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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quite Simply, the Best Cast Iron Skillet Made, May 13, 2008
This is a superior item. I have had a few cast iron pieces before and was always looking for one that would solve a few of my hang ups. Namely: The handles get too hot and they look like an item from an old western camp cook out.
I have always loved my cast iron iron cookware, they are virtually indestructable, cook evenly and clean up is a snap. I have had a 12" skillet for 5 years and used it about 2-5 times a week, every week for those 5 years. Very heavy usage because of the reasons stated above. That skillet was seasoned to perfection. Eggs would slide off of it like they were cooked on glass. My only hang up was that I was constantly burning my hand on the handles, and those of you how have experience with cast iron know that the hot handles are unforgiving when you pick one up after it has been on the stove top. Unforgiving indeed.
My girlfriend has a complete set of Calphalon cookware. It's great looking in our modern style kitchen and preforms okay. The heat distribution isnt as even as my cast iron and I hate the fact that I have to use specific tools (non metallic) that wont damage the non stick surface. Once the non stick surface is scratched the $150 Calphalon pan is ruined.
I saw this skillet online and decided to give it a try. This skillet seems to solve all my problems. It looks as great as my girlfriends pricey Calphalon and it preforms to prefection. I opened the package, which was substantial for protecting the pan during shipping, the pan arrived in mint condition. I immediately loved the look and weight of the pan. Lighter than my old 12" skillet. However, the look and weight are more for my vanity, but I bought it to cook food better not jsut sit on my stove top looking great, the preformance would be the real test. My eyes glazed over as I got the idea of frying up some eggs or maybe a burger right then. I rinsed it off (and towel dryed it) and turned toward my fridge for something to try it out with. What to do, what to do?....ah, BACON. Perfect, I wanted the first test to be on a fatty food to aid in the seasoning. On the first 4 strips went. I have to say, I thought the pre-seasoning was a gimic and that I would have to season the pan myself. The bacon didnt stick at all, even before the fat sizzled up. The heat was even and it cooked as well as any cast iron does. Perfection. My next 4 strips went on. Everything is perfect, I can use any tongs I have including my easy to grip metal ones. Cast iron is virtually indestructable. It's doing great! As I was distracted over the brillance of my beautiul yet functional new toy, I reached down to move the pan off the burner without thinking that it was hot (I make this mistake all too often), in the instant that my hand closed on the handle, I thought, "Oops, this is going to hurt". But low and behold, the steel handle was actually still room tempature after doing 8 strips of bacon. So was the assist handle on the other side. I have since found that it stays cool to enough to touch through out alnost all of my stovetop applications (it does heatup in the oven though as one would expect).
I have found a true heirloom piece.
I have since used it enough that the seasoning has built up even more and it is just about where my 5 year old workhorse skillet was before I retired it to camping duty. The eggs are starting to roll off my new skillet like glass.
It cleans only with water and a dedicated non-soap scrubber. It cleans easier than any pan I have and looks like new (except for the seasoned inner surface). I also wipe it down with salt and olive oil every so often.
My friends and relatives envy the pan whenever they visit. So, it also solved another problem of mine, what to get my loved ones for holiday gifts.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing performance well worth the extra effort & cost, September 13, 2008
After doing a ton of research on this site and others I finally ordered this beast and waited for its arrival. Straight out of the box I had great results (see below) and have nothing but positive things to say about this tool.
Cooking:
A bit of reading suggested that the first things cooked in these skillets are important, and so I planed to start off with some thick cut pork chops cooked up in plenty of oil in order to add to the manufacturer's seasoning - for more on that go to the Lodge website - http://www.lodgemfg.com/signature-series.asp - regardless of what other reviewers say on this site, it's not 'sprayed on' and shouldn't be able to peal or crack. The point of cast iron is that if the seasoning fails (sounds like she got a bum item and should have had it replaced!) it's VERY simple to reseal it. Back to the pork chops - as with others just starting out, I had some sticking, but very little - see clean up below.
I followed this meal with a fry up of some chicken thighs - again I had a slight bit of sticking but that might be because I put them in too cold. The key with this skillet is that it's heavy enough to hold the heat without being overly so, as are so many short handled 100% cast iron alternatives.
Both of these meals were nicely seared on the outside (possible due to the high heat maintained by the iron) and cooked nice and evenly all the way through...I'd turned down the heat to get the heat all the way through the meat, and the skillet held the high heat brilliantly while slowly cooling down to the medium flame.
Since these first two dishes I've had very, very little sticking through cooking burgers, 3 pounds of onions, 5 pounds of beef short ribs, and no sticking on a huge corn bread - just to name a few.
I was looking for an cost effective, AMERICAN made to the fro-fro European 'cost a lot but aren't any better' skillets and fry pans that you see out there. To be effective at the 12 inch size a pan is going to have to have some weight, otherwise the heat will not be held and go right through the pan into the food - in a not-too-even way. This seems to be the answer to my cooking prayers and my sense is that it's only going to get better over time.
Clean up:
Make no mistake, this skillet requires a bit of commitment - maybe it's better for folks with a 'married' mindset, rather than the buy it and toss it crew. IF you want a disposable fryer that you can put in the dishwasher and/or that food just FALLS off right out the box than I might suggest a Swiss Diamond (if you can beyond the silly Teflon 'controversy'). But if you're looking for a long-term commitment that is going to get better over time and provide YEARS of pleasurable cooking this is for you.
I bough a pot brush from Target along with the skillet and that's been working like a charm - food doesn't really stick to the skillet, instead it gets kinda 'associated' on there until I come along with a brisk circular motion with the brush, and it's gone. I've read (Cook's Illustrated and otherwise) that a nice warm cook up with salty water and then a good brushing will clean ANYTHING from these bad boys - thankfully I haven't had to do that.
The key is to clean it without ruining the seasoning, but that's been no trouble for me so far.
In the end, I really like the scrubbing - it's a work/reward balance here that marks a good fulfilling relationship. But I might be overstating the effort to clean my skillet, it really isn't hard!
A last thought - I live in an NYC apartment and keep mine in the oven - always dry it and wipe it down with a spot of oil before putting it away.
Materials & Design:
I went for the signature version because I had read that the handle stays much cooler than the short stubby all iron alternatives - and so far I've been very well pleased in this department. The helper handle is also super helpful (and well named) but mine gets pretty hot, so be aware of that. I wouldn't call that a disadvantage though, because it's there; without the helper this wouldn't be nearly as well designed.
I really like the contrast of iron and stainless steel - and even my wife who thinks this thing is a beast (6 pounds is not that heavy!) freely admits that it's handsome.
Overall:
Performs well when cooking -
cleans up with only a little effort -
Go for it, make the commitment and reap the rewards!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
These are beautiful.., August 24, 2009
Mama Mia.. this set is truly beautiful. Outstanding craftsmanship, lovely to clean up and cooks wonderfully! I became increasingly discouraged when I would attempt to pan fry steaks or evenLodge Cast-Iron 12" Skillet - Black to brown a pot roast. I am back to basics and am loving it.
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