Lodge Logic 10-1/4-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet Reviews

• My new favorite pan

  
  By A26RNXBY42VYH4 on 2003-02-14
  After waiting a month to get the thing because it was back-ordered, I FINALLY got to try out my skillet. I love this thing! Most of my cookware is garden-variety non-stick and hardly suited to things like searing steaks or fajita meat.

  You can run this pan as hot as you dare without hurting it - works great for steaks, and makes an awesome cheese steak. The pre-seasoned coating works as advertised, and the cast iron gives good heat transfer and VERY even heat across the entire pan. I think I'm going to be using this skillet A LOT.

  A handy suggestion regarding cleaning that I stumbled across on another website... be SURE to use a hot pad while doing this! Immediately after cooking, fill the pan with HOT water (not cold; you could crack it!), put it on high heat, and bring the water to a rolling boil... this will lift debris off the pan bottom. Dump the water and immediately wipe dry with a paper towel, set on the (turned-off) burner briefly to dry completely, and wipe the cooking surfaces with oil.

  Another note - want those steaks well-done but juicy? Buy the Lodge Logic 5-qt Dutch oven; the lid fits this skillet! Sear both sides of the steak on medium-high (about 3 min each), then flip, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook as desired, flipping the steak once along the way (about 5 minutes per side for a small, well-done filet mignon). Your cooking times may vary, but the combo of cast-iron skillet for searing and lid to keep things moist while cooking works exquisitely. Brown, not black, outside... and tender inside.
  
  

• Excellent

  
  By A3VYKXHQDICC6 on 2004-01-19
  I have 2 pieces of Lodge cast iron cookware. This one and the 12" un-preseasoned skillet which I conditioned myself. I have to add my voice to the chorus of cast iron admirers who don't know how they ever survived without their Lodges. I do about 80% of my cooking with one or the other. Steaks, burgers, any type of sauteed chicken recipe, stir-fry, fajitas, cornbread, bacon and eggs, pancakes, french toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, and on and on.

  Cast iron's chief strength comes from its massiveness. It is basically a honkin' big hunk of iron formed into a cooking utensil. This large quantity of metal, once heated, will tend to evenly distribute its heat and stay hot no matter what you put into it. Futhermore, once properly conditioned (which Lodge has done for you here), they are almost as non-stick as teflon.

  Unfortunately, cast iron is not without its faults. Its greatest strength may also be its greatest weakness in that it is significantly heavier than other types of cookware. This skillet weighs about 6 lbs. Imagine trying to pick that up, plus the weight of whatever you've cooked in it, with one oven-mitted hand so that you can use a spoon in the other hand to help maneuver your recipe into a serving dish or storage container! If you have weak hands or arthritis or any condition that limits your ability to pick up and manipulate heavy objects, it may not be a good choice for you.

  Also, iron will rust if not maintained correctly. Lodge provides you with use and care instructions which are not complicated or difficult, but which you MUST follow to the letter. Read the instructions carefully when you get your pan. No dishwasher, no soap (just hot water and a stiff brush), dry quickly and coat with cooking oil.

  I've read some reviews where folks are saying that you can't cook tomato-based or acidic products in cast iron. Though it may be true, I've never found an authoritative source to corroborate this and, in fact, Lodge's website (lodgemfg.com) offers recipes that contain tomatoes and acidic ingredients! I regularly put tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine, lemon juice, etc. in my cast iron and haven't seen any ill effects from doing so.

  These pans are so inexpensive, it will cost you very little to give them a try. If you do, you'll be singing their praises with the rest of us!
  
  

• Love this item!!!

  
  By A3IBCS0GF8T04E on 2003-08-26
  I can't say enough good things about the pre-seasoned cast iron. It is especially helpful to people who are new to using cast iron. This is a big skillet and the only drawback is the weight, it is VERY heavy. Once you get used to using cast iron and find out how it retains heat and cooks great, you will love it. I find that cleanup is easy too. After you are done cooking (while it is still hot), fill it half full with water and leave it on the still warm burner & the food will basically cook itself off. If necessary use a brush to loosen anything left on the pan, rinse with hot water (do NOT use soap)and dry. While the pan is still warm from the hot water, smooth a thin layer of shortening over it and wipe off excess with a paper towel. If the pan is still too hot to use my fingers, I use a small toothbrush and rub the shortening on with it. If you are cooking for less than four people, buy the smaller size skillet.
  
