Alton Brown's Favorite Cast Iron Pan Is A Vintage Classic

Chef Alton Brown is generous with the tips he offers to home chefs. So, when he started to show off some of his favorite cookware on Instagram, we took note.

Cast iron pans can be finicky but loyal creatures, and once you have added one of these heavy pieces of metal to your kitchen's arsenal, we can pretty much guarantee it isn't going anywhere. But finding the right cast iron brand to meet your level of culinary expertise and cooking needs can seem like an imposing chore. Thankfully, we have experts like Brown to come to the rescue.

"I collect cast iron, so I got a lot of really old stuff, stuff that isn't made anymore," Brown told the Times Union. "If I had to swear what my favorite was, it'd probably be a Griswold from the 1940s — but like I said, they're not made anymore." Fortunately for us, Brown has a favorite cast iron brand that continues to produce reliable pans for purchasing.

"From a metallurgical standpoint, Lodge is probably the best around," Brown told the Times Union, echoing the sentiments he expressed in a March 2021 Instagram post. Since 1896, Lodge has been cranking out cast iron pans in Tennessee. "We don't just make cookware — we make memories that last for generations," Lodge states on its website. And they have the experience to prove it.

The company's dedication has been recognized by chefs like Brown, who claim that Lodge pans are worthy investments in both money and time. Cast iron pans get better with age, asserts Evergreen Kitchen, and are durable enough to withstand high temperatures and some serious handling in the kitchen.

Brown told Times Union that he particularly enjoys making steak with the cast iron cookware, as a skillet-roasted steak hits all the right notes. So whether baking corn bread or roasting vegetables, a cast iron skillet's many uses will add years of culinary experimentation to your cooking repertoire.