Top 5 Best Cast Iron Melting Pots

The 5 Best Cast Iron Melting Pots

If you want somewhere convenient to cook sauces while camping, you need to have the best cast iron melting pot. Whether you’re using it to melt butter or make your own homemade barbecue sauce for a rack of ribs, cast iron melting pots are a convenience that you can’t pass up on. If this sounds like something you want out for your next camping trip, check out our cast iron melting pot reviews below.

The Top 5 Cast Iron Melting Pot Reviews

* Ratings are determined using our specialized rating system.

The best cast iron melting pots are great for keeping sauces at the perfect temperature for assimilating ingredients and basting your meals from. Getting a melting pot in cast iron simply ensures you’ll get a lifetime of quality after one initial purchase. But with so many options on the market, it can be difficult to find the best one for your needs. Fortunately, we’ve already done all the work for you. Keep reading for our reviews of the top five best cast iron melting pots.

Cuisinart CBP-300 Cast Iron Melting Pot and Basting Brush

If you’re planning on using your new cast iron melting pot mostly for basting, the Cuisinart CBP-300 Cast Iron Melting Pot and Basting Brush may be perfect for you. It comes with a convenient brush for basting that won’t damage the cast iron, and the nesting handle is designed to hold the handle of the brush and allow excess sauce to drip back into the pot. It’s a good size for a smaller melting pot, but it isn’t too heavy to be functional, either.

One of the main appeals of using cast iron for melting pots is how well cast iron retains heat: it’s perfect for going low and slow without burning anything, and it will keep that even warm temperature for extended periods. The mop-style basting brush is perfect for spreading sauces evenly across your food. This is a great option for grilling, barbecuing, and general outdoor cooking.

Lodge Melting Pot with Basting Brush and Grilling Recipe Book

The Lodge Melting Pot with Basting Brush and Grilling Recipe Book comes with a silicone basting brush with a removable silicone head for easy cleaning. This Lodge cast iron melting pot is pre-seasoned, meaning that you won’t have to go through the process of seasoning before you use it to cook for the first time. It is also wide enough that you can easily scrape out any remaining sauce with a spatula for cast iron.

The vegetable oil used for the pre-seasoning is what gives this melting pot a black patina, having been baked into the cookware itself. The seasoning oil is penetrated deeply into the porous iron before going through an oven at extremely high commercial temperatures, creating the smooth pre-seasoned finish. It also comes with a full recipe booklet, so if you’re at a loss of what to do with your new melting pot, no worries!

HAWOK 3.8 inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Melting Pot

This HAWOK 3.8 inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Melting Pot is both the smallest and most affordable of the bunch, making it ideal for cooking on a budget. At less than 4 inches tall, this cast iron melting pot is perfect for camping, small apartments, RVs, or for cooking on electric cookers. Similar to the Lodge, it’s pre-seasoned with vegetable oil in the foundry, meaning it’s non-stick and less work right out the gate.

This southern mixing pot is exactly what it promises—there aren’t any frills, bells, or whistles, but it’s a solid cast iron melting pot that does exactly what it needs to. It holds about one cup of ingredients, and the small size is perfect for placing directly on a smaller backyard grill so you don’t take up all the space dedicated to your dinner with a large basting pan. This melting pot has a flat bottom instead of an elevated bottom, meaning it’s more stable (important on uneven cooking surfaces) but may burn the contents more easily.

Bull Outdoor Cast Iron Melting Pot w/ Stainless Handle & Basting Brush

The Bull Outdoor Cast Iron Melting Pot w/ Stainless Handle & Basting Brush is a short-handled cast iron sauce pot that can be stored easily in small spaces. Since it’s pre-seasoned, you can go right to work on the grill!

Since the basting brush is stainless steel and silicone, it’s designed to withstand high temperatures, easy to clean, and should last you a long time. The handle is quite short, so you may want to be careful if you’re working in proximity to open flame or hot charcoal. However, you can rest the basting brush in the U-shaped handle to prevent sauce from dripping all over your cooking space.

Lodge MLP3 15oz Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Melting Pot

The Bull Outdoor Cast Iron Melting Pot w/ Stainless Handle & Basting Brush is a great potion if you just want the melting pot, but don’t need a basting brush or recipe book. Safe for oven, stove, and campfire cooking, it has Lodge’s signature pre-seasoning with baked-on vegetable oil for an existing nonstick surface.

The handle has a convenient hole for hanging storage, and either side of the pot has integrated spouts for pouring so that you’re much less likely to get sauce spills. This southern mixing pot can hold 15 ounces of sauce, so it’s perfect sauces for your average family dinner.

Features to Consider for the Best Cast Iron Melting Pot

As you can see from these cast iron melting pot reviews, there are a lot of different options you can choose from. It can be difficult to know which one is best for you, so you should consider the different features that you can find in these pots.

Extra Supplies

Some of the best cast iron melting pots come with freebies, which can be great if it’s something you would already need! These include basting brushes, recipe books, lids, and more. When weighing the pros and cons of each melting pot, keep in mind if it comes with something you would have to buy anyways and factor it into the price.

Flat vs Elevated Bottom

Often, sauce pans and melting pots have an elevated bottom to lift the ingredients slightly from the heat source and prevent burning. While this is great for simmering sauces, it can be more unstable and prone to spilling because of the uneven foundation. Especially if you’re cooking on a less-than-even surface, it may be better to find a flat-bottom melting pot and just keep an eye on your sauces to ensure they don’t burn.

