Our No. 8 skillet made Bon Appétit’s Forever Awards, part of its 2026 Gear of the Year coverage. We’re proud to see our pan made here in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on that list.
In the feature, the editors call Lancaster their favorite among vintage-style cast iron pans, pointing to its lighter weight and smooth cooking surface. “The Lancaster is our favorite of the bunch.”
The Skillet That Started Lancaster
The No. 8 was our first skillet, and it’s still the one we recommend for most kitchens to start with. At 10.5 inches across the top and about four pounds, it’s a useful size for everyday cooking without being cumbersome to lift or wash.
If you’ve cooked with an old family skillet, the smooth iron and lighter feel may be familiar. Those vintage pans helped shape what we wanted to make. The No. 8 carries that approach forward, with large pour spouts, a helper handle, and a cooking surface that arrives pre-seasoned twice.
You notice those details when you’re cooking. The helper handle gives you another place to support a full pan, and the pour spouts help when transferring pan juices or pouring off fat.
Something Good for Dinner
A skillet’s first meal doesn’t need much planning. A grilled cheese sandwich, a few eggs, or vegetables sautéed in butter will get you acquainted with the pan. Regular cooking builds the seasoning, and you’ll get a feel for the heat as you go.
For dinner, try our Browned Butter Mushroom & Thyme Cream Pasta. The sauce comes together in the No. 8, then the cooked pappardelle goes into the skillet for a final toss. Our Rosemary and Orange Olive Oil Cake uses the same size pan if you’re in the mood to bake.
And if a Lancaster skillet is already in your kitchen, thank you. We love seeing what you cook in it.
Read Bon Appétit’s full Forever Awards feature or take a closer look at the Lancaster No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet.
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