Features:

  • Cast iron cookware is less smoother than the Non-Stick cookware.
  • Iron deficiency is fairly common worldwide especially among women so cooking food in a cast iron skillet can increase iron content by as much as 20%
  • Hand wash even before first use and dry immediately; rub with a light coat of vegetable oil after every wash
  • Allow cast iron skillet to cool completely before washing them in hot soapy water with a sponge using regular dishwashing liquid soap; it is not dishwasher safe
  • Its superior heat retention will keep your mouth watering food warm for a long time
It's a cast iron pan! It's inexpensive! I use it to hold heated lava rocks!

I bet you think I am nuts...who buys a pan to hold heated lava rocks?!?! Well, even YOU do if you want to make some awesome bread! When you are a crafty chef's apprentice, who is trying to up her baking game by practicing in the home kitchen, and you are tired of doing the cast iron dutch oven thing with your loaves (read about making sourdough on the internet; most folks place their shaped loaves in dutch ovens to make the crust get hard with the steam trapped in the dutch oven), you get one of these pans and a bag of lava rocks and make STEAM. What I do next is place the rock-filled pan (no water) in the bottom oven at 475 while I pre-heat it. Then I place the laove in the middle of the oven, cove the glass on the door with a towel, and carefully pour the water into the pan of rocks (which will instantly and violently boil the water), then shut the door and drop temp to 450. With this method you get a great crust, and dont have to have two more pans to clean up. Since this pan is purpose purchased, I never treat it, don't care if it rusts, and only wipe it down before reusing it the next time. The pan is wonderful for the task of steaming bread, as well as it would be if I continued seasoning it and made dinner or pan sauces in it...and I can always reclaim it with a piece of steel wool, because it is cast iron pan afterall. Don't ever be fooled into spending more than $40 for a great cast iron pan; they are all made of the same stuff...cast iron...and this one is $19.

Love The Cast Iron Life

What can I say, I love my cast iron skillet! This thing gives a nice charred flavor to meat, and is super easy to clean. I even baked a stuffed pizza in this last night with my wife. If you are not familiar with the cast iron ways then let me tell you, you are missing out. This thing cooks better than a Teflon pan, is easier to clean, and doesn't release harmful chemicals into your food. Other ways it differs from the Teflon pan is that it takes longer to heat up, but once it is hot it does a better job at distributing and maintaining heat. Here is how I keep my cast iron skillet 100%: After cooking, I forget about the skillet and let it cool. Once I remember it is dirty, I run it under hot water and wash away food debris with The Ringer (another great product on amazon, it's a stainless steel, mesh cleaner). This takes roughly 15-30 seconds, remember it doesn't have to be perfect (best part), you just need the food chunks off. After this I dry with a paper towel, pour (or spray) a little oil in the skillet and wipe around with the same paper towel. Last, I heat on the stove (med high heat) until it smokes and then remove from heat. This seasons and dries the skillet at the same time. Seasoning makes the skillet stick-free and prevents it from rusting. That is it! Overall it takes maybe 2 minutes of your attention to clean the skillet after heavy use. Do this and your skillet can last you your whole life and some, while constantly delivering the most delicious cooked food.

Every Southerner Should Own One.

I live in the south and you can't be a true southerner without owning a cast iron skillet. It took some time to break it in and get it seasoned perfectly, but not as long as I thought it would. This was not too heavy. I see some reviewers who complain about rusting. Read the instructions to avoid this. I was told to NEVER use soap. If you must wash it, use hot water and scrub it with salt. Dry it well, then place it on the stove eye on low for about 10 minutes. Then use a paper towel to add some oil or lard (preferably something with a high smoking point, lightly, all over the pan. Then place it in the oven (research for how long and the temp, I can't recall). Turn off the oven and leave it in for a few hours. No rust, no harsh chemicals, no peeling, and no handle breaking. There are many benefits to owning a cast iron skillet, including health benefits. This pan will last for decades.

I have been looking for something like this so I can use both my hands

Since I have problems lifting heavy objects, I have been unable to use my cast iron skillets. I have been looking for something like this so I can use both my hands. Now that I have this, I can enjoy cooking some of my favorite dishes. I would like to have a complete set. Oh my, now I've got the fever! Since it comes preseasoned, I won't have to wait to use it which I intend to do tonight. I'm baking some good ole crackling cornbread. Yummy! Now all you have to do is to get you one and enjoy!

