Quick answer
Is cast iron safe to cook with?
Bare cast iron is about as simple as cookware gets: one metal, seasoned with oil. The questions are iron in your food, and what is in the enamel.
Yes, for most people. Bare cast iron has no coating and no PFAS. It does add iron to food, a lot in acidic dishes, which matters if you have iron overload. Enamelled cast iron is a different story: makers rarely say what the enamel is.
Smithey Ironware No. 12 SkilletPolished cast iron, seasoned with named grapeseed oil.83/100See the full entry →
Lodge Classic Cast Iron SkilletBare cast iron, made in Tennessee. Seasoning oil not named.78/100See the full entry →
What you should know
A Malawi study measured bean relish gaining 147 µg of iron per gram cooked in an iron pot. It is not an anaemia cure: a 12-month trial of 340 Cambodian women found no haemoglobin difference.
Polymerised oil, baked on. The best makers name it: Smithey says grapeseed, Solidteknics rice bran. Lodge says only “vegetable oil”, which cost it a point.
Le Creuset describes its enamel only as “a type of glass”. Lodge’s California filing lists nickel, cadmium and chromium compounds for its enamelled line.
Every cast iron pan we have scored
| Product | Score /100 | What touches the food | Our call |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83 | 47/60 | Buy it | |
| 78 | 42/60 | Buy it | |
| 78 | 42/60 | Buy it | |
| 72 | 47/60 | Buy it | |
| 62 | 47/60 | Read the caveats | |
| 55 | 34/60 | Read the caveats | |
| 55 | 34/60 | Read the caveats | |
| 34 | 34/60 | Read the caveats | |
| 0 | 0/60 | Avoid |
- 83/100
- 78/100
- 78/100
- No maker photo72/100
- No maker photo62/100
- No maker photo55/100Le Creuset Signature Skillet · US
Enamelled cast iron with a black interior enamel “specially formulated for higher surface temperatures” — enamel composition never disclosed
The full entry → - No maker photo55/100Le Creuset Signature Round Casserole 24cm (Myer / David Jones) · AU
Enamelled cast iron
The full entry → - No maker photo34/100Maxwell & Williams Cast Iron Casserole 26cm (Myer) · AU
Cast iron “made from Australian iron ore”
The full entry → - No maker photo0/100The Cooks Collective Cast Iron Sauté 28cm (Myer) · AU
Nothing published — not the enamel, not the seasoning, not the handle, not the knob
The full entry →
Questions people ask
Is cast iron safe to cook with?
For most people, yes. Bare cast iron is one metal with an oil seasoning, no coating and no PFAS. It adds iron to food, which matters mainly if you have a condition like haemochromatosis.
Does cast iron leach iron into food?
Yes, especially acidic food cooked for a long time. A Malawi study measured bean relish gaining 147 µg of iron per gram. A 12-month trial in Cambodian women found cooking with iron made no difference to haemoglobin.
Is enamelled cast iron safe?
Enamel is a glass coating, so there is no PTFE, but most makers do not publish its composition. Lodge’s California filing lists nickel, cadmium and chromium compounds for its enamelled line. Those are a declaration against a chemical list, not test results.
Is rusty cast iron safe?
Surface rust can be scrubbed off and the pan re-seasoned. Lodge’s own warranty excludes rust and pitting, so it is on you to dry it.
Is cast iron better than non-stick?
It removes the coating question entirely and costs less: Lodge’s skillet is about $25 in the US. It is heavier and needs drying. Is Teflon safe? covers the other side.
Related
Sources
- Study of iron gain in foods cooked in iron pots, Malawi, Int J Vitam Nutr Res. storage.imrpress.com
- Rappaport et al. (2017), randomized controlled trial of a reusable fish-shaped iron ingot in anaemic rural Cambodian women, Am J Clin Nutr. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Lodge California AB 1200 materials disclosure. www.lodgecastiron.com
- Smithey Ironware No. 12 Skillet — maker or retailer page. smithey.com
- Lodge Classic Cast Iron Skillet — maker or retailer page. www.lodgecastiron.com
- Lodge Classic Cast Iron Skillet 26cm — maker or retailer page. www.minimax.com.au
- Solidteknics AUS-ION 30cm Frypan — maker or retailer page. www.solidteknics.com
- FINEX 12" Cast Iron Skillet — maker or retailer page. www.finexusa.com
- Le Creuset Signature Skillet — maker or retailer page. www.lecreuset.com
- Le Creuset Signature Round Casserole 24cm (Myer / David Jones) — maker or retailer page. www.lecreuset.com.au
- Maxwell & Williams Cast Iron Casserole 26cm (Myer) — maker or retailer page. maxwellandwilliams.com.au
- The Cooks Collective Cast Iron Sauté 28cm (Myer) — maker or retailer page. www.myer.com.au
- MessyPig materials rubric. MessyPig materials rubric
Related pages
One useful email a fortnight
New scores, brands that finally answered, and any rule change that affects what you can buy. The list is not open yet — email us and we will add you when it is.