  

• A Southern Girl's Dream

  
  By A2AM0KEORPEG1F on 2004-02-20
  I am new to the family of Lodge, but I definitely plan on staying around a while. I was hesitant that the quality of this pan would be poor after checking the price, but I must say I am pleasantly suprised. I bought this pan mainly to make cornbread in and though it is a little large it sure can make one heck of a good pan of cornbread. Growing up in the south I learned quick that cornbread that is actually worth eating must be made with a few simple ingredients: cornmeal, buttermilk, fatback grease, and most importantly, cast iron. Lodge makes the cookware a breeze to use since these pans are pre-seasoned. They're easy to take care of and fairly simple to clean up. I find that just filling it with piping hot water while the pan is still hot removes most of the residue. Anything else can be wiped out with a towel or a sponge, but NO soap. Then just spray with a little vegetable spray while it's still warm and you're all done. You can't ask for easier bakeware. The people at lodge craft their items in a small town in Tennessee. I'd like to think that southerners make the best cast iron, afterall you can't make good cornbread without it.
  
  

• Timeless classic for the modern kitchen

  
  By A2PAM3ZKHGL7T5 on 2007-11-17
  Sorry for the long review - for the short review, count the stars!
  
  I'm a bit of a purist. I always season my cast iron - new, or used (hey, I don't know WHAT someone else used that old piece of cast iron for - maybe cleaning auto parts). I sand it down to bare metal, starting with about an 80 grit and finishing with 200.
  
  Then I season. The end result is a glossy black mirror that puts Teflon to shame. There are two mistakes people make when seasoning - not hot enough, not long enough. These mistakes give the same result - a sticky brown coating that is definitely not non-stick, and the first time they bring any real heat to the pan, clouds of smoke that they neither expected or wanted. I see several complaints here that are completely due to not knowing this.
  
  But there were a few pieces I needed (yes, needed, cast iron isn't about want, it's a need), and this was one of them, so I thought I'd give the Lodge pre-seasoning a try. Ordered last Friday, received this Friday - free shipping, yay!
  
  The first thing I noticed was the bumpy coating. The inside is actually rougher than the outside, and my hand was itching for the sandpaper, but that would have defeated the experiment. This time, I was going to give the Lodge pre-seasoning a chance before I broke out the sandpaper. So I scrubbed the pan out with a plastic brush and a little soapy water, rinsed well, put it on a medium burner, and waited. Cast iron tip number one - give it a little time. Then give it a little more time. Cast iron conducts heat much more slowly than aluminum, so you have to have a little patience.
  
  Then I threw in a pat of butter, and brought out the natural enemy of badly seasoned cast iron - the egg. And, sure enough, it stuck - but not badly, just in the middle. A bit of spatula work and I actually got a passable over-medium egg. Hmmm. But still not good enough. So I cleaned up the pan, and broke out the lard.
  
  I have only one justification for using lard. I don't remember Grandma using refined hand-pressed organic flax oil, or purified extra-virgin olive oil made by real virgins. Nope, it was pretty much animal fat in her iron. A scoop of bacon grease from the mason jar beside the stove and she was ready to cook anything. Grandaddy wouldn't eat a piece of meat that had less than a half-inch of fat around it. "Tastes like a dry old shoe.", he'd declare if it was too lean. In the end, I'm sure their diet killed them, but they ate well in the meantime. Grandaddy was cut down at the tender age of 96, and Grandma lasted till 98. Eat what you want folks - in the end, it's pretty much up to your genetics.
  
  So I warmed up my new pieces, and smeared a very thin layer of lard all over them - use your fingers. Towels, especially paper towels, will shed lint, and lint in your seasoning coat doesn't help things at all. Besides, it's kinda fun.
  
  Here's cast iron tip number two - season at the highest temp you think you'll ever cook at - or higher. If you don't, you won't get the full non-stick thing, and the first time you bring it up to that temp you'll get clouds of smoke from the unfinished seasoning. I put my pieces in a cold oven, and set the temp for an hour at 500 degrees (F, not C). Yeah, I know, Lodge says 350. Lodge doesn't want panicked support calls from people whose house is full of smoke. Crank the heat up.
  
  You have two choices here. You can put a fan in the kitchen window and blow smoke out of your house like the battleship Bismarck under attack by the Royal Navy, or invest in an oxygen mask. You will get smoke. You will get lots of smoke, especially if you're doing several pieces at once, like I just did. This is a good thing - that's smoke that won't be jumping out to surprise you the first time you try to cook with any real heat. The goal is to heat until you don't get smoke, and in my experience, 500 degrees for an hour does that pretty well.
  
  Let the pieces cool in the closed oven. Then re-grease and repeat. And repeat again. And don't glop the fat on. Just enough to coat. More thin layers are better than fewer gloppy layers. I managed four layers last night without my neighbors calling the fire department.
  
