Lodge Logic 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet

As to seasoning, the Logic line now comes preseasoned. But don't make a big deal about this. To season a cast iron skillet simply coat it lightly with oil and bake it for a half hour or so. I have also seasoned these skillets on the stovetop. Cast iron is also great because it does not easily scrap like stainless steel and aluminum pots. Aluminum pans are painful to me, as my teeth fillings react to the aluminum. With cast iron, you won't have this problem. I also take my Lodge pan camping and set it right over the coals to cook. No melted handles or scorched bottoms to mess with.


good for some things, bad for others, and too much misleading information   January 4, 2008
Kawakami
69 out of 86 found this review helpful

After having used this pan for a while and having made side by side comparisons against my other pans; this is the update to my previous review.

PROS
As one commenter so aptly put it; it's "horses for courses". After doing side by side cooking comparisons between this pan and my others, I think that this pan is the best for certain applications. For me, those applications are heavy searing and making fond heavy pan sauces. I like to sear/bake my steaks at 500 degrees and I like to finish a lot of other meats with a hot sear to get a brown crusty exterior. For that you need a very hot pan that can really grab the food like a cast iron pan does.

Oh yeah, if you go camping then cast iron is great since it is so durable and it can stand up to cooking over an open fire. (I'm not a camper so I'm focusing on kitchen applications).

CONS
I think the only issue I have is with unrealistic expectations I had. This is due to the numerous reviews that claim cast iron is better for almost any and all applications than non-stick pans, stainless steel, etc. Clearly it's not. If you want a controlled saute, you want a non-stick pan that gains and loses heat fairly quickly. If you're cooking chicken thighs or something can be better prepared without additional oil, you'll need a pan that won't stick even without the addition of oil or butter.

All in all, I'd say that a stainless steel pan can do everything the cast iron pan can do equally well. The only exceptions are that the cast iron pan is better for heavy searing or grill alternatives such as sear/bake combos, and it is better for baking applications like cakes and breads due to the heat retention.

Again, this really isn't a problem with the cast iron pan as much as it is my expectation that cast iron could do all of those aforementioned things. Which leads me to the last section...

STRANGE MYTHS
Cast iron must be a religion, because the things people believe about it are either flatly untrue or have no factual support. For example, many say that cast iron is more non-stick than Teflon. It isn't. Some people ardently believe that you should ONLY clean cast iron with kosher salt and oil, while others ardently believe that you should ONLY clean it by boiling water in it, while others... well, you get the idea. The point is that people's opinions are as varied as they are resolute, and yet none of the opinions seem to have any factual support. Anyhow, here are some more examples of strange cast iron myths...

Stick vs. Non-stick
Why is this so controversial? Cast iron sticks. Teflon doesn't. It's really strange that people claim otherwise. Sure, if you put enough oil and butter in the pan, then the food won't stick but that's true of stainless, carbon steel, or any other type of pan.

Mind you, I have nothing against cooking with oil and butter. I'm just saying that it's untrue to say that cast iron is non-stick. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself. Cook eggs, chicken, or whatever in a DRY cast iron pan. It will stick. Food is supposed to stick in a cast iron pan, that's why it's good for pan sauces. Cook the same food in a dry Teflon pan, and it won't stick.


Health Risks
Some people tout cast iron because Teflon is carcinogenic. Teflon IS carcinogenic, but with my pan (and most others I've seen), when you rub it down paper towels; the towels come out black, brown, or otherwise dirty. Unless I'm missing something, black/brown/dirty means that there is burnt food and burnt oil particles present. And charred food is also carcinogenic. So I'm not sure how I'm helping myself by moving from one carcinogen to another.

You can call it "patina", "curing", or "seasoning", but the fact is that it's burnt-on food and oil. (What else do you think it would be?)

Once again, I don't have a problem with this aspect of cast iron, I'm just saying that it's untrue for others to claim cast iron is healthier than Teflon. Maybe it is and maybe it isn't; but no one seems to have any proof to support that claim.


