To preface, I'm trying really hard to be a "good cook" but don't have a lot of experience, and I can't justify spending thousands of dollars on a budding hobby. So, when it came to replacing my flaking non-stick cookware, I researched for months before deciding on a hybrid set of copper-core stainless and Lodge cast iron. I read dozens of reviews and was intimidated by the extra care required by cast iron (I'm a wash-and-wear type). But, Lodge is so cheap comparatively and still really respected as an industry standard, that it's hard to overlook.

I initially purchased the combo cooker, a 5qt dutch oven, and a variety of skillets. The cookers arrived in their Lodge packaging and were quite secure, but the skillets definitely were shipped loose. Fortunately they survived the jumbled journey fine, but I can see what other reviewers suffered with regards to skillets scraping each other or breaking out of their boxes - they are only a few steps shy of being insufficiently packaged. Free shipping is a great offer though.

The pieces were just what I expected after having read the reviews - heavy, uneven in color/preseasoning application, and rough like sandpaper. Several reviewers I read were upset by sticking of initial cooking attempts, specifically because of the cat's tongue-like feel of the basin surface (which Lodge's website says is a normal condition). Responders suggested a few home seasonings prior to cooking, but I was impatient and followed one piece of advice spefically: go to my local bulk goods store, buy ten pounds of ground beef, and cook it in my new cast iron. I ended up also getting four pounds of bacon for good measure, and spent three hours cooking batch after batch of ground beef and bacon in every piece I'd purchased.

The plan worked perfectly - by the time I had finished cooking, drained the oil and scraps, rinsed the pieces with hot water, and towel dried, the insides of the skillets were smooth as satin. The beef fat had left a gray film that made the skillets look instantly "used", which is a benefit I'll have to get used to (not being able to polish them back to a "new" looking state). The bacon stained the cooking surface a bit worse - in bacon-shaped shaddows, but I saved the bacon grease and used it for weeks to brush on the pans prior to use. I've cooked on the cast iron many times since (just dislodged a perfect batch of cornbread this morning), without any sticking during or after cooking. The several weeks of bacon grease was unhealthy, sure, but a great patina starter - I now use a spray or a light brush with butter with no problems.

More Pros:
- The skillets keep food hot for more than an hour, but yet are not dangerously hot to handle from the oven or stove. I'm going to purchase the handle pads now, but so far I've been using those old loom-woven potholders I made at summer camp with no added discomfort relative to other pans.
- The skillets are so versatile! I heat them on the stove to melt butter, toss in some whole garlic cloves, pop in the oven to roast, and bring right to the table for a hot appetizer on toast. They have a vintage-y, industrial charm that allows them to mix and match smartly with existing serveware, and I love the stove-to-oven/broiler convenience.
- Food cooked on cast iron really does taste better. I was skeptical because all food tastes good to me, but a few friends and I conducted a "Test Kitchen" on Aebleskiver pans, pitting a teflon against a cast iron. My friends' husbands consistently chose the cast iron-cooked pancake balls citing their crust and flavor to be preferable.
- Lodge designed their lines efficiently. The 10.25" lid fits the 3qt Combo Cooker base, for example, allowing me to purchase one lid for several skillets.

Cons:
- Duh, they're heavy. I'm talking two-hands-heavy. It's a drawback for sure, but nothing's perfect and I know the heaviness is directly related to all the reasons I really like my cast iron.
- They're quirky - cast iron doesn't like soap, doesn't like sudden temperature changes, and likes to stay very dry. But, like good table silver, the more the cast iron is put to use, the more forgiving and less tempermental it becomes.

I'm back to purchase more pieces, because Lodge cast iron has exceeded my expectations and caused me to take a sentimental approach to cooking - how many Thanksgivings will I reach for this dutch oven?, I wonder. A cook with cast iron in his or her hand is at once an intimidating force to be reckoned with, and a comforting vision of timeless domesticity. Thanks to Lodge (and Amazon!), I can live up to that image with few qualifications and little effort.

If you don't know how to cook and are entering the world of cooking (or if you are just a college student, or you live in an apartment the size of a prison cell) this is the set you should have.

Pros:
Inexpensive
Can stop a bullet if you need it to
Can be used as an effective self defense weapon
Can go into any oven, regardless of temp
Brown's like nobody's business
If taken good care of, will be something you can pass down to your grandkids
The combo makes for different cooking configurations (which I'll list below)

Cons:
Heavy
Might rust if you don't know how to take care of it
Takes a while to get to temp
Your wife can't lift it

This is the set I have, this is the set I recommend in my videos on youtube, and this is the set you should have.

