A few folks have asked me for advice about what they should get first if they’re going to start cooking in cast iron. I would suggest getting an 8”, 10” or 12” skillet to start with, depending on your family size. If you are mostly likely only going to cook for 1, go with the 8”, if you’re going to cook for 2-3, the 10” is just fine. If you’re going to find yourself cooking larger amounts of food more often, the 12” or 14” is what you’ll want to get.

I’m lucky that the lid that came with my 4-quart stockpot also fits tightly on my 10” cast iron skillets. But in case you don’t have a lid that can do double-duty, Lodge makes lids that fit their skillets as well. These are a great price and the glass means you can see how things are going without lifting the lid.

But almost all of the dishes in the chapters on cooking in skillets will permit you to use any of these sizes. The recipes were designed to use a 10” skillet, but you can decrease or increase as needed pretty easily. Baking recipes are a little trickier, admittedly. But good luck on your cooking foray.