Smithey No. 14 Dual Handle Skillet vs Round Roaster: Which Large Pan Fits Your Cooking Needs?

Quick Answer

For most home cooks, the No. 14 Dual Handle Skillet offers more everyday versatility, while the Round Roaster is better for deep, oven-heavy dishes and high-volume roasting. Choose based on whether you prioritize stovetop searing and serving or batch cooking and moisture retention.

When you need a large cast iron pan, Smithey offers two compelling options: the No. 14 Dual Handle Skillet and the Round Roaster. Both are built to last, but they serve different cooking styles. The skillet excels at high-heat searing and moves easily from stovetop to table, while the roaster provides depth for braises, roasts, and batch cooking.

In this comparison, we’ll break down the key differences—capacity, shape, handle design, and best-use scenarios—so you can choose the pan that truly fits how you cook.

Shape and Capacity: Skillet vs Roaster

The No. 14 Dual Handle Skillet features a wide, shallow cooking surface with slightly sloped sides, making it ideal for searing multiple steaks, sautéing vegetables, or baking a large cornbread. Its large surface area allows food to make direct contact with the hot iron, promoting even browning and crust formation.

The Round Roaster, in contrast, has deeper, straighter sides that increase volume and help retain moisture during long cooking. It’s better suited for pot roasts, whole chickens, or braised dishes where liquid and steam play a key role. The deeper walls also reduce splatter on the stovetop.

• Consider the No. 14 Skillet if you prioritize surface area for searing and frying.
• Choose the Round Roaster if you regularly cook moist, slow-cooked meals or need extra depth.

Handling and Serving: Dual Handles Matter

Both pans feature dual handles, but their placement and design differ. The No. 14 Dual Handle Skillet has two handles crafted for a natural, comfortable grip, making it easy for two people to carry a heavy, full pan from stovetop to table. This makes it a stylish serving piece for family-style meals.

The Round Roaster also has dual handles, but its deeper, heavier build means you’ll more often use oven mitts and a two-handled grip. The handles are designed for secure lifting, but the roaster is less likely to be brought to the table as a serving vessel due to its size and depth.

• For serving directly from the pan, the No. 14 Skillet wins on convenience.
• For oven-to-stovetop cooking, the Round Roaster’s handles are equally secure but the pan is heavier.

Cooking Performance and Versatility

The No. 14 Skillet, with its polished interior, is naturally non-stick and easy to clean. It performs beautifully on any heat source, including induction, and can go from stovetop to oven. Its shallow profile makes it less ideal for dishes with a lot of liquid, but it excels at anything that benefits from direct heat.

The Round Roaster, also featuring a polished interior, is designed for moist-heat cooking. Its depth allows for braising, stewing, and roasting with less evaporation. It’s also a great choice for baking bread or making large batches of casseroles. However, its size and weight may make it less practical for everyday stovetop tasks like frying eggs.

• The No. 14 Skillet is more versatile for daily cooking tasks.
• The Round Roaster is specialized for large, moist-heat dishes.

Trade-offs at a Glance

• Surface Area vs Depth: No. 14 Skillet offers more flat cooking space for searing; Round Roaster provides depth for braising and roasting. Choose based on your primary cooking method.
• Everyday Versatility vs Specialized Use: Skillet handles a wider range of daily tasks; Roaster excels in moist-heat, large-batch cooking. If you want one pan for everything, the skillet is more flexible.
• Serving Style vs Storage: Skillet is easier to bring to the table; Roaster’s depth and weight may be less convenient for serving. Consider how you like to present meals.

Product Facts

• No. 14 Skillet: Reflecting our iconic cast iron skillet design, the No. 14 has a larger surface area, so you can go from searing multiple cuts of steak to sautéing a dinner’s worth of vegetables. From oven to grill or stovetop to campfire, you can rest assured that this extra-large skillet will become your go-to vessel for large quantity cooking. Complete with Smithey’s signature polished interior finish, the No. 14, when seasoned, becomes naturally non-stick. This means the No. 14 Skillet is built for high-heat, dry cooking methods and can handle a variety of tasks across different heat sources.
• No. 12 Dual Handle Skillet: We designed the No. 12 Dual Handle Skillet as a variation of our best-selling No. 12 Traditional Skillet. With two handles crafted for a natural, comfortable grip, this piece makes carrying meals from stovetop to table simple and secure. We've also opened the wall angle of the pan slightly to provide additional capacity and better access to the cooking surface. Carefully crafted with Smithey’s pledge to exceptional... This shows Smithey's design philosophy for dual-handle pans: easy carrying and improved access, which applies to the larger No. 14 Dual Handle Skillet as well.

Which Pan Should You Choose?

Best for

• Home cooks who frequently sear, fry, or sauté large quantities and want a pan that goes from stovetop to oven to table.
• Those who prefer a versatile, everyday large skillet for family meals and entertaining.

Not for

• If you mostly cook braises, stews, or whole roasts with liquid, the Round Roaster’s depth will serve you better.
• If storage space is tight, the roaster’s taller profile may be harder to store.

Both the No. 14 Dual Handle Skillet and the Round Roaster are exceptional large cast iron pans. The skillet is the better all-rounder for high-heat cooking and serving, while the roaster is the specialist for moist, slow-cooked dishes. Assess your cooking habits, storage, and serving preferences, and you’ll pick the pan that earns a permanent place on your stovetop.