Lodge Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Skillet

Bought this through another store because I couldnt wait for Amazon to get them. I will be buying other sizes from Amazon as soon as available though. This pan carries on Lodges tradition of quality American made cookware. The pan is made of nice thick steel(12ga I was told). Heavy but not as heavy as the 12" cast iron. It is 12" from side to side, aprox. 9.25" cooking area and has a 9" handle. The sides on this pan are not as steep as their cast iron. The factory seasoning finish is excellent with a few very tiny specks of oil build up. The pan heated up quickly and held heat for longer than I expected, but naturally, less than cast iron. I fried eggs and browned ham in it as soon as I received it today. Turned out very well with minor sticking, but cleans up very well. Sure to get better with time! Glad I added this pan to my Lodge collection!

After using this pan for awhile I can honestly say it is a very good one. Being made in the USA is a plus too. Lodge knows a thing or two about metal cookware.

The handle is long so it can be used over an open flame fire. The build quality is sturdy and it will last a lifetime.

There is a learning curve that took me about a month to figure out.Cooking temperature and proper seasoning are a must.

The factory seasoning is OK but it states eggs will stick. I re-seasoned it and it is now virtually non stick.

The more you use it the better it gets. Searing meat at high temps is great.

I enjoy stir frys and just about anything you want to cook you can do it in this pan.

It seemed expensive at the time but this pan is built to last and I won't ever need another in my kitchen. About half the weight of cast iron and that makes a big difference in handling. Heats up quick and cooks evenly. By the time I wrote this review my chicken breasts are done. Fits three boneless in the pan.

I recommend it!

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I had the pleasure of purchasing one of these pans at the Lodge Factory Outlet in South Pittsburg, TN a few weeks ago (more cast iron than you can shake a stick at!).

I purchased the 12-inch Seasoned Steel skillet for two reasons:

1.I've been using DeBuyer's 10-inch Mineral-B and find carbon steel pans to be my go-to pans, preferred over my All Clad, T-Fal non-stick, and even cast iron skillets.

2.My mother-in-law recently discarded her 12-inch cast iron pan because it was just getting to be too heavy, so I was interested in finding a substitute with few compromises.

First of all, I like this pan.Like other carbon steel pans, it's dead simple.It seasons easily and is very durable.

But this pan brings some negatives as well.

Pros:

1.Light weight.12-gauge steel is significantly lighter than the 3 mm of the De Buyers in the same size.

2.Simple and durable.There's nothing to break, and no non-stick coating to scratch or flake off.

3.Allows for high-heat searing, and goes from stove top to oven very naturally.

4.The Lodge 12-inch glass lid fits perfectly.

5.It's made in the USA.

Cons:

1.The lighter weight relative to DeBuyer or even other Lodge cast iron means less thermal mass.Thermal mass is what makes those heavy pans perform so well.This pan is thin enough that the heat dissipates fairly quickly.If, for example, I prepare my skillet potatoes in a cast iron pan, the pan comes out of the oven at 375 degrees and stays too hot to touch for a good 15 minutes.With this pan, the cooling is much quicker, being "touchable" after only about 7 minutes (give or take).In short, it doesn't have the thermal mass to perform like cast iron or DeBuyer.

2.The lighter weight seems to allow for warping.I inadvertantly heated my skillet to over 600 degrees for 10 minutes or so.I immediately lowered the heat and let it cool naturally, but the pan no longer sat flat on a glass cooktop.I understand that it wasn't intended to tolerate that kind of abuse, but I would like for it to be more stable.(Lodge was great about exchanging it as defective even knowing that I'd abused the pan.)

3.The seasoning and pan finish are rough--more like cast iron than like the other carbon steel pans I've used.It seemed to function reasonably well on my first pan (the one I overheated), but it remained a rough surface.On my second one, I sanded it smooth on the inside surface and reseasoned it using the Canter method (google it).Much better, and improving with every use.I believe the factory seasoning would be adequate, and would also improve with use, but I was impatient.

Conclusions:

It is what it is.I wanted a lighter-weight pan, and this qualifies, but requires compromise on the other traits I was seeking.I think the quality is great, the price is right, and it provides a good entree into the world of carbon steel cooking.Just be aware of the limitations and trade-offs, and that thicker carbon steel is just that much better.

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Twelve inches is the diameter from rim to rim.When I received this pan, I had to look twice to make sure I didn't order the wrong size; Indeed it was the 12 inch, but the actual cooking surface is only 9 inches.

This pan is still useful, but if you're used to cooking in the Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet, then go for the 15 inch carbon steel pan.

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My cheap non-stick pans are wearing out, and I read an unthusiastic review of some of the new "green" non-sticks in Cooks Illustrated.Wandering through a retail store about six months ago, I saw these pans on half-price closeout and bought the 10" model.After a wipe-out and light oiling, I started cooking.That's it.I haven't really had to do more than wipe it out since.Food literally slides out of the pan, just like the non-stick informercial pans.I heat it up, then lower the heat a bit and make eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, small stirfry dishes.Other reviewers are correct that the pans are small (the cooking surface of the 10" pan is 7.25").

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