  Seems like a lot of work? Look at it this way. It's a lifetime commitment. Treat your iron well, and it will love you right back like you've never been loved before. And this is pretty much a one-time deal, unless you do something silly.
  
  The end result of my all-night smoking up the kitchen exercise? Dry, absolutely no stickiness, black as a coal mine at midnight and shiny - but still bumpy - could it possibly work with that rough surface?
  
  I put the skillet back on a medium burner, put a pat of butter on and tossed in a couple of eggs. After the whites had set a little, I nudged them with a spatula, and they scooted across the pan. I'll be... it works. My wife came back from the store and wanted scrambled eggs. If there's anything that cast iron likes less than fried eggs, it's scrambled. But it was the same thing all over again. No stick. No cleanup. Just a quick hot water rinse with a brush in case something got left on the pan (I couldn't see anything, but hey), then I put it on a med-hi burner till dry, put a thin coat of lard on the pan and waited until I saw smoke for a minute. Let cool and hang up. Done.
  
  So. do I like the bumpy texture of the Lodge pre-season? Nope. Does it work? Yes, and contrary to my misgivings, it works very well. My wife pointed out that even some Teflon cookware has textured patterns in it. The Lodge pre-season isn't a perfect surface out of the box - but it does give you a big head-start. After a night's work, my iron is ready to face anything, and you just can't beat that.
  
  Lodge makes a great product. For the quality, durability, and versatility, you can't beat Lodge cast iron. Plus, it's made in America. I like that. If you've never experienced cast iron cooking, you've just been cheating yourself. Plus, the price, for a piece of lifetime cookware, is insanely cheap.
  
  And my sandpaper is still on the tool shelf.
  
  
  
• Season an iron skillet
  By on 2003-04-05
  To season a cast iron skillet or any other cast iron utensil: 1. Wash and dry. 2. Heat pan until very hot and add a teaspoon of cooking oil. 3. Remove pan from heat and sprinkle a generous amount of table or kosher salt and spread around utensil. 4. Wipe out with paper towels. This is the correct method for seasoning and cleaning a cast iron utensil.
  
  
• Works well, but I don't understand the "Logic"...
  By A2ERK85P6X5I6S on 2005-05-31
  My first Lodge purchase was their square grill pan. I followed the seasoning instructions to the letter, and although I ended up with a properly seasoned pan, I wasn't thrilled with the uneveness or the uncovered spots (the areas where the pan actually touched the oven grate while the shortening was baking on). Over time, the pan has turned out to be a peak performer, and the initial imperfections have been glossed over by a nice shiny black patina. However, a few weeks after my purchase I remained unconvinced, so when it was time to add a regular skillet to my arsenal, I opted to go for their preseasoned "Logic" line.
  
  Performance on this pan has been exactly the same as the unseasoned grill pan...cast iron is really the unsung hero of the kitchen, and at a price point that blows away my Calphalon and All-Clad. On a gas range you can't beat the even heating, heat retention, and fabulous browning. My only complaint with this pan is the Logic "preseasoning", a vegetable oil mix blasted all over the pan and cooked on prior to sale, making it "black" right out of the box. While it does protect the pan from rust, etc., I don't feel that it posesses the same non-stick properties as a properly baked-on finish done over time. Food WILL stick to this. Lodge customer service indicates that their seasoning is only the first step, that the pan will continue to season and get better with age. I haven't found that to be true. I've cooked fried chicken, fajitas, bacon, burgers, and various other meals in this pan and none of the cooking has managed to "add" to the original seasoning, at least not in any noticeable quantity. I even recoated it with melted Crisco and tried baking it in, but it only filmed up on the surface and never really adhered with the pan. On the other hand, my grill pan "Gets better every time" I use it (as the company saying goes).
  
  If you're new to cast iron and want something that's low-maintenance and easy to use right away, I'd recommend this skillet...like I said, it really performs well for such an affordable price. You can vigorously scrub this out after each use, and still have the factory finish left behind. However, if you one day wish to have that shiny black, naturally non-stick finish on your pans, I'd steer clear of this and shop instead for Lodge's "Original Finish" line (which sadly is far outnumbered by the "Lodge Logic" line).
  
  
• Stick (no pun intended) with the Original Lodge Pan !!!
  By A32D3SIQGJX2SV on 2006-08-24
  I am a Big Fan of Lodge Logic Cast Iron Pans so I was expecting this one to be just as good as the "original". I'm sorry to say that I was wrong. Immediately upon inspecting my brand new pre-seasoned pan, I noticed that flakes of the "non-stick" coating had scratched off during transit. I immediately sent it back to Amazon. I know it's supposed to be convenient but if I were you, I would order the "Lodge Original Finish 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet". It's not that hard to season it and it's much, much better than the coating they use on their pre-seasoned pans. Also, a 12-inch is much more useful than the 10.5 inch pan.
  