First, let's talk about the material, cast iron, the original cookware material is right up there with clay and rock as a solid material to cook on. No need to worry about getting Alzheimer's because you are cooking on aluminum, no need to worry about getting cancer because you are cooking on non-stick, no need to worry about difficulties of cleanup because you are cooking on stainless. When correctly seasoned and cured, it's more non-stick than non-stick pans. My cleanup is all of 10 seconds, with pretty much no heavy scrubbing. Cast iron heats slowly, but heats evenly. There are micro-pores in the metal (because it's casted into shape, thus the name cast iron) the micro pores do a lot. First, when filled with a light amount of oil, the pores get filled up, and then when heated, get carbonized, and so a correctly seasoned pan actually has a layer of almost pure carbon on top, making for a very non-stick surface. Cast iron is ALL IRON, meaning the worst that can happen when you eat food off of cast iron is you get more iron in your diet. No harm, no fowl. Cast Iron can hold up to extreme heats, and so that means on the camp fire straight on the coals is just fine, or in the broiler or in the oven, none of it is a problem for cast iron. Cast iron also browns food; something non-stick pans don't really do. That means steaks and other meats get a nice sear on them, locks in the flavor and browns well to give you a nice crispy outside while holding the moisture in.

This set comes with two pieces; a shallow skillet, and a deep, near dutch oven skillet.

Let me start with the shallow skillet.

The shallow skillet is what you want to wake up in the morning to. Eggs taste A LOT BETTER cooked on this. I usually heat a few pieces of tortilla and a little cheese in the middle, and you got yourself a breakfast quesadilla. Just remember to let the pan heat up, put just a dab of oil, and get a nice quality egg on it. Delicious. I also make toast on it, and of course, heating bacon and sausage.

I also cook steaks on the shallow skillet. It's basically just like any other skillet, only food tastes much better cooked on it.

What about the deep skillet?

Get yourself a oil thermometer, and now it's fryer. We fry chicken, veges, anything you can name in this. Stews and stoups and soups are no problem in this. Want to make a one pot dinner? For 1~2 people? This is perfect. From the stove to the oven, without breaking a sweat.

What about it in combination?

With the shallow skillet on the bottom, I do some of the best chicken in the world in it.

Preheat the oven to 325F. Take two whole chicken legs, get them to room temp, rub a little bit of olive oil between the skin and the meat as well as on the skin. Pour a little bit of old bay in between the skin and the meat, as well as on top of the skin. Cover it up with the deep skillet, into the oven it goes! 1 hour later. PERFECT chicken. The skin as a little bit of crisp, and the meat is juicy and flavorful!

What about in reverse, with the deep skillet on the bottom?

Chop up some hard veges in 1 inch sizes (carrots, onions, celery) toss them in a bit of olive oil and a bit of old bay (yes, old bay makes everything taste great!) throw it into the deep skillet at 325F for 20 minutes and you are done. If you like them soft, leave the lid on, if you like them browned on top, leave the lid off. If you like them in between, cook in the oven for 15 minutes with the lid off, then last 5 minutes, with the lid on.

Cleanup is easy. Most people complain about cast iron because they don't understand that carbonized oil __IS__ the non-stick, so they don't take the time to learn how to take care of cast iron. It's not more work than other pans, in fact, out of all the pans I have, all my cast iron is easier to clean up than my regular plans. They simply are non-stick! Make sure you have a well seasoned patina on it. Do a search and you will find dozens of websites teaching you how to do this. When you cook, make sure the pan is hot, then put oil in, then put in ROOM TEMPERATURE FOOD into it. The biggest mistake I see people making is they take food from the fridge (or worse yet, from the freezer!!) and put it directly into the pan. That's a no-no, by the time it is up to temp, all your food has lost moisture. You want to get every piece of food you are about to cook to room temp before you cook it. Remember, heat your pan for about 5 minutes, pour oil, let it heat for 5~10 seconds, (but don't let it smoke) and the put your food in. If you do that, your pan should be non-stick!

Cleanup? Hot running water, and a stiff brush, 10 seconds, done! Dry it with a paper towel, and then wipe a thin coat of oil on it. That's it!

If you take care of this set, it will take care of you. Great product, highly recommended.