Greater Goods 10" vs Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

That’s a hard one for me, but it really makes a difference. As in, my third cook was fried eggs, the true test of nonstick. I used just a thin coat of cooking spray, same as for a nonstick pan, and they came out perfect, no sticking no scraping, no residue. And here’s the good news: even if the pan rusts, you can still use it! Rust does not ruin cast iron

When I went out on my own I went the route of non-stick skillets & pots, not knowing at the time about the dangerous chemicals released at certain temps. Tried stainless& didnt like those at all, but knew of no other choices that were PFOA free.

In other areas of the cooking surface it had been applied too thick and hadn’t polymerized, therefore it had a perpetual sticky or tacky feel to it. The photos I have provided are what the pan looked like directly out of the box. The only reason I scored it three stars is because I can tell it’s otherwise a quality pan. It’s solid and I like the shape of the handle (how you can rest a cooking utensil atop of it)

It said it might need some extra oil the first few times and it might need more seasoning. I figured bacon would be a good first product because it's so greasy. The bacon stuck really bad to the pan, I had to scrape it off the bottom and those spots where it stuck were terribly sticky. After the bacon I fried a couple burgers in the pan, they got that nice crusty outside like you only get from a skillet like this or from a really nice restaurant grill

Remember, I am takoyaki oil brush person, so I barely use oil and it won't make skillet glistening or pools oil on the bottom. Then I made cheese omlet a few times, made (warmed up) leftover pilau rice. That time, some rice stuck, but nothing a metal spatula couldn't lift up. It pretty easily dislodged again

Flaxseed oil is the only edible oil that has waterproofing properties, so it would make the surface even more non-sticking. This is so much fun!

Based on it's low/moderate price point in the "iron skillet" market, the quality was "average" and as I pretty much expected. So I really had no surprises in that regard. What makes this skillet somewhat unique among current production iron skillets is it's machined interior cooking surface. The machining was adequately uniform and definitely a lot smoother than any non-machined cast iron surface

Cast iron is supposed to be cheap, durable, and reliable; and that is exactly what Lodge is. Start with their 12” skillet and work more into your collection from there.

This pan will last for generations. It is so well made and weighs approx. 10 lbs. It is pre seasoned with flaxseed oil and also has an ergonomic handles to balance the weight

As for continued maintenance, instead of washing it last like I used to do with other pans, I wash it first. I towel dry it, then set it back on a low-medium burner to heat/dry completely for about 10 mins while doing the other dishes. Thorough drying is critical to prevent rusting. Then a little canola oil on a paper towel, give it a real light coat inside, leave it on the burner another 15 mins while I finish the rest of the kitchen clean up

It just took forever to 'get hot' and I was not expecting it. I didn't notice this lip on the bottom until after I cooked with it a couple of times as I would never imagine this to be something a cast-iron pan would have. So, what does this all mean? Well, on Gas, Induction, and (most) coil-electric burners this isn't a problem and likely this is a great value. If you have a electric flat-top ceramic stove that is _not induction_ this may not be the best pan for everyday use

Thanks everybody! I've looked at Lodge before, I'll probably end up going with Lodge instead, it's a brand I know a lot of people trust! I've actually been debating getting a cast iron flat top too for my glasstop stove. :)

The skillet isn't heirloom quality. Very rough on the exterior like all the the other low end skillets you see in the camping section. I won't use it on my glass top stove for fear of scratching it. I have other skillets I use on the glass stovetop

Therefore, many hours of prepping were involved before I fried the first egg - that stuck. I knew I would need to season more aggressively due to the roughness of the cast iron. Do not expect a smooth, mirrored finish as comes on high end cast iron. This is more rustic

I keep my ghee butter in the fridge to help keep it longer on freshness and just use a spoon to scrape in a circulation motion in the bottle to collect the shavings which I add to the pan. You don’t need too much when searing high heat or cooking on low heat. The price is pretty good at under $40 and will be in the family for generations if my kids want it when I no longer can cook. Hope this review helps as it was my honest review on this product

It'll rust. We just put it back on the stove with the burner on until it's dry. Easy. Keep in mind that cast iron doesn't exactly heat evenly, but it holds heat well

I let the oil cook like that coating the inside of the pan until the handle was too hot to touch and let it sit like that for like 15mins. Then once it cooled I wiped out the vegetable oil leftover with dry paper towels and put the pan away. Any time you clean the pan with soap and water or rinse it with water, you want to heat it up on the stove so that the handle is too hot to touch bare handed and the water is completely evaporated, then you swish cooking oil around in it and let it sit while it's hot and let it cool before wiping off the oil, then you can put it away. If you don't do this, then rust will form and it won't have a non-stick surface

Preheat well and a little fat if the food you are cooking has none. My current nonstick is worn out but I haven’t been bothered to replace after my lodge cast iron griddle and pan showed I could do everything I wanted.

I haven't even used the pan to cook yet. It's a gift for someone else. Overall the weight of this pan is very heavy, heavier than any of the same size pans from the 1940's and 1970's. But it's only slightly barely heavier (about 1/2 a pound heavier than my old Wagner)

The 12 inch skillet is heavier than most vintage and antique cast iron and it is not as smooth as the oldies. However, this finish is definitely not as rough as many of the competitors, especially some of the imported stuff. The skillet heated evenly and it was roomy enough for three large thighs. The 12 inch Lodge skillet was flat and sat evenly on the burner - some other brand new imports that I have seen, and damaged oldies, will wobble on the burner because the base is not flat - it is a keeper