Lodge 20.32 cm / 8 inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Round Skillet / Frying Pan

Typical Lodge quality: this is almost a piece of art. Pre-seasoned, all it needs is a hot rinse and a wipe with oil before first use. Pan and handle are a single casting, so no rivets or machine screws to work loose. It takes a little longer to reach temperature than steel or aluminium, and the handle can get uncomfortably hot -- although you quickly learn to anticipate that. Works well with any heat source (apart from microwave, obviously) and I like that it's at home in a charcoal barbecue. Cleaning is a breeze -- just a hot rinse, maybe a short soak, dry and wipe with cooking oil. In just over a week it has built up a nice patina of super-non-stickiness. Nice. Just be sure to avoid using metal utensils, aggressive scourers, or any detergent.

This is an absolutely fabulous product. It was very, very expensive is the only downside. But I know it was imported from the US which can be a very expensive proposition. We are from the US but have lived in the UK for decades. I've had various secondhand cast iron skillets and they've all worked well. But the oldtime ones I had were smooth surfaced and were already preseasoned - one was secondhand from my own home and the other from a charity shop. The one from my home split spectacularly over the hob flame! (This was aboujt 30 years ago). The 2d hand one works just beautifully. However we really needed a bigger one specifically for husband to make his excellent southern-fried chicken. We buy good quality organic free range chicken now and they all seem to be very big! So I bought this one as an early birthday present. I had read reviews of the new type of 'preseasoned' ones with bumpy surface and wasn't sure how I felt, thought most reviews were favourable. After a recent disastrous frying of a large chicken in a non-nonstick stainless pan, very big and great for lots of things but not for this, I decided to take the plunge. It works like a dream, seems to be more or less nonstick though not because it has teflon surface. We are really happy with ouir purchase, expensive thought it has been .

I haven't used this pan enough to give it 5 stars but can report back on my findings so far. My reason for purchasing cast iron was, after much research it seemed like the safest option - I've been looking to get rid of my potentially toxic non stick pans for some time, The first thing I did when it arrived was to give it a quick scrub under running water then seasoned it twice using coconut oil. Seasoning is very easy - there's plenty of videos & advice online. I was impressed with the quality of the pan & the weigh is reassuring! The first item I cooked was salmon. I melted some butter with a hint of olive oil & once nice and hot, placed the salmon fillet in the pan. I left it skin side up for a few mins, then flipped it over. There was slight sticking but the fillet remained in tact. Once the other side had cooked for a few mins I popped it in the oven for around 5 mins. The salmon was beautifully cooked & tasted great. There was a bit of residue left in the pan which disappeared with a gentle scrub under hot running water. When the pan was completely clean I simply wiped it with a tiny bit of oil & put it away. The next item to be cooked was scrambled eggs - the eggs cooked beautifully but there was quite a bit of sticking which did require a hard scrub to remove. From my research (which I hope is correct), the more I use the pan the greater the non stick properties will be. Overall I believe this to be a good purchase... I will keep seasoning it regularly until happy with the non stick!

These are great pans, please ignore the low ratings as these have been given by people wno don't know how to treat cast iron. To get the best out of it when you first get it give it a good scrub in hot soapy water the factory seasoning is OK but not great so we will see to that next (this should be the only time you use soap). Next dry it and coat the whole thing in a thin layer of either vegetable shorting or rapeseed oil then cook it in the oven upside down for at least a hour, repeat as many times as you like the more you do the better the non stick of the coating. (Any more than 5 times is probably overkill) After use while it's still warm for light soiling just wipe it out with a paper towel, medium soiling add a bit of salt and scrub it with a paper towel make sure to remove all salt. Heavey soiling under hot water use a plastic scraper or chain mail scrubber. Then dry and heat the pan and coat with a thin layer all over then heat till it smokes and that's it let it cool and put it away.

I find it as good as my equivalent size le Creuset skillet; this pan is possibly more non-stick for delicate foods. This is a very small, deep pan - it cooks even delicate foods like eggs/ omelette beautifully without sticking as long as the pan is hot before adding eggs (same principle for fish). I like cast iron as it can compensate for my gas hob that doesn't heat well. The pre-seasoning is good; the handle gets very hot so you definitely need good oven mitts or a silicone handle cover. Care is minimal (quick wash and dry or rub with cloth) but essential to do immediately after use or the pan may rust (and never soak, or leave wet or on a wet surface or you'll have rust stains everywhere!). Having said that, even bad rust in a cast iron pan is relatively easy to remedy with vinegar and steel wool (lots of youtube clips!). It's useful to season cast iron every now and again (a couple of times a year), which is a very simple task: clean well (with steel wool or an abrasive if necessary), rub inside and out with grapeseed/soy/sunflower oil, bake for half an hour at 225 C/450F, turn off oven and leave to cool. Rub off any excess oil and store in a dry place. Successive seasonings (3-4 over a few days) certainly improve non-stick properties in cast iron cookware, but I find that they generally aren't necessary with this brand.

So I originally decided to buy this pan as an alternative to a pan with a ceramic coating which usually has some carcenagenic producing properties. After researching the company & scouring the previous reviews I decided to go ahead & buy it with the knowledge of recognising that washing the pan carefully & seasoning it (according to the instructions provided). Unfortunately I find the usage of this pan pretty taxing. Almost everything gets stuck to it, also I have found when cooking vegetables the black coating can rub off on to the veg which doesn’t look appetising whatsoever. I tend to use the pan now for things which require the whole thing to go into the oven (i.e. roasting bones, making a gravey or using it to thicken sauces up). Please remember to use an oven glove because it obviously can get VERY HOT!!! The postage & delivery was great but not what I had hoped for...

Very heavy and pre seasoned frying pan, just perfect to cook for one. Gran used to have one, and cooked two eggs at a time and bacon and sausages for one person at a time as they came down to eat. The rest of the time while cooking large family meals she used her much lighter pots and pans. I always thought I should really have cast iron too for the health benefits, but the cost and the weight put me off, until I decided to follow family tradition. The big 16 inch versions they recommend in some cookbooks just leave me wondering if these people are weight lifters, especially taking into account the fact that these pans need serious muscle to lift while empty. So, this small pan will suit me just fine and there'll be no strained wrists and food ending up on the kitchen floor. I particularly like the fact that they are pre seasoned after going through the entire routine with small corrugated grill pans I brought back from holiday when weight was generally ignored by airlines, and before they sold them here. It takes iron a while to mature, so plenty of oil is needed at first or things will stick before they settle down to become the best pans you have. I now only use stainless steel and very rarely use my non stick collection as the coating comes off very easily if you forget and pick up the wrong spoon or stuff gets burnt and then sticks to the bottom taking off the costing with it. Happens with every cook, even those with decades of experience, so I never believe those who say it would never happen in their kitchen. So, remarkably good value for a very solid cast iron pan, the famous French versions would add another £100 to the price, and just the right weight for me to manage comfortably enough without strain, and ideal to cook for one, or two small portions.

Massive pan, absolutely lovely, the only thing is you have to use 2 burners, so big