Lodge Original Finish 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet

 (88 customer reviews)

I don't know how I survived without a cast iron skillet for as long as I did. Maybe it's because my mother embrased the new-fangled non-stick cookware, and I never learned how useful cast iron could be. Maybe it was because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to take care of cast iron. Or maybe I just thought it would be too much work. Whatever the reason, I should have gone out and tried cast iron years before I did. Have you ever pre-heated a skillet, only to have the temperature drop as soon as you put the food in? You can't get a decent crust on something if you can't keep your cooking surface hot enough. Ever find yourself cooking in a sea of fats and water that rendered out of your meat? A hot cast iron skillet would have sealed in those jucies. When you want to fry, don't you want to fry, not braise?Are you afraid things will stick to the pan without a non-stick coating? Well, part of that sticking you fear comes from not searing fast enough, but one very important thing...Read more

I cannot get over the great value for the money that Lodge provides. This pan is built like an absolute tank. Its heavy weight means that once you get it hot, it STAYS hot, making it outstanding for stir-frying (better than a wok, really) and for searing meats. Also makes decent pancakes. The steady temperature regulation provided by the massive amount of metal in this pan is really great. In addition, cast iron, once used a few times, becomes virtually non-stick. Fancy-brand pans that cook as well as this one cost four times as much.There are minuses to be aware of, inherent in the product's nature. (1) It's extremely heavy. Consider the 10-inch size if that's a problem for you. (2) It will rust (a lot) if you leave it in a wet sink, so you ought not to do that.In short: works like a charm, a great bargain, just know the few weaknesses of cast iron.

I own two Lodge cast iron skillets... a 12-inch one, and a smaller one (6 or 8 inch?) I *adore* them. They are the only skillets I have, in fact; for any bigger jobs that a stock pot won't work for, I use my wok.These skillets can be used for just about anything. Very even heat, dependable. I haven't tried to make crepes in them yet, but I suspect you could. On the stove or in the oven, they just rock. Keep them clean and well seasoned, and you'll have a fantastic tool for decades. Even though the saying goes to never use tomatoes in a cast-iron pan, I have... and it's just fine as long as you don't cook the stuff too long, and clean your pan out well right away once you're done. Clean it out, brush it out with a paper towel to get off the excess moisture, then set it on the stove over heat until it's dry, that's all it needs. The cast iron skillets are wonderful, too.