Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron | Which is Better For You? 

Man, it is so refreshing to watch a video that gets to the point right away. THANK YOU! So many people spend 80% of the time on a video talking about everything other than what the title says. Great Job! (Kind'a like the cabinets too. That kitchen would require many lights.)

I have, use, and love both regular cast iron as well as enamel. My Le Creuset 5.5QT Dutch oven is a permanent fixture on my stove. I love the versatility! I actually enjoy maintaining my traditional cast iron. Getting that really glassy smooth seasoning is a process, and I think it's fun watching it get better over time.

it bears mentioning that while cast iron takes longer to heat up, it also takes longer to cool down. That sounds like a negative (and sometimes it probably is) but I find it helpful in that the pan does not cool down and does not need to reheat as additional ingredients are added. It makes a big difference, I find.

Good video. My enameled Le Creuset omelette pan is a game-changer. I cook steaks and everything else in it that requires a pan. The white enamel is also helping compared to black enamel or non-enameled cast iron b/c you can easily see the browning, and can easily see what needs to be cleaned. The low profile and curvature inside is also perfect for so many foods. Its low profile makes it easy to put in a Breville Toaster Oven. It’s simply a work of art.

Thank you Chef Matt, I just came across you. Thank you for your clear information on cast-iron ware. Looking for more of your videos!!!!!

I love my cast iron. I have a beautiful set of all-clad and rarely use it now. I finally picked up a le Creuset piece only because my chicken fryer got cracked so I needed a bigger pan, and I tend to not put my food away immediately and I found spaghetti or tomato bases sauces absorbed the iron too much that I could taste it. So I use the enamel for anytime I’m using a tomato based sauce.

What a super nice dude. I’m happy to finally see a breakdown on this topic. ✌️

My grandma cleaned her cast iron with soap, however she was adamant it must never contain lye or any caustic component, so almost any household dish soap nowadays will do. However proper care is a must when using cast iron

I have vintage cast iron, modern USA cast iron, LODGE, BUTTERPAT, FIELD, STARGAZER, LeCrucet,and a few Chinese. I also have clad stainless, and carbon steel..American and German, as well as visions/Pyrex/corningware skillets and bakeware. I prefer cast iron for the average everyday workhorse. Hamburgers, potato, eggs, bacon, grilled cheese, etc.. For boiling water for pasta, making spaghetti, spaghetti sauces, etc I go to my stainless. Spanish rice, goulash, stainless. Beans, lentils, chili, potato, vegetable soup, I’ll use enamel Dutch oven. Biscuits, cornbread, gravy, regular cast iron. Vegetables-carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels, corn..either glass, or enamel usually. Sorry for being so long winded…BUT YOU ASKED🤣🤣🤣🤣

so thorough and love your passion! this video helped me a lot!

Thank you, cleared up some questions for me without the usual commercial sales slant many reviewers do.

Thanks that was very informative and helpful to me.

I have used traditional cast iron pans since I learned to cook as a teenager in the 1970s. A few years ago I bought my first enameled cast iron, a Crofton dutch oven at Aldi. I had no idea how to use it and completely ruined the surface of it. I bought a new one yesterday and searched for info about enameled cast iron - this time I want to learn to cook with it and care for it correctly. I subscribed to your channel because it looks like you have a lot of good information.

Very comprehensive and helpful. Thank you and God bless you.

Incredible video ! Very educational!! I love the light blue

Great video, excellent informative tutorial. Cheers!

Descoware, and other good enamel coated. Then stainless steel and copper bottom pans like Revereware, and good aluminum baking pans like Nordicware are my choices. But my mom (from the south) loved her Lodge cast iron pans and also Descoware, especially for the oven. 🧡

Need a new pan, was reluctant of trying a enameled cast iron but the seller kept rooting for it so ill give it a try. Informative video, cheers.

Girl that white pot is a must for me....love tour channels meets on the cookware

Very informative, thank you

I purchased my first l le creuset over 30,years ago and have not regretted a cent of the price.I think it's made me a better cook. I find it very forgiving.Also if it becomes discolored you can leave it outside in direct sun and it will brighten.

