Cast Iron vs. Enameled Cast Iron: 10 Key Differences

Are you shopping for new cookware but can’t decide between bare or enameled cast iron?

Cast iron is a versatile material that creates some of the best cookware out there. It’s ultra-durable, tolerates extremely high temperatures, and boasts incredible heat retention.

But how do you choose between bare and enameled cast iron? What are their key differences? What are the pros and cons of each?

In this comparison of cast iron vs. enameled cast iron, I’ll answer all of these questions.

You’ll learn how these cookware types compare in terms of options, appearance, cooking performance, durability, price, and more.

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Use the links below to navigate this comparison:

• Cast Iron vs. Enameled Cast Iron: Comparison Chart
• Difference 1: Construction
• Difference 2: Cookware Types
• Difference 3: Appearance
• Difference 4: Durability
• Difference 5: Cooking Performance
• Difference 6: Iron Supplement
• Difference 7: Maintenance and Cleaning
• Difference 8: Price
• Difference 9: Top Brands
• Difference 10: Cooktop Compatibility
• Bottom Line: Should You Buy Bare or Enameled Cast Iron Cookware?

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Cast Iron vs. Enameled Cast Iron: Comparison Chart

If you’re in a hurry, the chart below outlines the key differences between bare and enameled cast iron cookware. 

	Cast Iron	Enameled Cast Iron
Construction	Bare cast iron (98% iron, 2% carbon)	Cast iron coated in enamel glaze
Cookware Types	Mostly skillets	Skillets, Dutch ovens, braisers, casseroles
Appearance	Dull black or dark gray	Range of glossy colors
Durability	Can last a lifetime	Can last decades, but the enameled will eventually crack/chip
Cooking Performance	Avoid acidic foods, safe over an open flame, ideal for searing	Can handle all ingredients, not grill or camp fires-safe, ideal for sauces, soups, stews
Iron Supplement	Yes	No
Maintenance	Must be seasoned before and throughout use	No seasoning required
Cleaning	Must dry completely after cleaning, mild soap is okay	Wash with warm, soapy water
Price	More affordable (view prices on Amazon)	More expensive (view prices on Amazon)

Difference 1: Construction

Cast iron is an iron alloy containing approximately 98% iron and 2% carbon. It’s melted and poured into a mold.

Once poured, the metal hardens into the desired shape and creates a durable product that can last a lifetime. This process has been used for millennia and dates back to ancient China.

Your family may have a cast iron skillet that’s been passed down from generation to generation. 

In fact, many people can tell stories about a skillet their family has been using since the Great Depression or even longer. That’s because the casting process allows iron to become harder and more resistant to wear.

Enameled cast iron cookware is cast iron cookware that’s been glazed with a coating of fused glass particles. 

The enameling process allows for a wide variety of colors and protects the core iron from rust and other kinds of corrosion. It also eliminates the need for seasoning and makes the cooking surface stick-resistant and easier to clean.

Difference 2: Cookware Types

While both bare and enameled cast iron can be made into various cookware, bare cast iron is most often used to forge skillets, griddles, and sometimes Dutch ovens. Skillets are by far the most common bare cast iron cookware type.

With enameled cast iron, you’ll find a wider variety of products, including skillets, Dutch ovens, casserole dishes, frying pans, braisers, and more. That versatility is seen in the collections offered by well-known brands such as Le Creuset or Staub.

Difference 3: Appearance

Appearance is one of the major differences between bare cast iron and enameled cast.

Enameled cast iron comes in a fun variety of colors and finishes, with companies like Le Creuset releasing offering over 20 different hues.

Thanks to the glossy finish on most enameled cookware, you can use these attractive pieces for cooking food and serving food.

Matched color sets are commonly sold together and offer an attractive way to cut back on the amount of serving platters you use during holidays and other events.

Bare cast iron doesn’t offer this kind of color choice and is only produced in black or grey hues, which are the iron’s natural colors. It’s rugged-looking cookware that gets the job done, with no regard for style points.

For this reason, enameled cast iron is a better option for you if you want colorful cookware, whereas bare cast iron is a more basic, rustic choice.

Difference 4: Durability

Since enamel coating is more susceptible to damage than raw metal, bare cast iron cookware is the more durable option.

