Cast and CarbonKitchen tools judged by the task

Kitchenware

Running costs

Energy, consumables and the cost of a year of use.

1 guides

Two seared pork tenderloins resting in pan juices in a black cast-iron skillet on a hob — Searing then roasting in the same skillet keeps the browned juices that make the pan sauce.Photo: Taylorderek · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Open source page

Enamelled cast-iron pots and pans in brown, blue and orange on a wire shelf

Running costs

Cost per use: what a pan really costs you

Divide the price by the times you will cook on it. A $40 nonstick pan replaced every three years costs $280 over twenty years; a $25 cast iron pan costs $25.

Updated 11/3/2026 · 8 min

Photo: Fowler&fowler · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons