Cast Iron Classic Cast Iron Skillets vs Ironware Company Cast Iron Skillet No. 12: which is safer?
These two grade almost identically. Pick on price and preference; neither has a PFAS edge.
Lodge
Cast Iron Classic Cast Iron Skillets
PFAS grade
Excellent 90/100
Overall grade
Excellent 78/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
cast iron (bare or seasoned with oil)
Confidence
95%
PossibleIron leaching into food
PossibleRust formation and corrosion
PossibleThermal shock and cracking
Smithey
Ironware Company Cast Iron Skillet No. 12
PFAS grade
Excellent 90/100
Overall grade
Excellent 78/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
Cast iron, pre-seasoned with vegetable oil
Confidence
92%
PossibleIron leaching
PossibleThermal shock and fracture
PossibleSeasoning degradation over time
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Iron leaching into food, Rust formation and corrosion and Thermal shock and cracking on the Lodge and not on the Smithey.
- We flag Iron leaching, Thermal shock and fracture and Seasoning degradation over time on the Smithey and not on the Lodge.
- The Lodge is cast iron (bare or seasoned with oil) where the Smithey is Cast iron, pre-seasoned with vegetable oil, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More cast iron skillets: see the full ranking