Seasoning
Some say that you should only use shortening and never use oil, while some say the exact opposite. Some say to bake the pan at 500 degrees or the highest temp you plan to use the pan. Others say to never bake the pan at a higher temp than the oil's smoke point. Some say to bake on a coat of shiny black "seaonsoning" while others say that the shiny black layer is nothing more than burnt, rancid oil that will do nothing more than transfer the flavor of burnt oil to your food (char once again).

Some say that seasoning is for the purpose of making the pan non-stick, while others say that it is only to keep it from rusting.

Some say that acidic foods (vinegar, tomatoes, wine) will take off the seasoning. Others say that it is fine.

Does anyone have any proof to support these opinions? No. So why the big debate?


Cleaning
Some say to ONLY use kosher salt and oil to scrub the pan while others say to NEVER use salt and oil. Some say to boil water in the pan to clean it, while others say that doing so is ineffectual or at worst harmful to the seasoning. Most agree that using soapy water is bad... except for the manufacturer who says that mildy soapy water is ok (and yes, this is what the Lodge rep said on the phone).

So again, does anyone have any proof to support these opinions? No. So why the big debate?


Even Heating
I've found it to be no different from my other pans. Don't believe me? Lay a strip of bacon across the hot pan and don't move it until the ends are browned. You'll find that the middle is burnt by the time the ends are brown. Still don't believe me? Boil water in the pan, and you'll see the bubbles come up from the bottom in exact shape of the heat source underneath. If the heat was even, then you'd see the bubbles spread randomly across the entire bottom of the pan.

Yes, if I take it off of the stove or out of the oven and use the residual heat, then the heating will be pretty even (which is great for a sear/bake combo). But this has no impact for any stovetop application.

(Before you say anything about campfire cooking, let me preempt you by explaining that a campfire is an even heat source. A stove top is not.)


SUMMARY
So all in all, I think that cast iron is great for certain purposes. For searing, baking, and pseudo grilling, I rate the pan as 4-5 stars. For any other application, stainless can do the job just as well and without the maintenance and health related problems, so I would give the pan 2 stars for other applications.

For the other miracle applications of non-stickiness, health benefits, better tasting food, and perfectly even heating, I give the pan 0 stars. There is too much false, contradictory, or otherwise unsupported information out there.



The best EVER!   November 2, 2003
D. Rizzo (United States)
62 out of 62 found this review helpful

I own three pieces of cast iron cookware, and this item is one of them... and among my favorite cooking implements, period. In fact, I use this skillet most of all, and it doesn't even have a place in a cabinet! I keep it on the stove permanently, for that is how often I use it.

Beware that cast iron is not a quickie-cooking component (it takes time for the iron to heat, and it takes experience to gauge the iron's "perfect temperature" for sensitive dishes), but for dishes requiring steady, even heat and for cooks who require durable cookware with easy clean-up, cast iron CANNOT be beat!

This skillet is going to last forever. Its care is easy: I scrub it with hot water only, and dry it with an old rag and apply a thin layer of vegetable oil while the iron is still hot... a year and a half later, it's still rust-free and delivering the reliable service I have come to expect and admire. No scratches interfere with its performance, as is the case with my allegedly-long-lasting Wearever nonstick cookware set (what a waste of money THAT was!). Heck, I even use my cast-iron skillet for CREPES, and that's saying something! Despite the pan's weight, it's an immeasurably better nonstick crepe-cooker than teflon. In fact, I use my cast iron cookware for everything from french fries to spaghetti sauce to eggs and bacon to french toast! It's a dependable griddle, skillet, grill, and pot, and it goes right from the stovetop and into the oven for maximum versatility.

I am an avid home-chef, and I can say without exception that my cast-iron cookware is the best kitchen investment I've ever made.


