Lodge Logic L8SGP3 Pre-Seasoned Square Grill Pan
|
List Price: Our Price: $20.97 You Save: $3.98 (16%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Lodge Logic L8SGP3 Pre-Seasoned Square Grill Pan
Customer Review: Does a good job, things to be aware of ...
Summary: 5 Stars
I just cooked a thick ribeye steak using this grill. It's the first thing that I have cooked on it. Similar to a cast iron frying pan that I have, this generates a lot of "smoke". I had to take the battery out of my smoke detector, and open windows. I think I cooked it at a slightly higher temperature than I needed to. If smoke is a problem, think twice about buying this.
The result is the best steak I have ever cooked indoors. It beats any electric grill I have ever used, and it beats the George Foreman grill hands down. I would say that the results are almost restaurant quality. I look forward to cooking hamburgers within the next day or so.
I think this would work better with slightly less thick cuts of meat. Even at high heat it took longer than it would have taken on a grill. During the cooking I put a metal lid over the pan to control splattering.
I think it will be a breeze to clean. Oiling it after cleaning, with the ridges, will be a little more work than for smoother surfaces.
Because the ridges are so high, the grill does a great job of cooking away from the fat, and probably (my guess) does even a better job than the George Foreman grill in that regard.
Pans like this pay for themselves. This pan is about the cost of a dinner for two, and it will result in less eating out.
Update: I cleaned the pan after making the steak. It was more difficult to clean than other cast iron pans due to the ridges, however, I think I need to find a different tool to clean it with. Someone recommended a grill pad or brush. Also, I usually put the pan over enough heat to evaporate any water from cleaning, and then apply a thin amount of oil. This was also harder. I think it will get better with practice. In any case, the results were worth it.
I will be trying burgers and pork chops soon, so stay tuned!
Update: I cooked pork chops tonight on this grill, and they are the best pork chops I have ever had in my life. I let the pan heat up, and usually also have the electric burner on high heat when adding the meat. I then turn it down a bit. The cast iron doesn't cool off, and it sears the juices in. I have found that a metal cover over the grill works well to keep in splatters and heat. Another thing that is helpful is a temperature fork, which told me tonight that the chops were at 180 degrees, otherwise I would have overcooked them.
This is by far the best money that I have spent on cooking equipment, and it will definitely save a lot of $$$ because I will treat myself to excellent home-cooked meals more often.
Customer Review: Great Pan, unconventional ways to season the pan!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
First, see all the reviews before you decide. The "be aware" information about seasoning, cleaning and heating unevenly are so very true.
I have a collection that spans from this youthful pre-seasoned model to a skillet from the '30s. The pre-seasoned finish on this baby compares with the nice silk finish of my skillets that have over 30 years or better, of use and care. Over the years with cast iron, the differences I experienced were in the oiling, care, cleaning and use of the cookware. The more you use the cast iron, the better. Ah, to improve with age and be appreciated with care is a luxury given to all wonderful cooking utensils. And that is what the pre-seasoning is about, it gives you a decade or two head start on a new, non seasoned pan. As for the steak, it goes on the griddle iron the plug in kind) for ease of cleaning and the ability to drip off the fat without lots of smoke.
I have found some wonderful ways to put the grease back in the pan. By using the pan to raise and bake sweet potato cinnamon rolls (six,please with a touch of sourdough in that recipe, thank you), I found that the pan in the oven is cooler toward the center. The butter and cinnamon that was in the ridges oiled the pan nicely. I retrieved the cooled caramelized brown sugar by using a chopstick to push the mixture out of the ribs. Then, a soak of water, a nylon scrubber and towel dry and the surface had a nicely oiled feel to it.
The deep ridges make the most of baked chicken. I start with a frozen chicken, use a 12" cast iron skillet as a cover, place in cold oven and off we go!
Not what you normally hear about the uses of cast iron. But over the years I seem to always keep three cast iron items handy. A 12" skillet, this 10 1/2" griddle, and a 9" small sided ribbed enamelware square griddle. The nesting ability of the sizes makes them useful as weights (the 9" weighing down a panini in this griddle), or lids for each other.
Pick and chose the uses of this pan, but the pre-seasoning is well worth it. The size and shape of this pan makes it a keeper!
Enjoy!!!
Customer Review: Cast iron and Sculpture too...