Great explanation. Thanks for the video.

I love the Le Creuset multipot. An enameled cast iron lid that doubles as a small skillet??? YES PLEASE.

this video is very helpful!! thanks!

I work from home, so I cook breakfast and dinner almost 7 days a week, I’ve come to the conclusion I can only cook from cast iron, all the non stick pans wear out in a year at most, even the more expensive ones, just bought an enameled cast iron, hopefully these hold up like my non enameled

For seasoning a cast iron pan ( and the cast iron grill on my bbq) I have been advised to use high smoke point oil, is it won't burn off. Also, to put it in an oven for 220°c/450°f then allow to cool and repeat at least once. This should be done when new or whenever you have OVERHEATED or left a pan on the heat and burned off the seasoning coat (it's easy to do that with gas cooking, and obvious because it goes from black to grey so you lose the non stick coating you have been building up) . Supermarkets here in Australia stock rice bran oil (250°c /480°f smoke point) whereas grape seed oil has less of a nutty flavour but smokes at 420°f.

I have a cast iron skillet that I’ve had for years, I love my hard anodized cookware, a few good pieces of Calphanon & recently cast iron enamel. Struggling with the enamel, can’t adjust to the lower temp for some reason but I’ll get it !

We use a carbon steel skillet (less heavy than cast iron & smooth surface) for everyday cooking and an enameled cast iron dutch oven for tomato sauces, soups, stews, fried rice

From someone who cooks on cast iron daily, I would say do not wash with soap. The cast iron will not rust over night since I do use it daily but If you don't want your eggs to stick in the morning, you should probably season it daily. Nothing fancy. A few minutes on high heat and a thin layer of oil , and no it does not go rancid over night. Best way to learn how to treat and care for cast iron is to use it daily.

I'm 60. My friends are my age and older. I just gave away to a charity thrift shop my last 2 enameled cast iron dutch ovens, which I loved and maintained immaculately. Like my friends, I've phased out my large cast iron cookware because it's too heavy; meantime, smaller pieces are somewhat manageable for this time being. Besides, I've got hooked on my mini 3-qt Instant Pot recently. I have a feeling I'll use it regularly for a while.

I use a giant old fashioned Lodge cast iron skillet with lid for beef pot roast with potatoes & carrots, pork shoulder roasts, steaks and more. The Dutch oven version for breads and it gets abused at 500 degree temps. 12" skillet for frying and pan pizza at high temps. I wash them in the sink with a drop or two of soap with water, then after drying on the stove burner, I apply a light coat of oil back to it. In the old days they used harsher soaps that were not recommended. I use enameled versions for fish, acidic foods, and big pots of soup. I view non stick pans as disposables...they don't last, but I do like to cook over easy eggs in them. If I had to choose between cast iron and any other types of pans, there would be no contest...cast iron is my favorite, even with the extra weight. TFS

Thanks! Super helpful! ☺️

I got a big frying pan by Lodge recently and I love it. I use it for baking, not frying. I baked really thick hamburgers and they were cook all the way through without burning. And the taste was great, much better than the frying pan method. I have an enamel dutch oven which I like a lot. I use it for popcorn and as a serving dish when I use my slow cooker. The cast iron makes the food cook evenly and add favor that my cheap, light stainless steel pans just don't match.

I have always used hot soapy water to wash my cast iron. Dry it thoroughly and wipe down with oil and its good to go.

Excellent...Well done!!

Most of my enameled cast iron are Staub! Very beautiful and I have them for years!

Super helpful. It helped me decide which one I’m gonna get

. . . thanks for an informative video . . . I use both regular cast iron, and enamelled, and really like both . . . I'm not sure that I agree with you about avoiding soap with regular cast, because soaps today don't contain lye, the enemy of seasoned cast iron . . . pieces that I have used for fifty years and more, and have washed with soapy water, still perform amazingly, and nothing much ever sticks to them . . . one make of enamelled cast iron that I found is every bit as good as the French products, but much, much, much cheaper, is Lagostina, a product made just southeast of Montreal, Canada by a family that has been in the business for a very long time . . . it is carried by Canadian Tire here in Canada, and various pieces are regularly put on sale for up to 70% off the regular price . . . definitely worth a trip to this store to buy some . . . again, tks for a great video . . .

