For some people there isn’t much of a debate around who makes the best cast-iron skillet . There is a diehard fanbase, loyal to the affordable, USA–made Lodge cast-iron pan, that will not hear of any other suggestions.

There are others (cast-iron nerds and collectors) who swear by the superior quality of their vintage pan from Griswold or Wagner that they found at a scrap yard, de-rusted in a bucket with a DIY electrolysis setup, and seasoned with a proprietary oil blend in the furnaces of their bespoke restoration workshop.

To these two camps of people I say: “ I don’t want to fight you, and I already know why you feel the way you feel. Please do not send me any angry emails.”

If you’ve been loyal to your own cast-iron pan for years—or decades—I don’t expect to change your mind. My goal is merely to provide recommendations for cast-iron cookware based on side-by-side testing and the input collectively provided by members of our staff.…