Comal vs Cast Iron Skillet: Which Pan Is Best for You

Comals and cast iron skillets share some qualities; comals differ in that they are specifically a type of Mexican griddle that can either be a clay pan or cast iron pan. Cast iron skillets and comals differ in terms of seasoning and temperature requirements, as well.

As a home cook, keep reading if you’d like to learn more about the similarities and differences between a comal and a cast-iron skillet. We’ll be diving into the advantages and disadvantages of using these two cooking surfaces. Read until the very end to get answers to frequently asked questions about seasoning, cooking temperatures, and other guidelines!

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What Is a Comal?

Comals originated in South America, and these Mexican cooking utensils are traditionally made from natural clay. They work as a griddle, a reheating surface for heating and making homemade tortillas, la Chamba, toasting spices, roasting cacao beans, and roasting certain produce for Mexican cooking. 

What Is a Cast Iron Skillet?

Cast iron skillets come in various shapes and sizes and have multiple uses in the kitchen. They’re not as commonly used for heating or reheating and are more widely used for baking, frying, and grilling. 

Comal vs Cast Iron Skillet

Comals and cast iron skillets vary on more specific levels in terms of what they might be made of, their non-stick qualities, their intended purposes, their design, and more. Consider how they differ on these levels in the following comparison table. 

Features	Comal Pan	Cast Iron Skillet
Material	Clay, cast iron, carbon steel, or other non-stick surfaces	Cast iron
Non-Stick Qualities	Usually come with a non-stick coating, depending on the material	Non-stick when properly seasoned
Intended Purposes	Toasting and heating, specifically for tortillas and Mexican foods	Baking, grilling, frying, and heating of different foods like cornbread, meats, bacon, fried chicken
Design	Round griddle design, low sides, usually smaller than a griddle pan or skillet	Varying sizes, round pan design, taller sides
Cooking Temperatures	About 350 degrees F for clay, about 450 degrees F for cast iron	About 450 degrees F (400-500 degrees F)
Cleaning	Usually, pre-seasoned can benefit from further seasoning with cooking oil	Soapy warm water, steel wool for stubborn particles, rinse, and dry
Seasoning Requirements	Requires seasoning	Usually pre-seasoned can benefit from further seasoning with cooking oil
Durability	Depends upon the comals material. Cast iron lifetime, clay for as long as it survives breakage	It will last a long time with correct cleaning and seasoning
Price	Affordable	Affordable

Material 

While cast iron skillets are heavy cast iron, a comal may be made of cast iron, clay, carbon steel, or some other hard, non-stick cooking material. Cast iron comals are the heaviest, and they have a slightly rough surface to them. 

On the other hand, traditional Mexican comals are authentically made with untreated, natural clay. The benefit of a clay comal is that it has an even and slow heat distribution when cooking. However, clay comals require more seasoning to keep them effectively non-stick. 

Non-Stick Qualities 

One of the reasons that cast iron skillets are lauded is that they are great non-stick cooking surfaces. The catch is that cast iron needs to be thoroughly seasoned with layers of heat-treated cooking oil to be non-stick. 

Comals are not naturally non-stick. Cast iron comals must be oil-seasoned to be non-stick, and clay comals must be cal-water-seasoned to be non-stick. Carbon steel comals are designed to be non-stick, though.

Intended Purposes

Comals are primarily intended for heating and reheating tortillas, but they’re also used to roast chiles and tomatoes and toast different cooking spices. Occasionally, comals will be used to cook meat like carne asada and corn tortillas, but it’s generally meant to be used as a griddle because of the short sides. 

On the other hand, cast iron skillets are made for versatile cooking uses. You can bake certain foods, such as cornbread, with cast iron skillets. You can also fry and sear foods in cast iron skillets, such as steak, fried chicken, pan pizza, bacon, etc. 

Design

The main design difference between comals and cast iron skillets is the siding. A comal is a flat pan griddle, so they don’t require tall sides. Skillets are meant to contain food of varying heights, so cast iron skillets are usually at least 1-2 inches tall. 

Comals are usually round and reach a little under two feet in diameter, with one handle. Cast iron skillets can vary in size (8”, 10”, or 12” usually), but they are typically circular with a handle. 

Cooking Temperatures

Both cookware can withstand high temperatures from a stovetop burner or an open fire, although a cast iron skillet will get hotter.

For example, if you’re using a clay comal to reheat tortillas or toast spices, it only needs to be at about 350 degrees F. Iron pans need to reach at least 400 degrees F, so cast iron comals and cast iron skills should be somewhere between 400-500 degrees F. 

Cast iron gets hot, mitted gloves, cast iron handle covers, and trivets should always be used to protect hands and countertops.

Seasoning Requirements

Some of the best seasoning agents for cast iron include:

• Vegetable oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Avocado oil
• Lard

Remember that these seasoning oils have different smoke points and should be used accordingly to avoid an oven fire.

Deep dive into Best Oil for Seasoning Cast Iron Pan 23 Oils Reviewed.