Enameled cast iron can chip and scratch during use and storage, which reduces its overall lifespan.

Le Creuset offers a lifetime warranty on their products (if proper care instructions are followed), which negates some of the risks, but cheaper brands don’t include this protection.

With is rugged cooking surface, bare cast iron can last generations, but it isn’t indestructible. Rust, accidentally slamming the cookware against hard corners, and improper use of harsh cleaning products can damage bare cast iron.

With proper care, both enameled and bare cast iron are quite durable, but bare cast iron has a longer overall lifespan.

Difference 5: Cooking Performance

Both types of cookware are made with a thick cast iron base, so they both retain heat incredibly well. And because they retain heat well, they’re great for searing, browning, roasting, frying, and any cooking that requires a steady temperature. 

If you want a good crust on steak, chicken, pork, or any other meat, cast iron and enameled cast iron cookware does the job really well. I’ve cooked dozens of meals in each type of pan, and there’s virtually no difference in their ability. 

However, there are a few areas where bare cast iron and enameled cast iron are very different.

First, you can’t use bare cast iron to boil water or cook liquid-heavy meals like pasta or soup. Bare cast iron has oil baked into its surface, which is known as seasoning. When hot liquid sits in the pan for extended periods, the seasoning releases into the liquid.

With enameled cast iron, this is not an issue. The enamel is a thin layer of hardened glass that is non-porous and won’t leach into liquids like seasoning can. 

To prove this point, I poured this glass of perfectly clean water into a clean cast iron skillet. After boiling it for several minutes and letting it cool, I poured it back into the glass. As you can see, the water is cloudy and dirty from the seasoning that was released. 

I did the same thing with an enameled cast iron pan, and the water was clean before and after boiling it.

Another difference is that you can cook highly acidic foods in enameled cast iron, but you need to be cautious if you plan to cook those foods in bare cast iron.

Flavoring food with a small amount of acidic ingredients, like a splash of wine, vinegar, or lemon juice, won’t cause any issues. But simmering tomato sauce or braising short ribs in red wine for extended periods will damage the seasoning and make your food taste like metal.

To demonstrate this limitation, I took a pretty well-seasoned cast iron skillet and covered the cooking surface with crushed tomatoes. I let the tomatoes simmer in both pans for 30 minutes. 

When you look closely at the bare cast iron, you can see that the seasoning is significantly lighter after cooking the tomatoes. 

Many people believe foods like eggs are more likely to stick to enameled cast iron than well-seasoned bare cast iron. So I tested it. 

I preheated a bare cast iron skillet and an enameled cast iron skillet for 2 minutes before adding one teaspoon of oil and ⅓ of a tablespoon of butter.

The egg in the bare cast iron skillet didn’t stick at all. And surprisingly, the egg didn’t stick to the enameled cast iron skillet either. 

I tested it again, but this time, I didn’t use any butter. Instead, I rubbed a small amount of oil on the cooking surface with a paper towel. Unfortunately, the egg stuck to both pans. 

I tested it one more time but with no oil and exactly 3 grams of butter in each pan. This time, the egg slid around effortlessly in the bare cast iron skillet. But with the enameled skillet, it needed some help. After I nudged it with the spatula, it released from the surface and moved around freely.  

So, both pans can handle eggs with the right amount of fat. Bare cast iron might have a slight advantage in terms of food release. But it’s not a huge difference. 

Difference 6: Iron Supplement

One of the more interesting differences between enameled and bare cast iron is that the latter option provides you with a dose of iron whenever you cook in it.

Thanks to bare cast iron’s porous and reactive nature, a small amount of the iron is absorbed into food during the cooking process.

Enameled cast iron’s glossy coating prevents this from happening. If you’re anemic, bare cast iron is a sneaky – and unconventional – way to add more iron to your diet.

Difference 7: Maintenance and Cleaning

Another significant difference between bare and enameled cast iron cookware is that bare cast iron needs to be seasoned, and enameled cast iron doesn’t.

Seasoning is the process of coating the cookware in fat, typically vegetable oil or lard, and heating it so that the fat bonds to the surface and creates a protective layer.

