Welcome to Cookware Week! We’re sharing our favorite cookware sets, accessories, and kitchen appliances, plus intel on how to care for all of it, the best recipes to make with every piece, and exclusive sales for Chowhound readers.
No doubt about it, using the wrong type of spatula or spoon on certain kinds of pans will damage them (see our guide to which utensils are best with each type of cookware for a complete break-down), but when it comes to cast iron, it all depends on the age and condition of the skillet. Can you use metal spatulas on cast iron? Yes, but with a couple caveat.
Related Reading: 8 Egregious Cookware Sins You Don’t Realize You’re Committing
When you have brand-new, unseasoned cast iron, you should only use gentle silicone or bamboo cooking utensils—but after you season a cast iron skillet, it has a nonstick finish that’s much hardier than factory-produced nonstick, in that it can stand up to metal utensils without damage.
Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet, $14.90 on Amazon
This pre-seasoned skillet is ready to use right away.
Related Reading: The Best Skillets to Buy in 2019
Know that seasoning cast iron is not a one-and-done deal; you’ll want to make sure to properly clean it to prolong the coating, which should only get better with each use (but will be ruined by improper care like letting water sit in the pan).
But if your pan starts to look not-so-great, you can repeat the entire seasoning process to give your skillet a new lease on life.
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Related Reading: How to Clean Cast Iron | How to Season Cast Iron
A Note on Enameled Cast Iron
If you have enameled cast iron (think Le Creuset or other Dutch ovens), a metal spatula is not the best tool for the job, as it will leave marks. Enameled cast iron is still extremely strong, so these are likely not actually scratches, but streaks of metallic residue that can be cleaned up with Bon Ami, Bar Keeper’s Friend, or even denture tablets. Still, better to use silicone or wooden utensils with this type of cast iron, and save the metal spatulas for your properly seasoned (but otherwise naked) cast iron skillet.
You can also use metal utensils with your seasoned carbon steel pans.
Another tip from the Chowhound community: Choose metal utensils that are all one piece, without rubber handles and rivets that can melt or otherwise break down faster.
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