(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)The Emerilware Cast Iron 10 Inch Skillet is a very good cast iron skillet for the home cook on a budget.A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is an essential for anybody that wants to cook beyond the basic level.There are several reservations, which are more based on knowing your needs than any limits with the product.The first thing to keep in mind is that, though most cast iron skillets, including this one, come pre-seasoned, they still need to be seasoned further before you can get the benefits of a nice non-stick surface for cooking.This factory seasoning is definitely a great start, but the main benefits will be that it will prevent rusting and keep your food from getting the metallic taste that is common with completely un-seasoned cast-iron.Some people knock these products for their claims of being pre-seasoned.I give them the benefit of the doubt on that.I have simply never used a pre-seasoned skillet that didn't need to be really seasoned a few times before it was useful for cooking purposes.
The second consideration is regarding size.It is pretty common to make the mistake of looking at skillets and their prices and choosing one that is simply too large.Cast-iron is heavy, so bigger is not always better.This 10 inch skillet is the perfect size for general use.Even if you choose another brand, unless you are cooking regularly for 5-6 people I would advise you against getting anything larger than 10 inches.The 12 inch skillet is only a few dollars more but that extra weight and bulk will ensure that you will get to use it much less.The larger skillets often crowd out most stove-tops and are harder to maneuver.
Seasoning is a good deal of work and there is more than one approach.In my experience, you will definitely want to get your oven hotter and do your seasoning longer than what the instructions indicate.I personally think you need to heat your oven to at least 425 degrees, though some people recommend seasoning your pan at up to 550 degrees.No matter what the temperature, you will want to keep your pan hot for the better part of an hour and allow it to remain in the oven for several hours afterwards as it slowly cools.The 30 minutes noted on the instructions are just not going to cut it.
If you find that food is sticking, even after seasoning, you are going to want to season it again.Seasoning is just meant to speed up the longer term seasoning that happens from cooking in your pan and oiling it consistently over time.Eventually you will reach a nice non-stick surface that will require only infrequent re-seasoning and very little oil for cooking.
One common benefit of cast-iron is that it will generally produce a more even heat than other types of pans.My only real negative observation about this pan is that I noticed that it ran center-hot, meaning that there was a hot-spot towards the middle of the pan that didn't exist around the edges.I think with further seasoning this should be minimized, but some more expensive pans seem to have less noticeable hot-spots even before they have been seasoned.
I had a friend who had a cast iron skillet that I used to marvel at.With no additional oil, that skillet produced great food with wonderful flavor and in less time than other skillets.When I asked how long it took to obtain that wonderful patina on the inside of the surface, their answer was daunting: years of cooking and continuous seasoning.
Their post-cooking ritual was as follows: first they would slowly rinse out the pan, making sure it was totally clean.Then, they would reheat the skillet to dry it out completely.Finally, they would recoat the inside of the skillet with a thin layer of vegetable oil.Upon further research, it seems like some people substitute mineral oil for vegetable oil.I think it depends on how often you use your skillet, since vegetable oil will go bad if it sits in your pan for more than a few days.Using your cast iron skillet is the most important thing you can do to break it in and start to build a permanent seasoning on the surface.If possible, you will want to spend the first month using this skillet as much as possible.If you use it daily, and clean off the excess oil before each use, vegetable oil should be fine as it won't have time to go rancid.
I still recommend this skillet as long as you are willing to do the research needed to properly prepare it for use and care for it.For the price there are few cast-iron skillets that are as good and give you as much of a head-start with the pre-seasoning.Be mindful of the hot-spots and make sure you keep track of how *non-stick* the surface feels after seasoning.If food sticks at all, you have not seasoned the pan enough.With repeated seasoning and proper care, you will get a great return on your time invested.Please see the comments section for references to more information.
Enjoy.
Mass produced mediocrity -made for the licensing benefit of Emiril and little else. It's crudely fired and hard to season. This skillet and the rest of Emiril's cast iron cookware is made like this. It has tons of pits and grooves and iron dust that was stuck on during the firing process (cheap) . It also seem to rust easily or to be more prone to rusting than better quality cast iron cookware.If you want real cast iron cookware buy the Lodge brand. Emiril's cookware may be more competitively priced, but you get what you pay for. Emiril's pans are also made in China. The Lodge brand is made in USA
I should have known better when I was at Bed Bath and Beyond purchasing this item.I told the clerk, "Can I have one in a box, instead of the display item, cause this one seems to have imperfections all over it." He responded with, "Oh all of Emiril's cookware is like that." I was seduced by the name like an idiot and bought the pan anyway. Next week I'm getting Lodge skillets and donating the two Emiril's I bought to charity.
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"Did not last" is a strange thing the say about a chunk of iron, but after a few months of ordinary use the cooking surface developed a convex shape with oil/grease running away from the center of the pan and pooling at the edges.I have owned some cheap aluminum non sticks that were like this from the beginning, but this is the first time I have had a pan start out good and develop this defect over time.
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I've found that this skillet is gaining a smooth and even surface, even with my novice experience with cast iron seasoning techniques. It definitely sears my strip steaks beautifully and cooks the insides evenly and predictably. Once I found the smoke start point of the oil and the skillet and my electric stove's burner, and so keeping the heat just below that, I find I'm getting excellent results with meat, hash browns or eggs. I see a bit of rust in very small spots on the bottom, so be aware that this skillet must be truly dried if rinsing it out between cooking sessions.But, once realized, that's doable....Good stuff!
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I have been seasoning the skillet for almost 2 weeks to make sure it will do it's job.I just fried some chicken till light brown & then put the chiken in the oven, skillet & all.The chicken came out very moist & the skin was crispy.
Everytime I use the oven, I put the skillet into the oven after I turn it off & when it is cool, I put more vegetable oil on.
I give the skillet so far a "5" & am looking forward to using it everyday.
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Both my wife and I enjoy cooking, and are always looking for good pans at reasonable prices, since we use then regularly. We purchased this 12" pan as a separate unit.First time using it we were cooking delicate French Toast and cheese sandwiches for breakfast, a low temp situation.We thought the micro machined grooves on the bottom of the pan would enhance heat transfer. Wrong....what it did was go round-bottom while on the stove, rendering heat transfer, ability to keep it stabilized, and cooking times useless. This pan is poorly designed and any pan that warps at medium heat is sheer junk. Better elsewhere skip this stuff!