After the initial seasoning, you’ll need to re-season your skillet whenever the protective layer wears down, which can happen every few weeks or months depending on the type of food you cook in it and how well you care for it.

For example, if you choose to cook highly acidic foods or use steel wool or any other abrasive material while cleaning bare cast iron, you’ll need to re-season before the next use.

Although the steps are simple, seasoning is unnecessary with enameled cast iron cookware, making it a lower-maintenance option.

Enameled cast iron cookware can simply be washed with soap or harsher cleaners to tackle severe stains (check out my guide to cleaning enameled cookware to learn more).

Some enameled products claim to be dishwasher safe, but hand-washing with warm, sudsy water is a better option when it comes to prolonging your cookware’s life.

A common misconception about cast iron is that you can’t use soap to clean it. People think that since dish soap is formulated to break down and remove oil and the seasoning is created from oil, the soap will ruin the seasoning. 

But the reality is that seasoning isn’t just oil; it’s polymerized oil that’s been bonded to the cast iron. It’s hard and tough, and if the dish soap doesn’t contain lye or sodium hydroxide, a few drops won’t hurt.

I always recommend using a chainmail to clean cast iron, but if you cooked a messy meal and chainmail is not doing the trick, mild dish soap is okay. 

Here’s a well-seasoned cast iron pan after washing it with soap for five minutes. As you can see, the season is completely fine; the soap didn’t damage it at all.

Difference 8: Price

Generally, enameled cast iron is more expensive than bare cast iron.

Cost depends on the brand and quality, but the enameling process almost always comes with a higher price tag (more materials and steps in the production = higher price).

To help navigate these price differences, here is a helpful chart showing the current prices of the most popular cast iron and enameled cast iron products on Amazon:

Difference 9: Top Brands

If you’re looking for a high-quality bare cast iron skillet, look no further than Lodge. As one of the oldest American companies, Lodge has been making high-quality cast iron cookware since 1896 in its South Pittsburg, Tennessee, foundries.

Several other brands make quality bare cast iron, but Lodge boasts some of the best skillets, Dutch ovens, and grill pans on the market. To learn more, browse the thousands of positive reviews for their popular Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet, or read my in-depth review where I break down its pros and cons.

Lodge also makes enameled cast iron products, including Dutch ovens and casseroles, but they are better known for their traditional cast iron skillets.

The top brand for enameled cast iron cookware is Le Creuset. Best known for its iconic enameled Dutch ovens, this French company has been leading this category since 1925.

Besides the expansive lineup of colors, Le Creuset’s attention to detail and commitment to craftsmanship is what makes them stand out. 

It takes over 30 skilled craftspeople to make each Le Creuset enameled cast iron Dutch oven. And, if the final product isn’t perfect, they melt it back down and start over. In fact, they are so obsessed with quality that they reject up to 30% of their Dutch ovens.

To learn more about Le Creuset, you can read my in-depth review. Or, if Le Creuset is out of your budget, check out these high-quality but less expensive alternatives.

Difference 10: Cooktop Compatibility

Bare and enameled cast iron are both compatible with all cooktops. However, if you have an electric or induction cooktop with a glass surface, enameled cast iron is safer.

Bare cast iron has a rougher exterior surface and can develop burrs and rough edges over time. If you’re careful, cooking with bare cast iron on a glass top stove is not a problem. But if you accidentally drop it or drag it, you can easily scratch the glass.

Enameled cast iron is equally heavy, but the bottom of each piece has a much smoother surface, limiting the risk of scratching the glass.

Bottom Line: Should You Buy Bare or Enameled Cast Iron Cookware?

When considering cast iron cookware, the right choice is dependent upon your unique needs and preferences.

If you want low-maintenance, colorful, and versatile cookware, enameled cast iron is likely the way to go.

On the other hand, many cooks swear by bare cast iron despite its relatively rigorous maintenance needs.

While you can’t cook acidic foods in bare cast iron cookware, it has been around for centuries and comes with a lot of history — as well as the ability to be used over open flames like grills or campfires.

Ultimately, I recommend purchasing a bare cast iron skillet for your steaks, burgers, and cornbread, and an enameled cast iron skillet or Dutch oven for soups, sauces, and acidic ingredients. 

If you have the budget, it shouldn’t be an either-or situation; get both!