What's Your Favorite Pan for Cornbread?

[Doug Evans]

I have tried common skillets, "corn stick" pans, wedge cut pans, gem pans, and tonight for the first time I tried my newly seasoned Griswold 954 E Cornbread pan. My method is to heat the pan up with the oven then add a bit of bacon grease in each compartment, heat that up some more if possible then add the batter which should be sizzling when introduced to the hot oil. I have to say that I was disappointed with the cornbread tonight, but I think it was due more to user error overfilling each compartment and not quite cooking enough so I had to cut each piece out with a table knife which still left some sticky crumbs on the pan. Once I try it again and get the CB to brown and release properly, I feel this pan may offer the best crunch/softness ratio of any of the other pans. Second place for me would go to my Turk's Head gem pan, but I've found I need to cut those in half in order to get a good flat spot for butter to melt.

[KevinE]

Favorite cornbread pans are a #5 slant Gris, #6 single notch Lodge, or #8 SBL Gris. Preheat the pan up in a 400 degree oven with the grease in it. Once heated, pour a little of the hot grease into the cornbread batter and mix it in, put in the oven, and bake for about 25 minutes. Never have a sticking problem.

[M_Osborne]

I am with Kevin on this one, my go to is a #8 SBL. If I want smaller ones I use some of my gem pans. I have a #2 no name gem pan that makes rounds. I also use some of my Filley gem pans the #1, 2, and 8 make some unique shapes and are easy to clean.

I really hate the cornstick style ones too much gunk to clean out

[WallyF]

I mostly use a #5 BSR or a #8 CHF. Occasionally, I use my dad's #3 Vollrath. Will begin using the raised 8 Lodge I recently got just to help build up the seasoning layer.

Whichever pan I use goes into the oven as it heats up. Once the oven is at temp, bring out the pan, throw in some butter and then the batter. Bake until the cornbread round is firm to downward pressure. Let the pan sit on the stove top for a minute or 2 before turning the round out onto a cookie sheet. Seems to help with the release.

Wait a few minutes for the inside of the round to firm up a little more. Use the edge of the cookie sheet to "level" the knife and cut the round in half (horizontally). Use a spatula to gently raise the edge of the round and butter it. Give the butter a little time to melt and spread. Then cut and eat.

[SeanD]

I use a foreign made "Classic" skillet, probably a #8. The only reason I use it is because it works percectly, and I got it on a trip to Eastern Kentucky, from an old farmer, out of his barn. I know its not a good pan, but it has so many knife marks in the seasoning from cutting cornbread, I didn't even strip it bare. I just cleaned it good, seasoned it myself, and have been using it since. He sold it to me for $1.

[KevinE]

We never cut our cornbread in the skillet. Place a plate over the skillet, flip the whole thing over, and the cornbread is on the plate. Our cornbread never sticks in the skillet.

[M_Lamux]

I like making cornbread in my square Wagner skillet.

[Susan_A]

I hope it is okay to reply to/bump older threads. Doug, if it is not, please let me know.

For baking, I tend to usually reach for pieces that are in-process with the seasoning or perhaps a skillet I recently used to sear steaks at a higher heat a few times, as baking is one of the very best ways to help build or restore seasoning.

My current favorite for cornbread and biscuits is my 10.5" Stargazer. It's not vintage, but still a wonderful, well designed skillet. They compare it to an #8 on their website but it's really more like a #7 as to available cooking area, by the way. I bought it unseasoned, and DIY seasoned 6 times with a canola/grapeseed mix, carefully double wiping to prevent any pooling. Makes awesome cornbread that flips right out without any sticking whatsoever after a reasonable cooling period.

Other skillets for cornbread I tend to reach for include Griswold slant EPUs, anywhere from a #6 to a #10 depending upon how much I need to make. If company, it's going to be a #9 or #10.

I do like to preheat the pan up a bit first until the oil is sizzling a little before adding the cornbread mixture. My oil of choice is usually bacon grease (adds great flavor), but I've been known to use homemade ghee or even grapeseed or avocado oil if out of bacon grease. In a properly seasoned pan, enough oil to grease the pan, and sufficient cooling time, the cornbread should plop right out without any sticking issues.