Which is better cast iron or enameled cast iron?

So you&#;ve decided to invest in a cast iron pot or skillet. When researching your options, you&#;ll find that in addition to size and shape, you have two more options: enameled cast iron and cast iron (also called unfinished cast iron).

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At their core, enameled and cast iron are the same&#;both are made from molten iron poured into a mold. Our Enameled Cast Iron features an enamel coating that renders the cookware&#;s surface virtually non stick, while also protecting the cast iron from rust. Essentially, this means you don&#;t need to season the pan before use, and you can also cook acidic ingredients without worry of deteriorating the seasoning.

Here's everything you need to know about the differences between the two, along with how to pick the best one for you.

Enameled Cast Iron Overview

Enamel, or glass melted under intense heat to create a nonstick layer atop unfinished cast iron, offers protection against elements, particularly liquids that can cause rust or corrosion. It also provides a non stick, nonreactive, and easy-to-clean cooking surface.

This means you get the best qualities of cooking with cast iron&#;namely, even heat distribution and retention&#;without worrying about rust, corrosion, or reactivity to certain ingredients, like tomatoes or wine, with guaranteed easy clean-up at the end of the night. Plus, the light-colored cooking surface allows you to keep tabs on browning, fond, and more as your creations sizzle away.

Types of Enameled Cast Iron

As far as shapes, the most popular enameled cast iron you&#;ll see is a Dutch oven. We work with multi-generational artisans in France to make both a 5.5 QT and 3.5 QT Round Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, as well as a 7.5 QT Oval Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, each ideal for all sorts of braises, roasts and stews.

Our collection also includes skillets&#;with a dark surface optimized for high-heat frying, grilling and searing&#;and saucepans. While all are versatile, which you choose depends on your style of cooking. (The correct answer might be all of them!)

Cast Iron Overview

A cast iron skillet or pot, on the other hand, is quintessential rustic cookware&#;chances are, someone in your family has a decades-old cast iron skillet kicking around. Like enameled cast iron, unfinished cast iron proves ideal for searing steaks and other proteins, and also transitions well from stovetop to oven.

The main difference between the two lies in the lack of enamel coating. Since the surface of unfinished cast iron is uncoated, these pans do have to be seasoned before use. This seasoning has to be maintained in order to keep up its nonstick properties. Since it&#;s unprotected, pure cast iron, this material is also prone to rust and must be dried immediately after cleaning.

Types of Cast Iron

The most popular type of cast iron cookware is the skillet, which comes in every size and shape under the sun. You can also find cast iron Dutch ovens and cloches, both great choices if you use cast iron to bake a lot of bread.

What are the Key Differences?

Understanding the variations in enameled cast iron versus cast iron will help you choose which is right for your kitchen.

Maintenance and Seasoning Requirements

The biggest difference between these two comes down to enamel (or lack thereof). Each of the Dutch ovens, skillets and saucepans in our Enameled Cast Iron Collection gets hand-enameled for an added layer of protection against rust without the need to season, plus the ability to cook acidic ingredients without worry of corrosion.

Cast iron is the opposite: you must season and maintain its patina, rust will (almost) always be a concern, and acidic ingredients are best avoided.

Cooking Versatility and Performance

Both types of cast iron can handle a variety of cooking techniques, including braises, roasts, stews, and loaves of bread. Their even heat distribution and retention make them great for deep frying, too. Enameled cast iron will be a little more versatile, since you can cook acidic ingredients like tomatoes, wine, and citrus without worrying about eroding the seasoning.

One note on baking bread: if you&#;re using an enameled cast iron to bake a lot of bread, you may notice discoloration in the enameling over time, since cooking without a layer of fat can lead to scorching or cracks in the enamel. If you only bake the occasional loaf, though, this shouldn&#;t be a problem.

Aesthetics and Colorways

The clean, timeless black color of most cast iron, with its untreated surface, conjures up images of rustic, homey kitchens and homestyle cooking. On the other hand, enameled cast iron gives you a chance to be bold with colors, from a bold red that&#;ll pop on your stove to a classy willow green.

Which One Is Better?

Ultimately, there&#;s not really a &#;better&#; choice. The key piece of information to keep in mind is the enamel coating&#;do you prefer the ease of mind that comes with a non stick surface and protection from rust? If so, choose enameled.

Does the thought of a little care and maintenance not bother you? If that&#;s the case, you can go with unfinished cast iron.

Both cast iron and enameled cast iron are heirloom pieces of cookware that&#;ll last for decades with the proper care, and both can handle a variety of cooking methods. Which you choose comes down to your style, cooking needs, and the amount of maintenance you&#;re comfortable with.

Ready to Shop?

Now that you understand the differences between enameled cast iron versus cast iron, you can choose with confidence as you browse the wide variety of our Enameled Cast Iron Collection. Your next project? Plotting all the stews, roasts, and bakes to come.

Straight to the Point

While we think both pans are worthwhile, if you don't own either it's hard to beat the longevity and versatility of a traditional cast iron skillet like our favorite (after testing 11 pans!) from Lodge.

When you read the words &#;cast iron pan,&#; what&#;s the first image that comes to mind? A heavy black metal skillet with years of patina&#;a.k.a seasoning&#;built up into a glossy top coat? Or do you picture that pan with a smooth, naturally (somewhat) nonstick surface made from enamel? Maybe you imagine a 5-quart Dutch oven with a colorful exterior or a wide and shallow braising pan. All of these are made from cast iron (the exact composition of which varies with each manufacturer), and they are all excellent pans for a variety of cooking tasks. 

Compared with stainless steel or nonstick, cast iron pans are heavy, durable, and great at heat retention. To evaluate the pros and cons of bare versus enameled cast iron (and help you decide which one is right for you), we&#;ll look at skillets. Although you can find uncoated Dutch ovens and braisers, these shapes are most often coated in enamel&#;meaning the qualities inherent in enameled cast iron skillets apply to them, too.

The Best Cast Iron and Enameled Skillets

Heat Conduction and Retention

Heat conduction (how efficient and quick a pan is at transferring heat from the cooking unit) and heat retention (how consistently the pan holds its desired temperature throughout the cooking process) are two different concepts. Because most cast iron pans are large and heavy, they are slower to heat and are inferior conductors of heat. But they shine at heat retention, maintaining a consistent temperature even when food is added.

For more information, please visit Enamel Cast Iron Pots And Pans.

It's a myth that cast iron pans are superior at conducting heat. Instead, they're actually excellent at heat retention.

The presence or absence of an enamel coating won&#;t affect either of these qualities. What does determine a pan&#;s efficiency in both categories is the type of metal used, as well as its thickness. As we've found in our reviews and use of both of these pan types, thinner, lighter-weight pans are faster to heat, and more prone to temperature fluctuations. Heavy pans with thick bottoms will excel in heat retention.

Performance

When we talk about a cast iron pan&#;s performance, we&#;re discussing its ability to sear as well as its potential for sticking. A high-performing pan with good heat retention will sear well, creating a strong Maillard reaction that produces a golden-brown crust. The pan should also easily release the food from its surface, which happens once the reaction has been completed. So a pan with poor ability to sear will cause food to stick or flake to its surface.

When we tested enameled cast iron skillets, we seared a whole bunch of pork chops. You can see how the browned differently per pan here.

Both enameled and bare pans are great at searing. The presence of an enamel coating may slightly hinder browning, though. As for the stick factor? When a bare cast iron pan is well-seasoned&#;meaning it&#;s coated in even, consistent layers of fat built up over time&#;it has natural nonstick capabilities. Note here we didn&#;t say it&#;s entirely nonstick. For delicate tasks, like cooking an omelet, we still recommend forgoing cast iron entirely and going with nonstick.

Versatility

Kitchen folklore warns that it&#;s bad to cook acidic ingredients like tomatoes in a bare cast iron pan, because those foods may strip the iron from its surface, causing the pan to degrade. So you may think it would follow naturally that enameled pans are a better choice, due to their &#;all foods welcome&#; abilities. However, it&#;s debatable how much iron leaching actually happens with uncoated pans; a study showed the heat needs to be very high for this to occur. Stripping and corrosion also happen primarily when a pan is used without a layer of proper seasoning. And you wouldn&#;t use your bare cast iron pan without seasoning it, would you? 

We think both traditional and enameled cast iron pans are exceptionally versatile.

Our conclusion: With ample seasoning and an adequately hot temperature, uncoated pans are more versatile and nonstick than their enameled brethren. It's worth noting, too, that while traditional cast iron can be used at any temperature (literally, throw it over a fire!), enameled cast iron is more sensitive. One of our favorite enameled cast iron skillets, from Le Creuset, has a max temp of just 500°F&#;limiting some of its versatility.

Longevity

Here&#;s where bare cast iron absolutely takes the cake: These pans are built to last for generations. They&#;re incredibly durable, practically impossible to crack or break, and can even be brought back from the dead. It&#;s totally possible to revive a rusted cast iron pan at home, and if things get really bad, you can sand them back to a base layer, from where you&#;ll rebuild the seasoning over time. 

Enameled cast iron pans are prone to chipping, cracking, and scratching over time, or with misuse. Metal utensils cannot be used on the enamel surface, so you&#;ll need to invest in silicone-tipped tongs and food turners if you plan on cooking with enameled pans. That said, high-end enameled pans like Le Creuset and Staub have excellent quality control to ensure proper construction. You&#;ll take your chances with cheaper coated pans. 

Care and Maintenance

There&#;s no denying bare cast iron requires more meticulous care and maintenance than enameled cast iron. We don&#;t believe in babying cast iron&#;we&#;re fine with a little sudsy water&#;but it should not be left to soak or drip dry. Water is the enemy of exposed iron, so to properly maintain a bare pan, it should be washed, rinsed, dried, and then heated with a thin layer of neutral oil to seal and protect the seasoning. 

If that sounds too fussy, you&#;ll be happy to know you can soak, wash, and dry an enameled pan with almost as much cavalier abandon as you do other cookware. Just remember that it should not be introduced to metal, so use a bristle brush rather than steel wool for stuck-on food. Although some enameled cast iron pan manufacturers give the green light for dishwasher use, we still recommend washing it by hand to preserve the coating.

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Are you interested in learning more about Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Cookware? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!