A winner for “Best Cast Iron Pan!” Stargazer USA-made pre-seasoned: Lead-free (Cadmium, Mercury, & Arsenic-free too!)

ByTamara Posted: Updated:
54 Comments
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For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website:

Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).

Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!]

This cast iron pan seems like a great option for those looking for an heirloom-quality piece. At $80 to $120 a pop (depending on size and whether or not you get the seasoned vs. unseasoned pan), I also think this is reasonably priced for a pan of this quality — especially considering that other high-quality options out there are usually either more expensive and/or made by companies using toxicants in some or all of their cast iron pans (like Leaded-brass elements or Cadmium-based enamel coatings).

Unlike Finex or Le Creuset, the Stargazer pan has no decorative enamel coatings or other decor elements that might be positive for Lead or other heavy metal toxicants (Finex has Leaded brass end-caps on their handles — brass that is positive for as much as 40,000 ppm Lead!).

In contrast to a less-expensive, more mass-manufactured brand (like Lodge, which has fairly inexpensive cast iron pieces), I can see from the high-quality heavy-gauge materials and solid construction of this Stargazer pan — readily noticeable in touching and handling the piece — that it is unlikely to suffer the fate of many modern-era cast iron items of lesser quality (which often have visible casting flaws that tend to be the causes of premature failures in what has otherwise across centuries proven a truly time-tested, virtually indestructible type of cookware!). Specifically, with some Lodge pieces I have heard accounts from some of my readers that they ordered them new online and the item arrived cracked or broken — although I expect this is the exception, not the rule.

While I do still feel Lodge is a good starter option for those just getting into non-toxic cookware on a budget, the companies that produce Finex and Le Creuset have clearly demonstrated through their actions and product history that keeping you (and their workers) safe from exposure to environmental toxicants in their products is not a top priority for these companies. They have a history of persistently defending the continued production and sales of cookware with either Cadmium-laden or Leaded decorative elements, and as such are simply not companies I can recommend at all (even though they may carry non-toxic products in their current lines).

As a result, I think with Stargazer we finally found a “winner” in the high-quality, toxicant-free* cast iron pan category!

Here’s a link to an article with the reasons I don’t like Finex (which makes me sad — because they are a local Portland-based company and I really WANT to like them!).

Here’s a whole category of posts (nine total, as of this moment) with reasons I don’t like Le Creuset: https://tamararubin.com/category/le-creuset/.

Here’s the link to Stargazer’s website: https://www.stargazercastiron.com. (Note: I do not — as of the time of writing this — have any financial relationship with (nor even an affiliate link for) this company. Although in light of the fact that their product line is toxicant-free, and looks well-made, I am definitely going to send them a note about possibly sponsoring my work in the future! 🙂 Stargazer also has an excellent website with lots of good information about its products and philosophy; plus, the company gives a discount to families in the military! I would encourage you to take some time to check out their site as well.

A reader from Canada sent this Stargazer pan to me as a gift — so I would have the opportunity both to test it and to try it out. As a result, I will also (eventually) give my feedback on how it performs in the kitchen, with an update post once I have had a chance to evaluate it in action.

Below are the full XRF test results for this piece.

When tested with an XRF instrument (for a full two minutes), this cast iron pan had the following readings:

  • Chromium (Cr): 1,766 +/- 93 ppm
  • Tin (Sn): 180 +/- 48 ppm
  • Copper (Cu): 2,031 +/- 261 ppm
  • Nickel (Ni): 702 +/- 294 ppm
  • Iron (Fe): 987,900  +/-  1,200 ppm (so about 99% iron!)
  • Vanadium (V): 178 +/- 68 ppm
  • Titanium (Ti): 322 +/- 98 ppm
  • Manganese (Mn): 6,109 +/- 454 ppm
  • Metals not detected are not listed. Testing was completed multiple times and all test results are replicable.

While I personally love (and use) my great-grandmother’s cast iron pans every day… I think these Stargazer pans might also be something to eventually hand down to the kids (and grandkids and great-grandkids!).

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for reading and for sharing this work!

