About halfway through Sean Brock’s episode in the latest season of “Chef’s Table” on Netflix, the Southern chef is seen making his lauded jimmy red cornbread in a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. After a quick look at the pour spouts, front lip shape and short handle, we’re confident in saying that’s a Butter Pat Industries pan.
Starting at $145, Butter Pat’s skillets are not cheap, but they are great to cook with (Brock looks to be using the $295 Joan pan). Our choice for best all-around skillet is cast by hand, lightweight and features nicely sloping cooking walls. It’s not necessarily the cast-iron skillet to get if you’ve never owned one before, but if you’re a Southern food luminary like Sean Brock it makes a bit more sense.
Brock’s skillet wasn’t the only iron on camera during this season of the show. Shown cooking at home, Savannah, GA’s Mashama Bailey shows off a peculiar skillet with an odd ridge on the handle. The odd span was made by Wagner, one of the most storied and collectible cast iron brands on the market — only that particular model was made in the early 1990s, and isn’t of the collectible variety. According to a blog on ModeMac, General Housewares made an “1891 Original” line of Wagner skillets in 1991, and that ridge only appears on that specific line.
Gear Patrol also recommends:
Lodge 12-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet ($30)
Stargazer Cast-Iron Skillet ($80+)
Field Cast-Iron Skillet ($125+)
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