Thank you! I like both!

The qualitess sooo simple.sooo clear i know theseee moreeeeee

I have 2 Gibson cast iron that have come down to me from my great grandmother, I don't have any idea if it came from before her or not. I use them for the regular things but I recently purchased a new lodge enamel Dutch oven and I use that for soups and tomato based items and for my artison bread. I am still getting used to the enamel but I think I might want an enamel skillet soon.

You hit every point except the most important one, cooking? How does one cook vs the other? Does food stick more or less on one? Do you use less or more heat to cook on one or the other? Which foods are better on one or the other?

Excellent information thank you ❤

Recently Costco had an awesome sale on Tramontina enameled cookware. I ended up with a really nice 5 piece set for less than the price of a single Le Creuset enameled piece. The lifetime warranty and reputation of Le Creuset does not justify the absurd prices they charge. The French are masters of overcharging.

Of course you can use soap ! not on a newly seasoned new pan but once you have used it a bit you can use washing up liquid. (not a huge amount but enough).

I’m a Le Creuset girl myself that has built up my collection over several decades, each piece still looks relatively new and has stood the test of time, a wise investment.

I use black cast iron and enamelled cast iron, I do have some anodised aluminium but it comes in second best.

Cooking acidic foods in contact with iron may add off tastes, but it means you won't get iron deficiency anemia. There's actually a project of sending "lucky iron fish" to families in regions where iron deficiency anemia is common, with instructions to put the cast iron fish into their soup pot with a bit of lemon or vinegar.

I tend to use Carbon steel over Cast Iron, though I have both. I haven't tried an enamelled cast iron pans to date, mostly due to cost. I use Stainless steel for Bolognese sauce but could see myself using an enamelled pan if I could find an affordable one of the right size.

I have several cast iron pans & a Dodge enamel-coated Dutch oven. I do have a set of stainless steel sauce pans & a stock pot because I'm still not sure about sauces, especially anything that needs to be boiled in water, for that I have the stainless steel. I'm on the fence about getting cast iron 'cookie sheets', except for a couple muffin pans, I replaced our Teflon with the cast iron & stainless steel.

Thank you very much, very helpful.

I use both, enameled and bare cast iron. I use bare cast iron more often coz I find it's easier to use and easier to keep food from sticking.

Can you make the video on the difference between the Le Creuset black and tan enameled coating please?

Very helpful ❤

My uncoated cast iron skillets are heirlooms; if anything needs to be scrubbed out of them, I use coarse salt. It scrubs little burned bits out without disrupting any seasoning layers. If I use water on it, I put it in the oven to dry it with a light seasoning

I use cast iron and stainless steel but I use my cast iron more often than not (it sits on my stove as I use it throughout the day, wash it after each use, and season it at the end of the day). My stainless steel pans are used for fish/seafood and high volume of acidic foods but I am curious about carbon steel pans.

Thanks for the video, but watched the whole thing waiting to find out the difference in what they’re like to cook with. How is the non-stick ability of each, and are there differences in how you use them or for what foods

I switched from Lodge cast iron to Staub enameled when the seasoning of my Lodge began to flake off into my food. This happened on 3 different Lodge pieces that I purchased new and used for years. It's probably user error, but still, I was tired of it. I decided to try enameled, hoping for stick resistance, easy clean up, and no uninvited flakes in my food. My Staub enameled, though very pricey, is beautifully stick resistant, easy to clean, and never flakes. Sorry Lodge, I love that you're made in the USA, but it's me, not you....I think.

Woww Great information God Bless you 👍👍

Good day this is a good video for me thank you.

I bought various cast irons with lids for direct fire usage in case of electricity blackout. & for multi-purpose; baking & cooking.