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many of you, I too have purchased several pieces of Lodge Logic Cast Iron pieces, and besides the fact that they are all excellent cookware, this square grill pan has got me smitten with cast iron. It is just the most beautiful piece of cookware that I own. I should hang it on the wall for all to see as it would be a shame to relegate it to some dark cupboard, where its beauty would be wasted. It comes from the factory perfectly cast, not an imperfection anywhere! It also comes pre-seasoned, which makes it a shiny, black beauty. Like many previous reviewers, I didn't trust the pre-seasoning on my other cast iron as it comes from the factory, but this one looked especially well seasoned already, and I have decided to not add another pre-seasoning to this grill pan just to see if it is really needed, or not. Although I have not put it through its paces, so far, so good. It even blackened up more so after cooking several chicken sausages on it, and although the sausages were hardly a test, it cleaned up easily, and the sausages were perfectly cooked and scored with grill marks.
I have read some reviewers say that this pan is a bear to clean, all you need to keep it clean is any stiff brush with bristles long enough to reach the bottom of the pan, where the valleys are, and some hot water. It would have to be some kinda' messy dish to make this pan hard to clean, or one not properly oiled previous to using. NOT ONE OF MY LODGE LOGIC CAST IRON PIECES HAS EVER HAD PROBLEMS WITH FOOD STICKING ANYWHERE! Not my skillets, not my corn bread wedge pan, not my corn muffin pan, and not my 5 quart Dutch Oven have EVER had problems with sticking, and, I have never had to spend more than a minute cleaning any of them. I actually spend more time coating them with vegetable oil after using them to ready them for the next use. Care and cleaning has been explained ad infinitum throughout these review pages, but this pre-seasoning from the factory is a boon, it can only get better from there. Purchase Lodge Logic Cast Iron with confidence and get beautiful, easy to maintain cookware, and support an American company too.
Customer Review: I love this pan
Summary: 5 Stars
I had inherited most of my cast iron, but I bought this piece a few years back and I use it at least once a week. I absolutely love it. This pan is fantastic. With the grooves being so deep it creates a great deal of flavor. It does generate alot of smoke so make sure the area is well ventilated. I speed up the cooking time by placing a lid over the food which traps the smoke but the smokey flavor is the best and closest to outdoor grilling that you can come to. I grill squash, zucchini, burgers, steaks, fish, shrimp and chicken. Because it is iron it cooks more evenly as long as you watch that your heat isn't too high. Just be sure to brush the pan with olive oil or spray with non stick spray to avoid sticking.
Cleaning cast iron is easy as long as the pan is seasoned well and you clean it while it's still warm. I just fill this pan up with water just above the ridges and put just a drop of dish soap in the water and let it heat up again on the burner. The key is to clean it when it's warm. Once heated up dump out the water and use a two-sided scrubbing sponge (*not one made with metal) with the rough side and carefully clean out the grooves by quickly and firmly running the sponge down each one while it's still warm. (The food only sticks when the moisture is gone or the pan cools off.) Just be careful not to actual touch the pan with your fingers because it retains it's heat for a long time (but the sponge will insulate as long as you move fast). The stuck on food just slides right off. Rinse, dry of with a paper towel and you're done. You can respray it if you'd like but it's not necessary.
My father used to be a chef and he used cast iron religiously. His regular cast iron pans were well seasoned and acted like teflon (he never had grille pans like this when I was growing up). The surface of a well seasoned pan should feel smooth as glass when it's cool and it should be pitch black. It just takes a little practice to cook with cast iron but it's worth it once you get the hang of it. Just remember DO NOT let it soak in water because it will rust.
Customer Review: good
Summary: 3 Stars
I really liked that fact that this comes pre-seasoned. It's a nice size for 2-4 people and allows for a much larger cooking surface than my George Forman grill. Which I love, but is way too small for more than one person.
I've used this quite often. However, I thought I'd be more impressed. Food seems to stick and burn, although it's gotten a bit better after more use.
Like outdoor grilling, you have to make sure the pan is hot enough, put the meat in the pan and not move it around or keep flipping. Just wait until the one side is done, then flip. I'm going to try to (re)season it myself and see if that helps.
Adds a nice flavor to the food and leaves grill marks. Whatever you do, don't touch the handle after heating without a hot pad. The entire pan gets extremely hot.
Despite the sticking, it cleans up rather nicely. When there's food stuck to the bottom, I put it back on the stove with a little water, bring it to a boil, throw in a bit of baking soda and let it boil for about 5 minutes. After it cools a bit, scrub it with a sponge and it comes right off and looks new again.
You do have to make sure to dry your cast iron well if it gets wet - or it will rust. If this happens, don't throw it out! Scrub the rust off with a brillo pad or a ball of crumpled aluminum foil, rinse, dry well and reseason it.
If you're trying to decide between the grill or flat pan, I'd choose the flat pan first. I also have the pre-seasoned flat pan and like it more. It's easier to work with and doesn't smoke quite as much. Also a little easier to clean because it doesn't have the grilling surface.
Cast iron is very heavy, but sturdy, conducts great heat & will last a lifetime. Keep a hot pad close by so you won't forget to use it.