Thick cast iron for deep frying, always

Thick cast iron retains heat much better than thin for deep frying.

Here’s the deal: deep frying is all about temperature stability. Drop a batch of cold chicken into hot oil, and the oil temp plummets. A thin skillet can’t hold enough heat to recover quickly. You get soggy food and inconsistent results. A thick skillet has more thermal mass — it stores more heat energy and releases it slowly. Your oil stays closer to the target temp, even when you add food.

Thin cast iron heats up faster and weighs less, but that’s a trade-off you don’t want for frying.