Lodge 10.25-inch Classic

There are smoother, lighter, hand-poured cast iron pans being made by small American workshops, and they cost three to five times what a Lodge does. None of them sear a steak, bake a cornbread, or roast a chicken any better than the Lodge.

The 10.25-inch is the size to start with: big enough for two eggs and a slice of bacon, big enough for a four-person stir fry, small enough to not feel like luggage when you lift it. It comes pre-seasoned. With a little use it gets blacker, slicker, and better.

If you want the boutique pan later, get one. But everyone needs a Lodge first, and most people never need anything else.