Lodge Cast Iron 10.25" Skillet with Rosie the Riveter Design

I've been married for almost six years now and have been doing the majority of cooking for about four years. I've owned a few cheap non-stick pans when we were super-poor, bought some decent non-stick pans when times were looking up, some stainless pans that were hand-me downs, and I've replaced them all with a couple Lodge cast iron pans. I managed to destroy a couple non-stick pans by overheating them or scratching them or looking at them funny. I had never used a cast-iron pan but after a little research I realized how nice they can be for not much money. Seriously, this pan cost half the price of some of the "better" pans I had bought.It comes pre-seasoned but I realize that it will take some work and time to get it really well seasoned and truly non stick. The fist couple uses I did nothing but cook bacon, caramelize onions or crisp up tortillas. Nothing too fancy just to get used to it and help break it in. Bacon wanted to stick initially but moving the strips around as I set in helped lubricate it and once the fat started to render out there as no problem with sticking whatsoever. After about 10 or so uses it's much more non-stick than it was and I'm sure it will just get better.What I wasn't prepared for though was how much heat retention this pan has. Once it gets hot it stays hot and for a long time. Food cooks faster because of that. I'm used to putting food in a hot pan and immediately losing a bunch of heat. This thing stays hot and cooks food FAST. I've had to adjust my cooking temperatures and times a little bit to re-adjust. Overall though, with a little bit of re-learning I wouldn't think about cooking with anything else now. I'll probably pick up a second one because it's so cheap and indestructible.

I know there's a gazillion reviews already, but having used Lodge cast iron cookware a gazillion times, I can't resist weighing in. If you're newly getting into cast iron, read a bunch of the negative reviews first ... and discover people who are truly (often innocently) clueless about the preparation, care and usage of timeless cast iron cookware.I have a bunch of Lodge skillets, a griddle, two Dutch ovens and a pot with a self-basting lid which happens to also fit one of my skillets as well as my new chef's skillet. I really wanted a skillet with rounded sides, mostly for an egg and omelette pan. At $15, the LCS3 is a steal, considering I can neither find nor afford vintage Griswold.Like all Lodge, it comes pre-seasoned, which simply means it has a coating of oil that prevents oxidation. This seasoning is not what makes it non-stick. How you cook with it does. Out of the box, I enjoyed the cathartic ritual of baking four more coats of oil onto the seasoning which turned it a lovely, shiny black. Then, I pressed it into service as a non-stick wonder.Some people complain about the "pebbly" texture of the pan, some even testifying that this is the reason food sticks ... wrong. Proper temperature and proper amounts of fats are the keys to cooking non-stick. The "pebbly" texture means nothing. Besides, with continued use, the "pebbly" texture will turn into a smooth-as-silk surface. All my Lodge has been used enough to reach this point (except, of course, this brand new piece.)There are a lot of great videos on Youtube that can teach you how to cook with and care for your cast iron, but I can sum it up in a jiffy. Always preheat your cast iron over medium / low heat first, until it lightly smokes. Lower the heat slightly. Add butter, oil or other fats that are room temperature or cold. Coat the bottom and sides. Add your food and watch it slide around. When finished, rinse with hot water; if you have fond in the pan, scrape with a nylon scraper and rinse away. Dry the cast iron on the stove top burner and then wipe down with a very light coating of oil. You're ready for the next use. (This coating will lightly smoke when it reaches proper temperature, indicating when to add your cooking fats.)Other than the initial wash-down out of the box, I personally do not use soap on my cast iron. Some people do. Avoid cooking with acidic foods and liquids like tomatoes or vinegars or you'll surely be re-seasoning your pan before you know it. Good luck, and good cooking. And remember the chef's maxim: "Hot pan, cold fat."

I finally got serious about cooking my steaks and bought this Lodge cast-iron. As you may already know cast-iron pans require seasoning before use where oil is heated on the iron at such a high temperature that it eventually adheres to the iron itself, providing a non-stick surface that won't peel off like the teflon in non-stick pans.Like you, I read most of the highly rated reviews before buying it, including the one by "joe bob" from Florida. He noted that he cleaned it with a bit of soap before using it and the egg he tested with it stuck. I was worried that the pre-seasoning wouldn't be substantial enough after reading his review and that I'd have to re-season it myself. This wasn't the case. I used a good bit of vegetable oil and cooked an egg on it just fine without sticking. So don't worry! The seasoning on the pan is more than adequate. However, I still use a small non-stick pan for my eggs and the lodge for pretty much everything else because I find it easier to flip my eggs and don't want to use such a big heavy pan for one egg.Since getting the pan I've cooked steaks with a crust that I though I could only get on my grill. I've taken the pan camping where I tossed it on the fire to cook bacon, sausage, chili etc. and I've grown to love how tough this thing is and how well it cooks. One drawback however, is that there is a bit more work in cleaning the pan than I'd like. I usually put a bit of sea salt and water in the pan and scrub with a plastic brush then dry with paper towels before rubbing a bit of oil on it to store. The only other drawback is that I had to buy the lodge silicone handle for $6-7 so I could pick up this guy while its hot.