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama

*Whenever I state that something is “toxicant-free” I am referring to the absence of the most common neurotoxic heavy metals still found in all-too-many consumer products: Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, and Antimony. I do want to acknowledge, however, that some folks have concerns about cooking in iron pans primarily because it can be very dangerous to add too much iron to the diet (especially for people with a hereditary genetic condition known as Hemochromatosis). There is also some research suggesting — as I understand it — that, while many women are said to be prone to suffer iron deficiencies (ostensibly due primarily to iron lost in menstruation) and can benefit from iron supplementation, men do not have this consideration and therefore normally have no need or use for iron supplementation.

I personally use cast iron nearly every day (for my family of six — including myself, my husband, and four sons) and don’t have any concerns about them getting too much iron. In my opinion, the main way to address this (assuming you do not have Hemochromatosis) if you have concerns about iron levels in the diet is to make sure your cookware is varied each day. In addition to cast iron, we use a variety of clear glass and stainless steel each day and don’t necessarily emphasize one pan type over another. In this way, you limit both the potential toxicity concerns about Iron and the concerns some people have about possible toxicity from (or sensitivities to) the Nickel and Chromium in stainless steel (none of which I personally have concerns about for my family).
 Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!] Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!] Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!] Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!] Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!] Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!]
Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!] Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!] Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!] Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!] Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!] Stargazer Made In USA Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron: Lead Free [Cadmium Free, Mercury Free and Arsenic Free too!]

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54 Comments

  1. The iron that gets in your food from cast iron is unusable by the human body. Iron can only be used that’s in plants and plants only. And meat but it’s not worth eating meat for iron seeing how it’s a well known undisputable fact humans are herbavores. The iron you get from a iron skillet does nothing but kill you. In fact iron is one of the very most dangerous things to cook out of. It’s the wrong kind of iron so it can’t be absorbed it’s 10’s of thousands of times larger pieces of iron then the body can use. It actually builds up in your body especially in the organs and circulatory system. Once clogged up there it sits around and rust. Now rust is very very dangerous for the body otherwise we wouldn’t get tetanis shots. If you really want a good pan or good cookware. I would strongly recommend Xtrema they are the world’s best , hands down and have been since the 70’s. However I strongly urge everyone not to cook food period. Cooking food emediatly destroys over 90% of it. If you eat uncooked food you only need 10% of the food you are used to eating. This is also a proven fact. If you are interested Sahdguru on YouTube will explain to those that don’t know how bad cooking is. It’s so bad India is actually working on making it illegal! The reason is the world is over populated and cooking food rite now is one of the biggest crimes against humanity that are happening this day in age. If you want pure don’t cook plain and simple. The best way honestly is to just put the food directly on burning wood and embers. Only hot carbon and wood are safe truly. Make sure to get the ash off it’s a antacid will cause many many vitamin deficiency’s and ulcers. Antacids are a scam…

    Reply

          1. Thank you Tamara. I found a griswold #8 skillet on Etsy. I plan to stay away from Le Crueset and all other non-vintage cast-iron pans.

      2. OMG!!!!! I am sick all over again about Xtrema!! I saw lead and cadmium article somewhere but didn’t see 14 metals! I have VERY high lead in me!!! I am furious!!!

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    2. Tetanus does not originate from rust. The spores are found in soil, dust. They get into deep wounds and proliferate without oxygen. You aren’t getting tetanus from this cookware. If you step on a nail that is out in the dirt, you are getting a tetanus shot because it was outside and potentially contaminated by the spores. And also because a nail puncture is a deep wound, and that is the environment where tetanus can thrive. It’s nothing to do with the rust.

      Your science is really…cutting edge

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    4. WOW, Kitty. Nothing you said is based on any kind of evidence or science whatsoever. Hopefully in the four years since your rant, you’ve come around.

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      1. Hi Tamara, I appreciate your work and the time you give to educate so many. Have you ever tested the cast iron pans from the brand Field or the Smithey brand carbon steel pans?

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  2. Thanks for your work. My son has a nickel allergy and it is scary trying to figure out what to cook with. This company has no lead but there is nickel. I’ve read your le Creuset info and now am not happy to cook with that. My All Clad has nickel too. Should I only cook with glass pots?

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  3. What do you recommend for frying pans outside of cast iron that are safe? Any stainless steel pans or glass pans you recommend based on your findings?