How to Season Cast Iron

Seasoning cast iron is as simple as thoroughly washing (with hot water) and drying your skillet or comal. Then, using a paper towel, you should coat the cooking surface with a thin layer of oil evenly and buff it out. 

Put the skillet or comal upside down on a center rack in your oven and bake at 375 degrees F for one hour. Put a sheet pan covered with aluminum foil on the rack below it to catch oil drippings. 

Learn how easy it is to season and maintain cast iron cookware in my article How to Season Cast Iron.

How to Season a Comal

You want to use a cal water solution when it comes to seasoning comals made of clay. Cal is a dry lime (carbonate) substance. You’ll add this solution to your comal and spread it around evenly. 

Then, heat the comal until the lime hardens and dries up (but don’t let it burn). Remove the comal from the heat source, let it cool, then rinse it. You can do this several times to get a better seasoning.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Comal vs Cast Iron Skillet

There are pros and cons to cooking with both comals and cast iron skillets. To know which is best for your cooking tasks, you should consider each cooking tool’s comparative purposes and designs. 

Advantages of Comal

Comals have the following advantages for cooking:

• Some of them come naturally non-stick due to the material
• They come in various materials depending on your needs
• Ideal for toasting and roasting spices/ingredients
• They are the traditional, authentic Mexican way to heat tortillas

Disadvantages of Comal

Conversely, there are some downsides to comals when compared to cast iron skillets:

• They don’t have tall sides to contain different types of food
• Clay comals can’t withstand higher temperatures like cast iron can

Advantages of Cast Iron Skillet

Cast iron skillets are very advantageous in the kitchen:

• They are highly versatile and work for baking, grilling, frying, searing, and reheating
• They have tall sides to contain different types of food. 
• They have an effective, non-stick, smooth surface with seasoning. 

Disadvantages of Cast Iron Skillet

Unfortunately, cast iron skillets fall short of comals in the following ways:

• They don’t work as well for griddle cooking
• Certain foods don’t cook well in them (fish, eggs, acidic food, etc.)
• Cast iron is super heavy
• Cast iron takes a while to heat up properly

Quick read if you are after Cast Iron Skillet Substitutes.

Price of a Comal Pans and Cast Iron Skillets

Comals: based on 10-inch-sized pans, a traditionally handcrafted comal pan made from clay can be found for around $40. Cast iron comals prices start from around $20 to $40.00 for a Lodge comal made in the United States. The cheapest comal you will find is the carbon steel comal with prices starting from under $10.

Cast iron skillets: seasoned skillets can be found for as little as $20. A good choice is the Lodge 10-inch skillet made in the USA for around $50. Enameled cast iron skillet prices range from $25 up to $220 for the iconic French Le Creuset brand.

See Latest Comal Pan Prices	See Latest Cast Iron Skillet Prices
Clay Comal Pan	Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
Comal Pan Cast Iron, Round	Enameled Cast Iron Skillet
Lodge Cast Iron Griddle
Carbon Steel Comal

Read about the manufacturers that produce Cookware Made in the USA. You will be surprised at how few there are.

FAQs

Can you use cast iron as a comal?

Since some comals are made of cast iron, you can technically use a cast iron skillet as a comal when necessary. The difference is that comals traditionally have lower sides than cast iron skillets since they’re a type of griddle. So if your cast iron skillet has short sides, you could use it as a type of comal. 

How hot should comal be for tortillas?

When heating tortillas on a cast iron comal griddle, the surface should be at least 400 degrees F, but it will work even better if it’s up to 500 degrees F.

You can test to see if the comal is hot enough and ready to grill tortillas by flicking a few drops of water against it. When the comal is ready, the water should sizzle and evaporate promptly. Clay comals work best at 350 degrees F.

Should I season a comal?

Cast iron comals must be seasoned before cooking with lard or cooking oil. This step should be done before you even heat the comal. If you have a clay comal, seal/season it by heating it at low temperatures before cooking.

You can cure a clay comal to make it non-stick by brushing a calcium dioxide and water solution on its surface to seal the pores.

What should you not cook in cast iron?

Cast iron cookware, including skillets and cast iron comals, are only suitable for cooking certain foods on their flat surface. You should avoid cooking eggs, tomatoes, acidic foods, strong-smelling fish, desserts, pizza, or meats braised in wine on cast iron. Cast iron takes on the flavors of foods cooked in it, so you want to stick to foods without intense odors.

In this article, What Not to Cook in Cast Iron and How to Cook It Anyway, I teach you how to cook the foods that “should supposedly” touch the surface of seasoned cast iron.

Wrapping Up: Comal vs Cast Iron Skillet

After researching comal vs cast iron skillets, we found that the two cooking utensils are mainly different in terms of their intended uses, materials, and heat capacities. Comals are traditional Mexican cooking griddles mainly for heating and reheating certain foods, whereas cast iron skillets work for grilling, baking, and frying. 

Remember their comparative qualities to decide which will work best for your cooking needs. 

One-Pot Cooking Rocks!