I’ve been testing cast-iron cookware for years, searing chicken thighs and frying eggs in pretty much every single cast-iron pan brand available on the market. I’ve gone deep on cast iron collector forums and interviewed manufacturers and experts to learn what really sets a good pan apart. After all this time cooking with and thinking about cast iron, I’ve gleaned two essential truths:
1. You don’t need a fancy piece of cast-iron cookware to cook good food.
2. There are some new high-end cast-iron pans out there that are worth every penny.
You may feel like these two statements are diametrically opposed. Why would a more expensive pan be worth it if you can get by just fine with a no-frills and much-loved pan like a Lodge? The answer has everything to do with the cooking experience the pans offer. While I don’t wholly endorse every high-end cast-iron pan out there, there are a couple I do enjoy cooking with, and one of them is the Stargazer cast-iron pan.
The Stargazer pan is an example of what I call a “vintage-style” cast-iron pan. Several companies, Stargazer included, have cropped up over the past decade offering high-end cast-iron cookware inspired by vintage pans made by Wagner and Griswold. In contrast to the rougher-textured and more affordable cast-iron pans most are familiar with, these pans have smooth, machined cooking surfaces and thinner walls that heat up faster. Smooth cast-iron was more common back in the day, however, it fell out of fashion because the pans are more expensive and labor-intensive to produce.
The smooth cooking surface offers a few benefits. From my own testing experience, I’ve found that smoother cast-iron pans don’t need to rely as much on seasoning to avoid sticking. They’re also easier to clean, with no crevices for carbonized gunk to get stuck in there.
While smoother pans tend to take a longer time to build up a robust seasoning layer, Stargazer pans are finished with a subtle texture that holds on to seasoning exceptionally well. It comes with an attractive bronzy seasoning layer out of the box, and only took a couple of fried eggs to establish a slick, black sheen.
Overall, the pan is quite well-designed. One unique aspect is its rounded lip, which makes it easy to pour excess fat or pan drippings at any angle without causing a drippy mess. It has a long handle that stays relatively cool while cooking, and a generously sized helper handle for moving the pan too and out of the oven with ease.
My one gripe is that it is on the heavier side for a cast-iron pan: 5.2 lb. for the 10.5″ skillet. However, I find it easy enough to maneuver around thanks to its smart handle design.
All of this amounts to what I consider a more pleasant cooking experience compared to a conventional cast-iron skillet. It heats up quicker, develops an exceptionally glossy nonstick finish over time and is easier to clean. Unlike so much of the cookware plastered across the internet these days, this is a pan that’s built to last you a lifetime and will only continue to improve with each use. If you’re looking for something nice enough to pass down to future generations, this pan is up to the task.
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