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  4. Hi there! New to your page and feeling panicked haha Myself and my mom have a lot of older corelle dishes and casseroles and mixing bowls and other China and crystal 🙁

    Anyways, I’m curious if you’ve had a chance to test other brands of cast iron? And enamel covered cast iron casseroles? I have kitchen aid and cuisinart enamel cast casseroles and a Lagostina cast frying pan.

    Reply

    1. Hi Sondra,

      Thanks for commenting. If you click the keywords on the top of the post it will bring you to more posts with that keyword. So at the top of this post just click the words “Cast Iron” and you will see all of my Cast Iron posts and then from there you can see the enamelware ones and click the “enamelware” tab at the top to see all of those related posts.

      Tamara

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    2. P.S. Sorry to cause panic! Take it one step at a time. You cannot change the past but you can make better choices for the future.
      – Tamara

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    3. You also may want to check out my Amazon store – under the “Shop” tab in the top menu bar of the site.

      Reply

    4. Hi,

      I appreciate all your hard work and dedication. Have you tested the Our House cast iron pots? They claim they are lead and cadmium free.

      Reply

  6. Hey Tamara,

    Hope you’re well.

    Have you done the leach test on the Stargazer?

    I’m recovering from heavy metal toxicity and need to be as careful as possible!

    warm regards,

    James

    Reply

    2. Hello James, did you get any answers yet on the stargazer skillet about leaching in the food. I ask the but they never responded. maybe they did to you. I’m interested in these skillets. Thank you in advance

      Reply

    1. Hi Katrina – my readers direct the things I test by sending me things for testing. I am sorry but I am not accepting new items for testing at this time, but if you subscribe to my newsletter (it’s free) you will be among the first to know when I start testing things again.

      Tamara

      Reply

    2. From Smithey: We do periodically conduct third party testing on our cookware, and in our most recent tests tested well under the defacto pass/fail limits of heavy metals. We source and cast all of our cast iron from within the United States, and then pre-season each piece with a pure grape seed oil (which gives it that unique coppery/bronze look) before arriving in your kitchen. Please let us know if there is anything else we can help with!

      Reply

    1. Hi Katie – Thank you for commenting.

      Sorry I don’t have a recommendation there. I think if you found a clear glass lid with no painted logo markings that might be a good option. I don’t know how often those are sold separately tho.

      Tamara

      Reply

  10. Hi Tamara, You recommend alternating among cast iron, stainless steel, and glass. Are there certain styles of cooking that are more appropriate for each of these?

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  11. Great article! I live in the UK, where I cannot find “Stargazer” sold anywhere. So my only available choices of cast-iron skillets are either:

    1. LODGE (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00G2XGC88/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2KVF7QXNCLV8H&psc=1)

    or

    2. UTOPIA (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00X4WQMAS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A2KVF7QXNCLV8H&psc=1)

    Between Lodge or Utopia, which would you consider safer? If I do go for LODGE, am I safe to assume it has ZERO lead/arsenic?

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  12. Tamara,
    On several occasions you’ve mentioned that you like alternate among cast iron, stainless steel, and clear glass for cookware. Sometime, could you write when you tend to choose each.

    Reply

  13. The only problem I find with stargazer is what they use to season their pans. They use PUFAS to season their pans. “What’s in Stargazer’s Seasoning We use a blend of canola, grapeseed, and sunflower oils.” The Lodge is even worse they can’t guarantee their seasoning oils are gmo free. Have you heard of Victoria? It’s super affordable and seasoned with flax seed oil.

    Reply

    1. Hi Janel,

      Thanks for commenting. My understanding is that with any seasoning you can strip the seasoning and start over with whatever you want at home. There are many other bloggers who write about seasoning cast iron pans. Here’s one from my friend Carissa: https://www.creativegreenliving.com/2016/05/how-to-clean-season-care-for-cast-iron.html

      I think you may also be able to order these un-seasoned… look into that and let me know what you find.

      Tamara

      Reply

  14. I got a new stargazer 12 inch pan a couple months ago. Now I am REALLY glad I chose it over Finex. I tried to season it myself though with flaxseed oil (following all the directions) and not sure I did the best job. Does anyone know if it matters if you use lignan free vs. lignan flaxseed oil? I am really happy with the company and the quality of the product.

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  15. Hello, is there an enameled iron skillet that would be safe to use on a glass top electric range? I love my old iron skillet, but I’m worried about scratching my new range with it.

