Cast Iron Construction: Dutch ovens are crafted from heavy-duty cast iron, known for its excellent heat retention and distribution. This allows for even cooking and makes them suitable for a wide range of cooking methods, including braising, roasting, baking, and stewing.




1. Cast Iron Skillets

tiny cast iron skillet.
Countless Egg Dishes
There are two main types of Dutch ovens: traditional Dutch ovens and camping Dutch ovens. A traditional Dutch oven has three legs and a flat bottom and is suitable for use over an open fire or coals. The Camp Dutch oven, on the other hand, has a flat bottom and is designed to be used on the stovetop or in a conventional oven.
When to Cook With a Skillet


Handles are another important part of cookware, particularly for long-handle skillets and sauté pans. Skillet dishes often need to be shaken and flipped, while sauté pan dishes tend to be used for a lot of liquid and ingredients. Because of this, both skillets and sauté pans require stay-cool handles that are securely riveted to the cookware base.
A sauté pan’s straight edges and larger surface area make it ideal for tasks like searing meat or reducing pan sauces. A skillet’s sides are slanted. This pan’s slanted edges make it excellent for stir-frying and other quick-cooking methods that require a lot of movement in the pan.
Regardless of size, cast iron skillets are a kitchen essential that can handle a variety of cooking tasks. Whether you're cooking for one person or more, there's a cast iron skillet to suit your needs.


While cast iron skillets take longer to heat up than other frying pan materials, they heat evenly and consistently with no hot spots. They are great at retaining heat and can be taken from the stovetop to the oven or grill and then to the table for service to keep the food warm. A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is naturally non-stick and can withstand very high temperatures without warping or getting damaged. Cast iron requires frequent maintenance, but the benefit is that it can last a lifetime with routine seasoning and using proper cleaning techniques.
The details: While cast-iron frying pans are very familiar, home cooks typically know less about carbon steel pans. But they have all the advantages of cast iron and several more: They’re lighter, heat up faster and more evenly, and can cook a wider variety of foods. That’s why they’re the go-to pan in many restaurant kitchens. If you’ve ever eaten at a steakhouse, your meat was probably seared in a carbon steel frying pan.

