Stick with nonstick for pancakes and eggs

Yes. For pancakes and eggs, nonstick is the better choice.

Cast iron is great for searing steaks or making cornbread, but delicate breakfast foods stick to it if you aren’t careful. You need a well-seasoned pan and enough fat (butter or oil) to keep things from bonding. Even then, you’ll sometimes get a stuck egg or a pancake that tears. With a good nonstick griddle, you can cook with less butter and zero worry.

Nonstick also heats up faster and more evenly on a gas stove. Cast iron takes a few minutes to get to temp and can have hot spots. That’s fine for a burger, annoying for a batch of pancakes.

If you already have the cast iron and want to save money, you can make it work—just use butter and keep the heat medium-low. But if you’re buying new, get a quality nonstick griddle (something with a thick base, not the flimsy ones). It’ll last a couple years, then you replace it.

Cast iron is a lifetime tool. But for the easiest Sunday morning pancakes, let yourself have the nonstick.