  
• Be carefull
  By A2G6QFNRFYYWAN on 2004-01-28
  Just bought this pan recently. It is everything the previous reviewers have said. The only negative is that you must be very carefull when using this pan on a glass top electric stove.
  
  
• Iron rules
  By A1O0GLT7QYGN on 2005-09-16
  We threw out our teflon coated skillet and decided to go old school with iron. Having never owned an iron skillet, however, I was skeptical of whether it would require too much additional maintenance/cleaning. Seasoning the skillet with vegetable oil/Crisco to prevent oxidation (rust) is very easy and hasn't required additional treatment aside from the application of a little more oil following cooking and washing. I love how the skillet heats evenly over the whole cooking surface area as opposed to heating only under the burner as you get with aluminum or stanless steel. I was also suprised at how easily it comes clean. The only negative thing I can say about it is that it's heavy and almost unmanageably heavy with the lid on (I have to use two hands to lift it with the lid on. And, by the way, the lid is sold separately). Aside from that, it makes me wonder what's so great about teflon especially when all of the negative effects of teflon are taken into consideration.
  
  
• Old Fashion Southern Cooking
  By A16B6K627U44VT on 2002-11-07
  Every member of my family owns this Skillet. It's takes some practice and start on low to medium heat settings first. This skillet adds deep flavor and texture to all foods. To clean, no soap required, just warm up and add some oil and rub down with paper towels. The best grilled and country style food comes out of this skillet. If you love the taste of southern cooking or even campfire food, this is the skillet to buy and use for a lifetime.
  
  
• Nothing beats it!
  By A2UO159YYWOKSG on 2005-02-04
  There is no other pan that can take high heat on your gas stove, total abuse from your steel spatula, then go straight into the oven for cornbread, next out to your firepit for a couple hours, and all this only makes it better. Only cast iron actually benefits from frequent use. All it asks from you is a little veggie oil and a dry cupboard. I highly recommend the cover that goes with this pan, too.
  
  
• what a beauty!
  By A2SDI48I98LSOK on 2004-12-13
  pan- seared a WHOLE chicken oven roaster in this skillet yesterday and what a beautiful crust it gave that bird!!! Not with any other pan EVER did I get such results. Then I transferred it to the oven, unlike before I would have to transfer into another long baking dish... the chicken would never stay intact and I would have more dirty dishes to wash!
  It was soooooooo delicious! We ate from it till we coldn't eat no more!
  I anticipate cooking in this one everyday.
  This skillet is very generous and I did buy the lid for it, that's another story/review..what another great peice to have after you season that big ol' lid(comes unseasoned). Helper handle is a must cause it's impossible to carry this skillet with one handle(very heavy alone so with food it weighs a ton!), be careful always to cover the handle after the iron gets hot...ouch!
  I gotta say I don't know how the heck I was living without cast iron. It did take me a while to get a hang of the seasoning process because even with those preseasoned peices you still really gotta season it yourself to get that non-stick and glossy surface. So after a few episodes of pooling of seasoning and and trying out different kinds of shortenings and oils and smoke detectors going off, I finally found my own method...I hope you find yours. It's very simple though like I said once you get the hang of it, and the iron just keeps getting better and better and darker and darker. I threw all my non-stick out after all of them warped...and the crazy thing about it is that they were top-of-the-line...triple the cost of iron. I bought them from Macy's, Bloomingdale's ...expensive..make a long story short.
  I love this pot and with some TLC you will love it too and perhaps give it to someone you really, really,really love after 30 years or so!
  
  
• It's all true - this pan is amazing
  By A3I3FYY5N3777A on 2005-07-25
  This pan is totally amazing. I won't repeat what other reviewers said - this pan is really amazing and praises from other reviewers are all true. Just a few extra points:
  
  1. Totally non-stick! It's not 'almost' non-stick, it is 100% non-stick. But, please don't try to fry half-frozen burgers ona brand new pan - the pan needs a few uses to develop non-stick layer. Besides, extremelly cold / frozen food sticks a lot more than room-temperature or slightly cool (refrigerated) food.
  I ordered pre-seasoned pan and re-seasoned it before first use anyway, just to speed up the process. It was 100% non-stick after only a few uses.
  
