Lodge Color Skillet, Island Spice Red, 11"
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List Price: Our Price: $33.99 You Save: $26.01 (43%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Lodge Color Skillet, Island Spice Red, 11"
Customer Review: Great Idea, Very Poor Performance
Summary: 1 Stars
This product is a nice idea but designed and executed poorly. You would be far better off buying a regular cast iron skillet and "season" it. I bought this pan thinking that the inner ceramic finish would make it a breeze to cook with. In fact, the "Use and Care" instructions that come with the pan make no mention of it needing any seasoning. The only recommendation was to use a little oil to prevent sticking. Don't get me wrong; I love my Lodge Dutch ovens. The quality of the ceramic finish on the inside and outside of the Dutch ovens is extremely smooth and provides a very stick-resistant surface. That's how I was suckered into buying this pan. Boy was I in for a surprise. The food surface finish is very rough. In fact, it looks exactly like one of their "pre-seasoned" regular cast iron surfaces, maybe even rougher. The first time I tried to fry some eggs in it (and they were literally floating in oil) the eggs stuck down so badly that I had to rip and scrape them out of the pan. So now I have an expensive, yet worthless frying pan that I have to be really careful about putting into water when it's hot and dare not put over a strong flame (such as a campfire) that has a "ceramic finish" on the cooking surface that is way, way, way, worse than a properly seasoned regular cast iron pan. No thanks. Sometimes you win by buying the cheaper brand (Lodge Dutch oven vs. Le Creuset) sometimes you get stung.Customer Review: Best skillet in the world.
Summary: 5 Stars
Without argument, this skillet (and the various saucepans and the like) are the best kitchen/cooking investments you can make. They're iron; they're not going to poison you via aluminum or various sprays and treatments leaching out of your foods, and they'll last long after we're all dead - in perfect working condition.
With that said - this is a fairly heavy pan so if you have no strength whatsoever (artificial limbs without strong gripping ability), that would be pretty much the only valid reason to possibly pass these by.
As far as performance - excellent. Most people don't realize that cast iron is fairy non-stick if you know what you're doing, and the enameling makes it better. It's not an ultra-smooth finish, but the anti-sticking properties are still there, as long as proper case is maintained. (Don't dishwasher, don't use a scratcher or scouring pad, etc.) If the seasoning comes off, it's quite simply to "re-season" the pan to make it non-stick once again. On that note, cleaning is pretty easy, too. Just wipe it out with a damp sponge, avoid abrasive soaps/detergents, and that's it.
Would recommend to anyone looking for a skillet, especially if they don't want to have to buy another one in a year or two. (In fact, by buying this one, you could be furnishing the kitchen of your great-great grandchild that you may never actually meet in person....)
Customer Review: Disappointing cooking surface
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased one of these Lodge enameled cast-iron skillets because our regular cast-iron skillet leaves a lot of dark marks on our glass cook-top. The mess left behind is difficult to clean, and I hoped that the Lodge enameled skillet would prevent this problem.
This Lodge skillet does eliminate most of the clean-up problems on the cook-top, but the interior surface of this pan is NOT well suited for cooking. While most enameled cookware like this has a smooth surface, this model has an extremely rough surface on the interior. Lodge describes the interior finish as a "matte porcelain, but it is actually more of a "pebbled" texture that seems to encourage food to adhere tightly. This is a surface that many foods love to stick to once it gets hot, and it can be very difficult to clean. I can't imagine why they didn't design this product to have a smooth interior finish, because that would have made this a great product.
I think that Lodge has a good reputation for cast-iron cookware, but this product is a disaster. It looks good on a pot rack, and it doesn't make a mess of the glass cook-top, but it has been nothing but frustration when it comes to cooking and cleanup. I gave it a generous 2-stars because it does look good and it does not leave marks on the cook-top.
Customer Review: Okay, better and worse than regular cast iron
Summary: 3 Stars
Pro's
This is a nice heavy skillet that you shouldn't have to reseason. It also looks good enough for table service and is fairly economical to buy. You can use soap to wash it to your hearts content and you really want to because of the enamel. With care it should last a very long time.
Con's
It is more expensive than plain cast iron and still reqires an initial seasoning or break in that is more troublesome than plain, unseasoned cast iron. It is also more likely to chip or crack through the enamel layer if you don't let it cool down enough prior to washing. Also, you need to be careful when seasoning to stay off of the enamel. Lastly, I would not put this in a dishwasher.
Overall, I think the plain 12 inch cast iron skillet is still king of the cooktop for gas or electric coil. Once you master the seasoning process, its not really that much upkeep. The enameled cast iron would be an easy choice for smooth top ranges and service to the table.
Customer Review: Great Cast Iron and Attractive Too
Summary: 5 Stars
We have been cast iron skillet fans for many years. This skillet performs like all other cast iron but is also beautiful too. It's size is perfect for a small family. The depth is not one that would work well for frying but it works well for veggies, hamburgers, grilled sandwiches, eggs, etc. The benefits of serving in cast iron directly from the stove or oven is that the food stays warm for much longer than other serving vessels. Cast iron seasoning and nonstick quality improves with continuous use. It's important to clean the inside of cast iron with water only and never use soap. A small amount of cooking oil can be used if necessary to maintain proper seasoning. This is a great little skillet (although very heavy) that will be used routinely in our kitchen.