I've had this pan for several months now and had previously been used to frying with regular cast iron or stainless steel. I have a flat top stove and am not supposed to use my cast iron on it so I thought I would try this one instead. I've found that the interior is better than stainless steel for cooking certain things (like over-easy eggs) with a simple clean-up and minimal sticking. It's also good for reheating left-over meals, or making pancakes.However, when I tried cooking things like sausage, or stir-fry meat, or with any sauces that contained sugar, I ended up with charred bits that would not come off. I tried boiling the pan with vinegar, or scouring gently with baking soda and nothing works. I did of course follow the directions and have never cooked on any setting above medium (usually, I use medium low). Then I made the mistake of frying falafel in the pan. I now have a permanent layer of caramelized oil on the bottom of my pan. Add the two chips on the handle that came off within the first week of use (and I am extremely gentle with this pan), and I would have to say I am fairly disappointed.
I also own the Lodge Enamel 6 quart dutch oven, and that item is fabulous. Not a chip or stain on it, even though I use it extensively. Also, I have fried up some of the same things in the dutch oven as the fry pan with no sticking/stains in the dutch oven, but with permanently charred bits in the fry pan. Lodge should have made this one with the glossy interior.
Perhaps I'll replace this one with the 3 quart covered casserole since it has the glossy interior.
Now one down side is that this thing is heavy as hell.Without the helper handle it would be very awkward to lift unless you are built like Arnold Schwarzenegger (at least how he used to be built).This isn't for your grandmother (unless she is a weightlifter).
An update.We have had absolutely no sticking problems.We cooked a salmon dish last night with a sauce that had some sugar in it.No problems (and absolutely delicious BTW) .A chicken dish with ricotta, the other day, worked great.I use a little higher heat, up to medium high, then slow it down to medium when browning.Let the food release before flipping.
No soaking, no scrubbing, just the plastic thing (on the other side of the kitchen sponges, can't think of the name), hot water, dish soap and almost no elbow grease.
I'd say it is a bargain.We have mostly Calphalon in our kitchen but are using this extensively.It looks good too.
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Pretty good pan.A lot easier to maintain and keep clean than a traditional cast iron pan.The "white enamel" style fry pans are more non-stick than this with liquid items like eggs.The "satin enamel" finish in this one, which is a rough cast iron type finish with a dark gray enamel coating, tends to stick less on solid items like steak and bacon.
So you may use a little more fat in this pan than in one of the ones using a smooth bottom white enamel style, which all of the other Lodge pans use.
This type of finish is also going to be a lot harder to scratch or scrape with tools, and wont show a scratch as much.
If you're going to cook cornbread and scrambled eggs 95% of the time...I might consider one of the white smooth enamel bottom.If you're going to sear a lot of meats and dont mind using a bit of fat with your cornbread or eggs, this will work great and you cant beat the price.
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When I received this pan the inside enamel was very rough. I knew this would be the case based on other reviews so it was not a shocker. On first use, there was barely any sticking. However when trying to dry the pan after washing, I notice the rough texture was causing paper towel and terry towel "bits" to get left behind on the pan. So I decided to "season" the pan. Best decision ever.My process (as described by another reviewer)
1. Pre-heat the pan (to a low temp in oven or on stovetop), just barely hot to the touch
2. Thin coat of canola oil rubbed onto the pan
3.Put pan back on stovetop and turn the heat to medium (maybe slightly over)
4. Once pan starts to smoke, turn down the heat slightly and let it continue to smoke for 15 minutes
5. Let the pan cool, rub it down with a dry paper bowl
6. Repeat process until smooth finish
The pan is now flawless
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This is a decent pan but it's not a substitute for real (i.e. seasoned) cast iron. I have a halogen smooth top cooking surface which I generally love, however it's not compatible with traditional cast iron skillets. True cast iron has two important properties, it's non-stick and it's indestructible, this pan lacks both of those features. Instead of having a seasoned cast iron cooking surface it has a rough enamel coat which isn't any less sticky than stainless steel and it's much less durable. The coating is as delicate as teflon, the instructions say to use silicone instead of steel tools with it, and not to put the pan in a dishwasher. So far cleanup with a sponge and water has been fine, however I've been very careful not to burn anything onto the pan. We all know that burning something is inevitable, with stainless steel and true cast iron you can use steel wool to clean up the worst mess, I wouldn't dare try that with this pan. I've also found that heat distribution isn't quite as even as it is with good stainless (i.e the sandwich bottom type).
As far as I can tell nobody makes a proper smooth-top compatible cast iron pan, i.e. a flat enameled bottom and a seasoned cast iron interior. I don't know why this is so hard, but if someone were to sell a pan like that I'd buy it in a second.
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