  2. Food tastes better: everything you fry in this pan will be crisp on the outside, moist on the inside. Perfect pan! Teflon (which is an insulator) can not even compete with these characteristics of cast iron.
  
  3. Healthy: traces of iron get into the food and improve your red blood cell count. If you are anemic - go for non-enameled cast iron. Teflon also gets into your food, but I can't see how that can be healthy for you. In fact teflon is proven carcinogen of 4 types of cancer (reference: www.webmd.com)
  
  4. Cheap - especially if you compare it with teflon pans which you generally replace every year or so (I used to replace teflon pan at the first signs of damage - which is about one year for better brands).
  
  5. Important: cleanup is really very important if you want to have a good pan. And it's also really easy: after you empty your pan, brush it with a stiff brush under running water for a few seconds and you're done. Since the pan is still warm, it'll dry soon and you can oil it with a few drops of oil to have it ready for the next time.
  
  
• not much better than the Original Finish
  By A2D6VOCNGBDVF3 on 2005-12-19
  I got a whole bunch of cast iron skillets and lids from Amazon awhile ago, and overall, I'm pretty happy. If you read the other reviews, they're pretty much consistent. I would like to re-emphasize that these suckers are HEAVY. And since the handles get hot as well, you have to be extra careful to use mitts or the like as much as possible.
  
  I like to use the lid to help drain excess liquid, using one hand to hold the handle of the skillet and the other to push the lid down onto the skillet, but the combined weight of skillet, lid, and food makes it rather difficult to this. Also the consideration of making sure that your skin is not making any contact with the iron pieces makes it even more difficult, especially because you have to use some sort of oven mitt or holder, and therefore your hands are kind of slipping around. I'm not exactly sure why the skillet can't be thinner and therefore lighter and still retain its good properties... Perhaps durability? I don't know.
  
  I got the pre-seasoned as well as the original finish at the same time, and I didn't find the pre-seasoned any better as far as the non-stickiness was concerned. If anything, the pre-seasoned skillet was a little more bumpy on the surface and I had to season it more to get it to be truly non-stick.
  
  But it does look better than the original, with the matte black finish all around the skillet.
  
  Another thing I noticed was that the iron skillet gets super-hot. I melted couple of my spatulas that were fine on other pans, on the same heat setting of my stove... I'm now using a wooden spatula, which also works well for scraping off food residues.
  
  Due to this hotter-than-other-pans consideration, I wondered if I could use another regular frying pan lid instead of the iron lid - or would it crack? Dunno - too scared to try.
  
  Go ahead and get one or two for yourself and see if they're for you. Don't try to "save" money and get $125+ worth at once to get some money off like I did.
  
  
• Cast iron convert
  By A30K26ME4IXTUL on 2006-01-15
  Normally I do not write reviews - but this skillet worked out so good that I felt compelled to write one.
  
  We typically have been using Calphalon Nonstick or Anodized Aluminum or TFal's non-stick skillets. We cook a lot (atleast 5 times a week - 3 or 4 kinds of dishes every time - ranging from simple vegetable stir-fry to extensive chicken and meat preparations). Non-sticks, even with only hand-washing and great care, have been lasting couple of years - anodized aluminum lasts longer but costs a lot more.
  
  Got this skillet on a whim (had a $25 Amazon gift certificate - hence little downside to the decision). When we got it my wife (she's the one who cooks most) wasn't exactly happy - "way too heavy and will this work well ?" That was six months ago - now she and I are solid converts to cast iron. You can cook anything with this one - fantastic even heat distribution (beats my Calphalon Anodized Aluminums hands down - the non-sticks are ofcourse far worse) - nothing burns or remains undercooked - high heat or low simmering heat doesn't matter - and nothing sticks to the skillet (as good as the expensive non-sticks we have) - the food tastes just like my grandma and mom used to make them - and the best part is this Lodge's cast iron cookware costs less than half of my cheapest Calphalon. Also, teflon-coated non-sticks are now suspect because of all the new findings of it being a potential carcinogen (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/28/AR2005062801458.html ) - we've stopped cooking with teflon-coated stuff esp. now that we have cast iron. Maintenance is quite easy too. Use hot water to wash, scrub it with a stiff brush and put a few drops of cooking oil and coat it all around. Not any more labor intensive than the non-sticks and anodized aluminums.
  
  Cook using cast iron and you'll be amazingly surprised!!
  
