All guides

Each guide answers one buying question and shows the figures behind the answer.

3 guides

An empty black cast-iron skillet with long handle and helper handle on white background

How to choose

Which pan to buy first, and which three you actually need

Hob type, diameter and the cooking you really do decide the first pan. A four-material comparison, with the sizes that match Canadian burners and ovens.

Updated 3/11/2026 · 10 min

Photo: Evan-Amos · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

A shop display of Lodge cast-iron skillets hanging on pegboard above boxed Dutch ovens

Running costs

What a pan actually costs per meal, over twelve years

Price divided by meals, plus the electricity to heat it and the tax added at the till. Why the cheapest pan on the shelf is the dearest per meal.

Updated 3/11/2026 · 9 min

Photo: Cullen328 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

An antique three-legged cast-iron spider skillet on a wooden table beside a steel ruler

Maintenance

Cast iron and enamel care: the routine that makes pans last

Seasoning, the three-minute routine after every meal, re-seasoning twice a year, and the two storage mistakes that quietly destroy cookware.

Updated 3/11/2026 · 9 min

Photo: Modemac · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons