Why You Might Want To Avoid Cast-Iron Skillets With A Wooden Handle
When shopping for cooking supplies, always look to outfit your kitchen with the most effective, sturdy, versatile equipment possible. The cast iron skillet is one such every-tool and for all that it can do, they're on the cheaper side as well. Very basically, cast iron skillets are a big deep dish frying pan and baking dish in one, made of thick cast iron that can be used with every appliance in your kitchen that'll fit it (except the dishwasher), per Home Cook World.
Now usually cast irons are sold as a hulking hunk of metal, but some are sold with accessories and/or modifications to make a chef's life a little easier (or harder depending on how you look at it). A popular modification is the wooden handle, which primarily makes the cast iron easier to maneuver around. The wood insulates against the heat from the handle and brings the overall weight of the cast iron down, which can be convenient as the combined heat and weight of the cast iron tends to make it unwieldy. The wooden handle is also aesthetically popular as the different material accents the cast iron and gives the skillet a very modern look.
Why the wood is no good
Convenience is relative and aesthetic is subjective, so is that wooden handle really what you want? Well honestly, it just depends. A lot of chef's will probably argue that the food on your plate is a better aesthetic than a skillet on your wall, but again, it's subjective.
According to Seasoned Tips, the real gripes with wood come from its neutering of versatility in use. The cast iron is popular because it can do anything and does everything, you can throw it in the oven just as easily as you can slap it on a burner — and for lots of recipes you do both. A child could tell you that wood is flammable, and so cast irons with a wooden handle cannot go everywhere or do everything lest they start a fire. The wooden handle can also drastically reduce the lifespan of the skillet, another primary draw of cast iron. A well cared for cast iron skillet will literally last generations, per Cooks Info.
Your choice of cast iron skillet truly does depend on your needs, but the next time you're shopping for a cast iron, doing all this intense exhausting research, ask yourself, "Is this laborious process of Googling and reading review upon review something you want for your kids and their grandkids to experience? Or should I spare them the trouble, get the normal cast iron, and just use a towel to grab the handle?"