  
• Wow! What a Skillet!
  By A3TA0AUGECB9RK on 2005-08-10
  I have other cast iron pans passed down to me and this huge pan did not let me down in performance. With its huge 13 1/2 inch size this is a really heavy pan and one who would need to eat their Wheaties before hoisting this pan to cook in. This pan can really take the heat from my Wolf stove without warping and because of its weight, will not dance or slide around on the burner. It has a helper handle which is very helpful especially when it is full. Once the pan reaches tempreture, it will retain its heat thus allowing for a more superior even cooking without hotspots. It allows for the perfect browning and carmalization of meats and vegetables which can then be scraped up with a bit of wine or stock for a deeper richer tasting sauce. This pre seasoned pan is virtually nonstick but a quick spray of non stick cooking spray and foods slide around easily. This is a pan that can go from stovetop to oven without a worry or fuss. Going camping? Perfect pan to use at the campsite from breakfast to after dinner snacks. Cleanup is simple. Just add water to the hot pan and leave it sit while you are enjoying your meal. When it cools anything that is stuck to the bottom just comes off cleanly. If you cook fish in it, I do suggest the most itty bitty drop of dish soap to swish around in it. The best way to dry the pan is to place it back on the burner with the heat on high. When the pan is dry, turn off the heat, add a drop of oil and using either a clean dry dishrag or paper towel, rub the oil on the bottom and sides of the pan, thus "oil drying" it. It will never rust and with use and time it will develop that lovely back color. A great pan that can be passed down for ages to come. Its made of cast iron and you know, it will never wear out.
  
  
• Pre-Seasoned is the Way to Go!!!
  By A3LDQM3GCURG92 on 2005-11-11
  After struggling with a set of three regular cast iron pans from a different manufacturer, I finally boxed them up for Goodwill. I never mastered the seasoning part of cast iron usage. I ended up with a sticky residue and one pan rusted. After about three attempts of scouring and reseasoning, I gave up and ordered three Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned skillets.
  
  It is fanstastic. It worked like a charm with the first use -- no problems with sticking at all. I actually smiled while making my burger! My cornbread was also back up to Southern standards thanks to my 10-inch pan.
  
  The 10-inch works well for cornbread and frying. (Acutally cast iron is the only way to make good cornbread.) I use the 8 for single burgers. The 6 I bought out of habit, but it also works well for single burgers.
  
  Clean up is relatively easy. Wash with hot water; Lodge does not recommend using soap. Dry thoroughly. I then heat mine on the stove top, turn off the heat, add a tablespoon of oil and use a paper towel to spread the oil on the entire pan inside and out. After the pan cools, I wipe away any excess oil and store the pan.
  
  For anyone who wants a head start on leaving heirloom cast iron pans, I strongly suggest this product.
  
  
• Get the Combo cooker instead
  By A1M2T0J45TTE64 on 2007-08-16
  What would make a 10" skillet better? How about a lid that you can use for frying eggs on? How about a lid that's tight enough to make it a dutch oven? How about a pan that's deep enough for deep fat frying. (olive oil of course!) Well Lodge makes just such beast, it's the "Lodge Combo Cooker" Same size, only comes with a lid that doubles as a flat griddle.
  
  If you need a 10" skillet get the combo cooker instead you will be much happier.
  
  
• Fantastic food and easy to clean!
  By A1MXD1XPXXIRZA on 2007-08-19
  I'd always thought cast iron cookware was a thing of the past, but boy, was I wrong! We just purchased this skillet and we love it! I was a little concerned about clean up and care issues, but don't let that scare you away. It is a piece of cake with this pre-seasoned pan. I like to steam some potatoes in my vegetable steamer and just have them hanging around in the frig. Then for breakfast, we throw a few slices of bacon in this pan and watch them cook to perfection. Pour off the extra grease, then add chunked up pre-steamed skin-on spuds and fry them up crispy. Yum! Great breakfast in about 15 minutes, AND--best of all--clean up is a snap. I just put HOT (be sure it's very hot) water in the pan and let it sit while we're eating, and any skins that have stuck to the bottom slide off easily. I swish it out with a rag and hot water (no soap), dry thoroughly, let it sit while I finish cleaning up, then hit it with a quick spray of cooking oil. Done! It's not at all the extra work I'd imagined. Best of all, the food tastes terrific. Know how good camping food tastes? Well you can have that every day at home now. Don't hesitate to buy this, you won't be disappointed! The only downside is your non-stick pans are going to get lonely sitting off in the cupboard, not seeing action any more!
  
  
• They really will outlast you
  By A78E5GX4ZPAVC on 2004-10-26
  Humorous message title from the person above, and it's true. This iron cookware can take on anything, anyday.
  