Handle Holds Brushes

Some of the best cast iron melting pots come with a handle that is shaped to hold a basting brush. This is extremely convenient while you’re camping and don’t have a convenient place to put your brush. When the brush is resting in the handle, the brush head is over the pot, and the sauce can drip freely back into the pot, ensuring mess-free cooking.

Pre-Seasoned or Not?

Some cast iron comes pre-seasoned, saving one step for you! With pre-seasoned skillets, generally you just wipe it down (in cast it has dust from the warehouse and shipping process), rinse it off with warm water, and start cooking! If you have any allergies, make sure you check what oil the pan is pre-seasoned with. While most cast irons are pre-seasoned with vegetable oil, some use peanut oil which would be bad if you have a nut allergy!

For skillets that aren’t seasoned yet, you’ll just have to follow a quick seasoning process and you’ll be ready to go.

Oven-Safe

Cast iron is oven safe as long as there is no additional plastic, rubber, or other low melting point material as any component of the pot. All the best cast iron melting pots are safe to put directly into your oven, on a barbecue, or even over a direct fire. Just make sure you don’t accidentally leave your basting brush in there. Off the top of my head, I’m not sure what you would need to put a southern mixing pot in the oven for, but it’s good to keep your options open!

Benefits of Using Cast Iron Melting Pots

Cast iron is extremely popular among campers for its durability. From cast iron griddles to cast iron teapots, there is a wide variety of cast iron products that you can find. So what are the benefits of having the best cast iron melting pot?

Great for Baking

While the best cast iron sauces pans are frequently used for grilling and barbecuing, they’re a great option for baking as well, especially if you’re only baking something small and don’t need a large cast iron baking pan.

Many recipes, especially once you get to more complicated pastries and creams, require melted butter, scalded milk, melted chocolate, and other carefully heated ingredients that you don’t want to burn. A cast iron melting pot with an elevated base is a perfect option for this kind of heating and melting. You could actually toss it in the oven if you need to, as well. On top of these uses, they’re also great for fondue and candy, so you can get really creative with dinner parties or a fun evening with your kids!

Cast Iron Distributes Heat Evenly

One of the biggest appeals of cast iron is how evenly it distributed heat. Though cast iron often takes longer to heat up and cool down than other materials, it won’t get pesky hot spots like cast aluminum and traditional nonstick. The more even heat helps maintain temperatures over extended periods and prevent burning.

Heat Safe

Because it’s cast iron, it can sit directly on your grill when grilling or barbecuing. You can set your southern mixing pot down right on over the charcoal next to your meats and veggies for easy access when it comes time to baste or add sauces. Or use it to warm syrup while making griddle pancakes!

Easy to Carry

If you’re going camping, you don’t want to load your pack with a bunch of heavy cast iron cookware that will weigh you down. If you foresee yourself making sauces, bringing a cast iron melting pot will help save a lot of space in your pack compared to using a huge cast iron pot and cast iron wok for both your meal and your sauce.

Many Quality Brands to Choose From

In the world of cast iron cooking, there are a lot of brands that have been around for a long time and are known for selling quality cast iron cookware.

Lodge is one of the most well-known, but you can also get cast iron melting pots from Finex and Tramontina

. No matter which brand you choose, you can rest assured you’re getting a high-quality piece of cast iron cookware.

Precautions of Using Cast Iron Melting Pots

Cast iron isn’t like your average stainless steel or nonstick kitchenware, so you need to know how to treat it before you buy it, whether you’re looking at one of these southern mixing pots or a cast iron skillet. Here are some things to remember when you’re looking at cast iron products.

Not Dishwasher Safe

The first rule of cast iron cookware is to never put it in the dishwasher. Cast iron is extremely prone to corrosion and rusting, which is why seasoning is so important. To ensure that your cast iron lasts the decades it’s meant to, never put it in the dishwasher or leave it in or near water. Minimal dish soap (if any) is preferred, just water and scraping off any food before seasoning keeps the cast iron clean and healthy.

Must Be Seasoned Before Use

Even though many cast iron melting pots come pre-seasoned, there are often still instructions provided on hot to ensure the seasoning lasts for a long time. Often, you have to gently wash and then heat the pot and let it cool before ever using it, so make sure that you double-check the instructions! Not doing so could greatly shorten the life of your melting pot.

For completely fresh cast iron, the seasoning process is fairly simple. It involves cleaning the cast iron, drying it thoroughly, coating it with oil, heating it up, and letting it cool back down. There are a variety of seasoning methods and oils you can use, but comes down to what fits your budget and schedule in taking care of your cast iron. You can go premium with grapeseed or flaxseed oil, or keep your budget tight with vegetable oil and olive oil.

Conclusion

Of all the great products we got to look at for these cast iron melting pot reviews, there was no doubt that the Cuisinart CBP-300 Cast Iron Melting Pot and Basting Brush is the best cast iron melting pot. This sturdy little melting pot is a great size for the price, and the mop-style head is perfect for basting barbecue on the grill. The elevated pot base will help prevent your sauces from burning while over direct heat, and the long handle being designed to take overflow is a great addition.

No matter which cast iron melting pot you decide to add to your cookware collection, I hope it does everything you need and last for decades to come!

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