Iron Flux (broil.top) does one thing: it turns home-kitchen cast-iron cooking into runs somebody else can repeat. There is no "sear until golden" language here. Every entry states the pan, the burner setting, the surface temperature read with an infrared gun, the oil and its smoke point, how long the browning took, the flip rhythm, and a stick index.
What is on the bench
- Searing runs: each record keeps the same five parts — abstract, variables, process, observations, conclusion — plus a table of instrument readings. The variables section separates the one thing being tested from everything else that was locked down.
- Parameter dials: the pan / heat / oil dials on the left filter the grid on the right live and re-sort it by how well each run matches, so you can start from the pan and burner you actually own.
- Glossary: Maillard reaction, smoke point, polymerization, thermal shock, heat capacity — explained in a sentence or two, each linked back to the runs that use it.
- Care track: seasoning, cleaning, stripping and rebuilding, rust, heat and cooktop, storage — the problems that actually decide how long a pan lasts.
Method
All temperatures come from the same infrared thermometer, aimed at the centre of the cooking surface about 2 cm in from the rim. Heat sources are a domestic gas hob (4.2 kW outer ring) and an 1800 W induction zone; each record names the one used. Times come from a kitchen timer to the second. The stick index is our own five-point scale: 1 means the food released itself with almost no residue, 5 means it had to be pried off and left a film behind.
Who writes this
The Skillet Desk is the editorial desk behind Iron Flux; it maintains the bench and signs every record. The pans in rotation are bare cast-iron skillets in 8, 10 and 12 inch, a ridged grill pan, a flat griddle, a Dutch oven and a braiser, all ordinary retail models. No manufacturer sponsors the site and there are no affiliate links; a brand name appears only when the specification matters to the result.
Corrections
If a run does not reproduce on your stove, write in with the pan, the burner and the measured temperature. A run that turns out to be wrong gets rewritten and stamped with an update date on the page.