  Of the Lodge family, I've used the (huge and very heavy) wok and the chicken fryer. The wok I received unseasoned but I found the seasoning process very fun, like a bonding experience, and as long as the oil and the wok are hot enough there is absolutely no sticking. The chicken fryer produced amazing fried chicken. (I read somewhere that cooking bacon the first few times is a great way to break in your ironware.) Anyhow, now I want to buy these skillets, being totally sold on ironware. I love that I don't have to be so careful with them (bye-bye teflon) and unless you really really want to, you can't scratch it (although stainless steel does have some great chracteristics.)
  
  The wok, which I have used almost everyday for almost 2 months, has developed a beautiful, shiny black surface. I take great care of it and it knows no fear right now.
  
  About the tomato/acid comment: I have poured wine, lemon juice, vinegar, tomatoes, etc. in my wok many times and I see no problems. Worst comes to worst, just follow the instructions again.
  
  
• This pan changed my life!
  By AMLQQ3EPOHQC9 on 2006-11-22
  I got this thing, and I started to cook all kinds of stuff. Steaks and fried eggs. Cornbread. My girlfriend insists on using this too, instead of the expensive French nonstick pans we also have. In fact, one of us basically uses this for the main dish, whatever it is, for both breakfast and dinner pretty much every day. After getting worn in, it's easy to clean with hot water and a stiff brush, or even coarse salt and a rag if you are in some manly cowboy type mood. Rinse it, wipe it dry, then put it on a warm burner and apply a thin sheen of oil. At first I was like, "HELL NO" because I pretty much disavowed any kitchenware that couldn't be washed in the dishwasher. But I love this pan, and scrubbing it clean with a stiff brush has become this enjoyable little post-meal ritual, like scruffing a favorite pet behind the ears or something. Don't laugh, I'm serious. I love this pan like I loved the straight-six, all-mechanical carburated engine of my 1978 Datsun 280Z.
  
  
• Great for someone who doesn't do much cooking
  By AXZ4CHP1L44KR on 2004-02-04
  I got this to try to make pancakes, and now I use it for virtually everything (pancakes, omelettes, stirfry, etc). Nothing sticks, and it's super-easy to use and clean. Probably one of my favorite pans, and uber-cheap.
  
  
• The Best Pan Hands Down!
  By A2E4CZRXL2MHTQ on 2005-02-19
  I just got this pan a few days ago, after reading the reviews, which are all true, and I love it! I too bought nonstick pans because I hated the clean up and didn't like things to stick. This pan is very easy to clean and food doesn't stick to it at all, as long as you take care of it properly. I got so tired of buying nonstick pans because even though they have those long warranties, they alway seem to eventually stick, and then be thrown away.. I hate to just keep spending money over and over for new cookware. Now I won't have to. I just made breakfast in this pan, and made the best bacon gravy ever! I never thought a pan could make things taste better until I cooked in this and I swear, you can taste the difference- things have a more intense flavor. If I want to use metal utensils no worries.. this pan is a little bigger than I thought as well.. There are no cons about this pan that I can honestly think about, other than it is heavier than your average skillet, but not too bad. Buy you a couple of pans and get free shipping- now that's a win-win situation!
  
  
• Just got it, but handle Too Small!
  By A3LPAF6QWPFB4U on 2006-09-05
  I used to own a Cast Iron skillet that I seasoned myself. When I left the co-op college house I was in, someone asked if they could have the skillet. I let them have it. But recently, I have been using all Teflon coated pans, and after reading/hearing all of the potential problems Teflon can cause, I decided to try a cast iron skillet again.
  
  The first Logic pan from Amazon arrived with the handle broken off, so I didn't get a chance to pick the pan up properly. (Replacement from Amazon was Simple and Easy! Thanks Amazon)
  
  Now the replacement has arrived, and immediately, I could see - with the handle attached, that it would be too small. And so it is.. I guess they expect you to hold onto this tiny handle, and then grab the other side of the HOT pan which has some sort of mini grip built in. When picking it up, the end of the handle barely hits the far side of my palm. And my hands aren't very large.
  
  I checked the picture online, and sure enough, it does show the handle to be Small.. So buyer beware: it's a heavy pan, with a TINY handle! I guess the designers expect customers to pick up the pan every time using both handles with two hands.
  
  
• Lodge 10- 1/4 inch skillet
  By A2AZ0VOI6PK9P1 on 2005-09-02
  Nice to have a pan I don't have to be concerned with using high heat as I would with teflon coated pans. Good quality and the pre-seasoned skillet is the only way to go. Only wish the pan handle was a little longer, but since it has grip handle on the opposite side it works well as long as you use pot holders.
  
