Lodge 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet

The Lodge 12 inch is the cast iron skillet most American kitchens own, and the one to give because it is the right size for a steak, four eggs or a cornbread, and it costs thirty dollars. It comes seasoned from the foundry in Tennessee, it goes from stovetop to oven to campfire, and it gets better every year it is used.

It is the housewarming or graduation gift for a son or daughter setting up a kitchen, the wedding gift that gets used more than the registry china, and the Christmas present for a dad who grills and has never seared indoors. Foodies with expensive pans still reach for the Lodge.

It weighs about eight pounds, so the helper handle matters. Wipe it out, dry it on the burner, a little oil, done. The cheapest thing on this site that is also the longest lasting.