Enamel casserole pots are so good. Hours in the oven but clean up easily after a 10 minute soak. I have Chinese and French pots, some of them "hand me downs". The French pots seem to last better. Wiltshire do enameled pressed steel baking dishes that are very cheap and give excellent results.

When it comes to enameled cookware I prefer enameled carbon steel. To me it shares all the properties of enameled cast iron at half the weight. When it comes to raw metal, although I love my carbon steel skillets, there's just something about the heaviness of cast iron that feels better when searing meats. Just my $0.02.

Hi. Thanks for all the good advice. How do you clean really strong baked on stuff on a beautiful beige enameled cast iron inside without scratching? Can it look like new again???

I have two pans. A cheap enameled one that chipped on the inside, so I knocked the rest of the emanelling away and seasoned it. I might get a stainless or carbon steel pan for pasta sauces, though. The other one is a Taiwanese skillet I found on the side of the road in a ditch. It was badly rusted and really dirty, so I cleaned it with a wire wheel on a drill and reseasoned it. That one has become my go to for everything.

The weight is a disadvantage for sure, that's why I only have a small cast iron pan. I use stainless steel mostly currently for cookware, but i plan to buy a carbon steel paella pan, because they are very light for their size.

Bought an enameled cast iron not knowing there was a difference. Reading the instructions it said not to use metal utensils and I was like wtf. Thank you for the breakdown of the differences

You can never go wrong with old school cast iron !!!

Im currently shopping around for a good enameled skillet. I already have and use a handful of cast iron and carbon steel pans - but I want something that can handle acidic foods. We have some worn out non stick that I can use for those kinds of food, but I really want something quality to use, that will last, and that I will enjoy cooking with.

I never thought I would be watching a video on cast iron pans, but, I need info man!

I really wanted to make cast iron work but I just couldn't. When you buy a cast iron skillet, you're buying a hobby. There are so many ways to season it (I tried 4) and different schools of thought about cleaning it. After several months of trying but not getting the results I wanted, I went with enameled cast iron. No regrets, it's awesome and easier to use(IMO) there is no seasoning required and you can wash it with soap and water and dry it with a towel and that's it

Hi, i just started cooking and my mom got me an enammaleed cast iron, however the cooking side of the pan feels like a regular cast iron. The box description is also consider as an nameled cast iron too. But how do I wash and maintain it? Do I need to seasons it as well?

Very informative but I want to know one thing is enamel food safe or can make a change to mixing with food ?

I just got my first enameled cast iron Dutch oven to make really good soup and roast etc with it

Nice vid. @4:35 you say there’s reasons for black over sandy interior enamelled coating, can you elaborate please?

Could someone tell me if the Le Creusot enamel cast iron chips easily? I'm looking to replace my Tefl Saucepans since im worried abour the health risks. Im considering buying the: Le Creuset cast iron round casserole Le Creuset cast iron saucepan I'm Indian so mainly cook curries, rice dishes, and stir-fry (medium / low heat).

No no no. Soap is not going to break the polymerized bond on the skillet. You can use soap with cast-iron. All the old lye soaps could damage the seasoning, but modern dish soap does not hurt cast iron. Lodge even uses soap. I’ve seen cooking articles where a cast iron skillet seasoned with flaxseed oil go through a dishwasher unscathed. That oil is crazy expensive.

I 100% with the Teflon and the oils. Btw, the process of refined oils requires heating it to high temperatures before you even get a chance to use it and anyway.

Mostly accurate, but you were wrong on a couple things. First. Soap will not harm seasoning in any way. It will not strip seasoning, it will not leave a soap taste if rinsed well, and doesn’t get into the pores. The only things that can remove polymerized seasoning are mechanical means like grinding or sand blasting, chemical (lye), electrolysis or extreme heat. If dish soap was strong enough to damage seasoning, you would have no skin on your hands. Use soap to your heart’s content. Second, oiling after washing is completely unnecessary and can in fact be detrimental. When you apply oil, if you do not heat it past it’s smoke point for one hour, it will not polymerize. Heating it a few minutes on the stove does nothing. Wet, un-polymerized oil left on the pan just becomes a magnet for dust, pet hair, insects, grime and whatever else is floating in your kitchen. It can also go rancid in a surprisingly short amount of time. The best way to care for cast iron is to wash it with soap, rinse thoroughly, dry completely with a kitchen towel and put it away. Don’t make it more complicated than that.

