12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet

Sear four steaks at once, then move the whole pan into the oven without reaching for a second dish. This is the large skillet in the Stargazer range, and it will sear, roast, bake and fry on any cooktop you own — gas, electric coil, glass, ceramic, induction — as well as on a grill or over a fire. If you are matching an old pan, it is close to a vintage number 10.

The inside is machined smooth right across the cooking surface and then finished again, so food releases cleanly and the seasoning has something to grip. The rim is flared to pour without running down the outside, the walls are an even thickness all the way round so heat spreads instead of pooling, and the handle is shaped to stay cooler than the pan. At 6.5 pounds it is light enough to lift one-handed with dinner in it.

There is no enamel and no synthetic coating anywhere on it: the only thing between your food and the iron is oil seasoning. The iron is melted in the US from mostly recycled material and checked for purity at several points in the supply chain and again during production.

Choose the seasoned finish and it arrives ready to cook, hand-finished with two coats of a certified non-GMO blend of canola, grapeseed and sunflower oil. Choose bare and you get the same pan with no seasoning on it, under a film of mineral oil that stops the bare iron rusting on the way to you, waiting for you to build up a seasoning of your own. Either one is a pan that gets better the longer you cook on it.

Materials

Cast gray iron, mostly from recycled material sourced in the US. Seasoned finish: certified non-GMO canola, grapeseed and sunflower oil. Bare finish: unseasoned iron, coated with mineral oil for transit.

Sizing

Rim diameter 12 in. Cooking surface diameter 9.4 in. Depth 2.3 in. Height 3.5 in. Total length including the handle 21.5 in. Capacity 3.4 qt. Weight 6.5 lb.

Care

Let the pan cool, then wash it under hot running water with a sponge or a chain mail scrubber. Dish soap is fine. Rinse, then dry it immediately and completely — a few minutes on the stovetop over low heat finishes the job, and standing water is what causes rust. Not suitable for the dishwasher. Metal utensils are fine. Preheat on low for 5 to 10 minutes before turning the heat up or adding food; low to medium heat is usually enough to cook on. For stuck-on food, add a little water, bring it to a gentle boil and scrape it away with a spatula. If rust appears, scrub it off with hot water and an abrasive pad, dry thoroughly and re-season straight away. To re-season, wipe a thin coat of a high smoke point oil such as grapeseed or avocado onto a warm pan and heat it until the oil looks dry.

Made in

Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA.

Please note

Cast iron holds heat for a long time and the handle gets hot. Take care lifting the pan after it has been in the oven, on a grill or over a fire, and allow plenty of time for it to cool.