Your Grandmother knew best, and she was right.   November 18, 2006
Tom (Virginia)
32 out of 32 found this review helpful

Cast iron skillets, and Dutch Ovens are probably the most versatile pans you can own; it's a fact that fights have actually broken out in families over who is going to inherit the heirloom cast iron cookware after a loved one passes. Lodge Manufacturing, in South Pittsburg, Tennessee produces some of the last cast iron pieces to actually be made in America. They also happen to make the best in the world. They produce the only type of skillet I've seen that can go from the stovetop, right into the oven, and then onto the table. In addition, these pans can be used with great success over an open fire while camping, something no other cookware can do. Since this skillet comes preseasoned, you get to skip the job of seasoning the pan before it's first use. However, if you don't maintain this preseasoning, you'll have to reapply a new coat.

Seasoning cast iron is a very simple process, the instructions that follow apply to any piece of cast iron cookware needing seasoned. First, heat the oven to 400 degrees, then, using your hands, coat the iron pan inside and out, including the handle, with SOLID SHORTENING ONLY, such as Crisco(not butter flavored), or even lard. Then bake it, upside down, on the upper oven rack for an hour. Line the ovens bottom rack with alumnium foil and you'll catch the drippings that fall as the shortening melts and gets absorbed by the iron. Then allow the pan to cool before attempting to handle it again. If your oven has a hooded fan, you will want to run it to remove the fumes and odors caused by the melting shortening. That's all there is to it. You can also do this process outside in a gas grill, or even a charcoal grill so long as it has a cover. Afterward, you will want to fry fatty foods such as bacon, fried chicken, or fish in your newly seasoned pan, as these types of oily foods help to reinforce the new seasoning you've just applied. After a round of frying bacon or chicken, your skillet will be ready for virtually anything else you want to cook in it.

This skillet will quickly become the most frequently used pan in your kitchen, and that's a good thing because the more you use it, the more seasoning you're actually applying to the iron. Some have complained that they have lost a small area of the seasoning in their pan, and have had to remove the rest of the seasoning by hand before reapplying the Chriso and baking process. Actually, you can follow the steps above and be just fine. If, for some reason though, you have to remove all the seasoning, simply put the pan upside down in the oven and run the oven through the cleaning cycle once, then allow the oven and pan to cool. The skillet will come out like the day it was made, but you must wash, dry, and reseason it right then and there. Doing so will prevent rust, which is one of the few real dangers to cast iron. Two other dangers include, never adding or running cold water into a hot iron skillet or Dutch Oven because the sudden temperature change will cause the pan to crack. And finally, NEVER, under any circumstances, wash a cast iron pan in a dishwasher. Dishwasher soap is strong enough to remove even the oldest seasoning and the steamy, humid environment created during the drying cycle will then cause the pan to rust.

Clean all cast iron pieces by hand with hot water and a stiff bristled brush, NO SOAP EVER, and then dry the piece right after washing using a paper towel. You can then apply a very light shot of cooking spray, inside and out, to protect the pans seasoning; paper towels are helpful in spreading the spray over the pans entire surface. I realize this has been a rather long review, but I hope the various instructions listed above are helpful to first time buyers/users of cast iron cookware.

Finally, for first time buyers, I recommend purchasing the Lodge Preseasoned 3 skillet set which includes a 6", 8", and a 10" skillet, in addition to this 12 inch pan. Together, whether cooking in the kitchen or over an open fire while camping, these 4 skillets will give you the versatility of cooking for one person or the entire family. You will also want to get a Lodge Preseasoned Iron Lid and a regular splatter screen for this skillet because they raise the potential uses of the pan even more. I've used cast iron for years, and it really is the way to go. If you consider the cost of other types of cookware, and how long it will last when compared to cast iron, you really can't go wrong with purchasing 3 or 4 pieces for your everyday use. Remember too, that your kids, and their kids in turn, will be using these pans long after you're gone. With a probable service life of more than one hundred years, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.