Enameled cast iron was quite the standard cookware here in Austria (Europe) in the generation of my grandmother/mother. But it was just called enameled cookware, because this was the only version available - and not very expensive. But nowadays we also get China-made enameled cookware (oposed to the old cookware that was made here in Austria (Riess-Emaille for example), and this is also just called enameled cookware, which is misleading, because many are very light, and obviously a different metal under the enameled surface than what people here expect it to be.

So for cooking, it only makes a difference when cooking acidic foods? It seems like all the other differences brought up were only aesthetic, maintenance, or cost.

thx thx a lot from south Korea

even though you dry the pan with a towel,, it is a good a idea to put it on a burner, get it hot and then a little oil.... doen't take long , but it makes a difference

You have to use cast iron often to keep the seasoning up. I just don’t need to cook with it often enough to make it worth the upkeep

Just did my whole kitchen. I am health conscious, is enamel cast iron going to work well with ge cafe induction cooktop??

How do I season the lid or rim vessel of my enameled cast iron if I don't have oven ,what is the next option if you don't have oven?

Question please!!?? How do you remove melted enamel from old style stove top ring burner!?

I use my le creusets more often. Clean up is faster afterwards. Cast iron for steaks though

I only use cookwares from USA, France and any other European countries. The quality of the metal is much more dependable.

Great video! with regard to enamled cast iron, is the price difference worth it? My friend swears by her Le Cruset. But she hasn't really tried any other brand. What's your take on made in China enameled cast iron?

I use both. If I'm making anything that has tomatoes in the recipe I'll use an enameled pan. I will use a regular cast iron pan if I'm doing a steak or high-heat cooking.

What happens if the enameled gets scratches? Would it leach any toxic material?

E all brands of enameled cast iron created equal ? Or is that just preference? My local grocery store has their own brand of enameled cast iron and they are beautiful but not sure about it.

Which pan to use? Bare cast iron (actually cast steel) is great for high heat application like searing and browning but reacts with acidic foods. Carbon steel pans also seer well but don't distribute the heat as well and require more attention. Coated enamel pots are great for brazing and simmering acidic foods like tomato sauce; which implies a lower heat setting than seering. Attempting to find one pan to fit all applications did not work for me. After cooking for more that 50 years I have found that different types of pans perform better under different circumstances. The material that coats high quality cast iron enameled pans is fused glass. The same process is used on glazed pottery. Glass is ground into a powder that is so fine it can be mixed with water and run through a spray gun. After spraying the product .it is then put into an extremely hot furnace (a kiln), the glass powder melts, and fuses into a smooth coating. The quality of the coating is controlled by the mixture of ingredients that make up the glaze and the tempering process. That is why some enameled pans are more resistant to chipping and cracking than others.

What I find is there is a pretty large difference in heat transfer that I didn't seem to see in the video, cast iron has the heat travel faster through it and thus the cast iron surface in touch with the food can stay at a hotter temperature (and for example produce more of a sear) while for enameled pots the food tends to produce a 'colder spot' where in contact with the food, requiring hotter stove temperatures to try (and usually fail) to do the same as uncoated cast iron.

I just got a new enameled cast iron le creuset pan... do I need to treat it with something before use?

Lodge seasoned cast iron is made in the USA while its enameled cast iron products are made in China. Lodges seasoning is made in Canada. Lodge’s accessories are made in China, Taiwan, Cambodia, and India.

Will you be able to absorb iron with the enamel one too? Thanks!

Would you recommend an oven/grill like the one you have on the left of the video ?

Got a great Cast Iron Dutch Pot on sale. It chipped while i. Cup board never used it yet.