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  16. Hello Tamara, Thanks for the great information. I have just bought enamaled cast iron pans but I won’t use 🙂
    I will buy stargazer pans but what is your recommendation for dutch oven? Have you tested dutch oven , which one is the safetiest ? I’ve checked your amazon link and saw Lodge dutch oven also.
    Thanks for the help.

    Reply

  19. Hi Tamara,
    I’m trying to find a resonably pricedcast iron crepe / skillet. Everything seems to have a non-stick coating. What brand can I buy?

    Thanks!
    Divya

    Reply

  20. Hi, I read on their website that they use recycled iron in their pans. Have you tested other stargazer pans ? Could there be contaminants as all the iron is recycled and not newly mined?

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  21. Hello, I’m interested in their 13.5 inch cast iron braised, do you believe it is free of heavy metals? Perhaps you have tested one?

    Reply

  22. Thank you . This cast iron skillet is great and their customer service is also great. I am wondering if anyone knows anything about the seasoning affect on the body. I know high temperature treated fat is unhealthy. And to create a seasoning you need to heat fat tot he point it polymerases.
    I can’t find any information anywhere about it.

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    2. I am wondering the same. And they usually suggest to do the seasoning with sunflower oil or raspseed oil. None of which are considered the healthiest options for oil…

      Reply

  25. I appreciate all your research for pots and pans! Can you tell me what you know about the DuBuyer pans? Is there lead etc in the pans or contaminates in the seasoning? Thanks!

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  27. I am so grateful for all of your information, although it can be overhwelming and heartbreaking to find out, but it is necessary for people to know. Thank you so much. Also some information on more cast iron cookware that might help, from a coonsumer watchdog in Hong Kong and in many news bits if you do a search:
    See: “Some cast-iron cooking pots including a popular Japanese brand Bruno were found to release a high level of metal when heated and pose risks to people’s health, the Consumer Council warned yesterday.

    The watchdog tested seven cast-iron cooking pots, four of which released excessive amounts of metals under high temperatures. Two pots had enamel coating and two did not.

    One of the enamel-coated pots is Bruno’s Enameled Cast Iron Pot (BZK-FLG01-RD), which originated from China and costs HK$798.

    The amount of aluminum, arsenic, cadmium and lithium released from it exceeded the upper limit set by international standard ISO 4531 by around 0.4 to 16 times.

    Thirty-four micrograms per liter of arsenic were released from the involved Bruno’s pot, exceeding the upper limit set by the international standard of 2mcg per liter by 16 times.

    The watchdog warns that when metal migrates from cookware to food, it might result in excessive metal intake and pose health risks.

    Arsenic and cadmium have been categorized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as “carcinogenic to humans.” While excessive intake of lithium could cause mild diarrhea, nausea and hand tremor.

    Bruno’s distributor told the watchdog that it has suspended the sale of the same batch of Enamel Cast Iron Pot (BZK-FLG01-RD) to ease customers’ concern. The distributor added the manufacturer of the pot has conducted another round of tests that shows it has passed the international standard test.

    Another enamel-coated cast-iron cooking pot – Vermicular’s NBG22R – was found to release an excessive amount of cobalt and lithium. The pot originated from Japan and costs HK$2,580.

    The remaining two non-enamel-coated pots with an exceeding amount of metals released are Lodge’s Blacklock Triple Seasoned Cast Iron Dutch Oven, priced at HK$1,788 and a cast-iron cooking pot from Sori Yanagi that costs HK$1,950.

    Lodge’s pot was found to have released four metals with an amount exceeding the Council of Europe’s guide, the amount of metal released (2,200 milligrams per kilogram) was 54 times more than the upper limit.” (https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/4/236083/Consumer-Council-takes-lid-off-cooking-pot-problems). YOu can so a search on findings from a HOng Kong consumer watch dog and it is in many of thier new s. I just bought Lodge cast iron skillet after reading some of your articles, and now I am going to return it. I cannot find anything safe to cook with, and am in great despair, it is impossilbe to find anything really, and so there is nothing truly safe to eat and nothing to cook it in really. Might as well just forget it and use my old junk I was using before. lol. It’s just as bad as the new stuff puffed up with so many claims, ie., xtrema and others, now including Lodge.

    Reply

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