiped dry, and then heated and coated with a light coat of neutral oil to seal and protect the seasoning.

If this sounds like too much of a chore, you'll be happy to know that you can soak, wash, and dry enameled pans as casually as you would any other cookware. Just remember that it shouldn't touch the metal, so use a stiff-bristle brush rather than steel wool to remove stuck-on food. While some enameled cast iron pan manufacturers allow dishwasher cleaning, we still recommend hand washing to protect the coating.