  
• Great skillet - right size and weight for daily use
  By A13YH5DDXMBPPH on 2005-11-06
  I went to a store and looked at both this 10 -1/4 inch skillet and also the 12 inch one. Because of the short handle, the 12 inch one felt really heavy and unweildy to hold with one hand. And if it was scalding hot, that might be pretty scary.
  
  This one (10- 1/4) is much more manageable. It's plenty of room for most tasks - can hold about 4 eggs or 6 strips of bacon with breathing room. I could fit two chicken quarters in there (leg and thigh x 2) with a little breathing room.
  
  For some bigger jobs, I might want the 12 inch, but this is the right one for my daily cooking.
  
  The pre-seasoning is great. I owned a non-seasoned one in the past and it took quite a while to get it seasoned. I washed this one with soap the first time I got it, and then after that I never used soap again. I just scrub off anything stuck (boiling water if needed to loosen it) and then reheat to drive off any water, then coat with a light coating of oil.
  
  I love the way cast iron holds all that heat and doesn't cool down when you add food. I like it a lot better than Teflon.
  
  
• The beginning of a long love
  By AWNYKLAFQPUC1 on 2007-01-15
  I don't remember why I originally bought this. Good reviews, getting back to a simpler lifestyle, was it on sale? I do remember a friend describing the rage she flew into when her roommate soaked her cast-iron skillet in a sink of soap, thereby ruining it. I couldn't imagine a pan that can't be thrown into a dishwasher being something to be proud of, but a few years with this thing has changed my tune.
  
  Sure, some people handwash and press their cloth napkins, but not because it is a chore, but because the ritual of it is part of enjoyment from using the good stuff. Taking pride in a piece of your home that is high quality and lasts for years. This is the sort of thing a good cast iron skillet makes you realize in a day and age of disposable goods.
  
  In a perfect world, we'd all have grandmothers who one day grant us a well-loved perfectly seasoned pan to save us from our initial seasoning errors. Perhaps we've been horrified by the thrift-store abandoned pans covered in orange rust. Luckily, Lodge Logic solves that problem by pre-treating the entire thing before you get it, so you can immediately understand why this material gains a cult-like following. There are a few rules to follow, but they quickly become habit or a zen-like routine.
  - No soap.
  - Scrape or burn off the old stuff. Rinse with warm water.
  - Always dry (I like a still-warm burner to evaporate the water) and smear just enough oil on to make it black and shiny.
  
  Other than that, you'll find fried eggs flip with ease. Steaks get that nice flavorful crust on the edges but cut like butter in the middle. You can blacken salmon and have dinner in 10 minutes flat. You'll buy stainless steel spatulas and find yourself cutting things in the pan while it cooks (usually a death sentence for teflon). You can make the chili on the stove, pour cornbread batter over the top and toss the entire pan into the oven without fear of handles spontaneously combusting.
  
  You'll love it, you'll talk your friends into getting one, and you'll leave that pan out on the stove like a badge of honor shining brighter than a ceiling rack full of glistening copper pots. How many other $10 cooking tools can you say this about?
  
  Just remember to put a few more things on your order to get the free super-saver shipping!
  
  
• Can't go wrong with this skillet
  By on 2004-04-15
  I grew up using cast iron and as an adult in my own home did not have any cast iron pieces. Once I saw the pre-seasoned items here I decided to try them. I have been very pleased with this skillet, especially with the two handles. Cast iron is heavy and it's great having that other little handle to grab. Cooks like a dream and is easy to clean. Soak with some hot water (remember no soap!) and give it a light coating of oil once dry.
  
  
• Lodge lasts forever!
  By A3GA09FYFKL4EY on 2004-12-07
  I'm still using the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet that my mother got for a wedding present in 1954! I give this pre-seasoned version as wedding gifts, housewarming gifts, and to those kids stepping out into their own apartments. Cast Iron is ALWAYS a superior value for the money, and this pre-seasoned version takes the hassle out of "getting it ready to use." Forget expensive wedding registries - buy the bride a Lodge Cast Iron Skillet and Dutch Oven! She'll hand it down to the next generation. A must have for EVERY kitchen
  
  
  

• Cajun Cookware Adjustable Regulator With Hose
• Lodge Logic Indoor/Outdoor Combo Cooker
• Lodge Logic Pro 20-by-10-7/16-Inch Cast-Iron Grill/Griddle
• Lodge Logic 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet
• Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned 10-1/2-Inch Round Griddle

• Lodge Logic 10-1/4-Inch Cast-Iron Lid
• Lodge Logic 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet
• Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned 5-Quart Dutch Oven with Loop Handles
• Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron 8-Inch Skillet
• Lodge Max Temp Handle Mitt, Black