As good as a Lodge (maybe even better)

I own this skillet, as well as a couple of Lodges and a Bobby Flay. Have to say this budget skillet is as good (if not better) than the more expensive ones. Properly seasoning before using (you definitely need to go through 2 or 3 seasonings before using) and cleaning are key. Yes, these pieces are “pre-seasoned,” but trust me, that is basic and definitely not enough. If you aren’t sure how to properly season, point your browser to YouTube and look for tutorials by The Culinary Fanatic or Cowboy Kent Rollins.

This is a very good size cast iron skillet

This is a very good size cast iron skillet. I always wanted to have one but was afraid that my wife would threaten me with it. She promised that she wouldn't and so far I have been safe.

Solid Quality Cast Iron!!

Let me preface this by saying I have been using cast iron pans pots and dutch ovens for years now ALL my cookware is cast. Most of it I inherited from my great grandmothers so these pieces have been in my family for years! I was skeptical of a new brand, I am not a fan of "pre seasoned cast" as a general rule the seasoning is always painted on and it leaves the housewives of today with a very un realistic expectation of cast iron. BUT this review is not about my general feelings about cast iron. haha. I had read some of the other reviews for this pan and I do agree with one lady the coating on the pan is a little rough, but that goes back to pre seasoned cast iron its all that way. Ladies and Gentleman these are NOT your teflon coated aluminum/ stainless steel/ trendy copper pans! These are CAST IRON heavy nitty gritty will scald your hands and sprain your wrists with their weight if you don't handle them properly. These are pans that your great grandchildren will treasure and these pans will make you a MUCH better cook IF you learn the difference between these and the others. The first thing I did when taking this pan out of its package is admire its weight. Its heavy and sturdy its a LOT bigger than I imagined it would be, I know the dimensions are listed but we ladies have been lied to about size our whole lives seeing is believing! ha I did wash this in a bit of dawn soap rinse it and promptly put it wet on the stove.... why? because heat drying is the KEY to cast iron care.... do NOT put a damp pan in the cabinet it will rust and no your dish towel will not dry these pans well heat them up.... thats the only way to make sure your not putting your cast in the cabinet to rust. NEVER and I mean NEVER PUT CAST IRON IN THE DISHWASHER. The second rule is never soak your pan submerged in water. If food is stuck on fill it with water maybe a tiny squirt of dish soap and turn the stove on. Cook it till the food softens and you can scrape it off easily.Yes you can scrub your cast but you do risk damaging the pan... the great thing about that is if you damage it it is always fixable. Don't toss your pan find a Facebook group for cast owners and ask in there how to fix if you think you've messed up. As for this Utopia pan I promptly seasoned it myself when it was done drying (follow the directions included except i use bacon grease and lard only on my cast but to each his own coconut oil would be sufficient as well) why? because like I said I am not a fan of the pre seasoning. I can tell this will be an amazing pan because I pulled it out of the oven 30 min ago and it is still warm to the touch.... why is that good... it tells me that this pan will retain heat from stove to table so my family won't eat cold food after grace AND that the metal used is quality. This pan will last in my house! I LOVEEEEE the handle on it... remember above where i said they will sprain your wrist, hopefully this pan won't as I will be able to carry it with two hands. Total thumbs up for this pan!! Update: I have used this pan for several meals now. Its getting a great coating on it and its been so awesome having the extra space in this pan... I can cook 3 grilled cheese comfortably in this pan if that helps you with the size. I cooked chicken in it one night and it did stick but so does all my other cast when I neglect the seasoning! The great thing about cast iron is stove, oven, or over the fire your food will be delicious! (ps if you cook over the fire scrub the outside of the pan with soap when your ready to bring it to the stove again or your hands will forever be black from handling the pan! haha learned the hard way)

What You See is What You Get

As far as quality, this is pretty much what you see is what you get. I think the most helpful thing here is providing some subjective input. The skillet is about one inch too big for my liking. However, I'm the dude that ordered a product without realizing that a foot in person is a lot larger diameter than when thinking about it. Truth be told, I'm probably just going to order another, smaller one to have as well. Cast Iron is the best. It comes preseasoned which isn't saying much. Just olive oil baked into the skillet. One should know how to properly season a cast iron skillet when one buys a cast iron skillet, so just remember after you do end up washing it.

One Star

Got mine with RUST on it as well. WTF. ***Update. The "rust" is no big deal. Clean it off. Made veggies and a tuna steak. Was fantastic.

Great purchase

Even though they said it was pre seasoned, I still went ahead and put a couple of my own layers on myself. (Coated with thin film of oil, turned the oven to 350' Placed skillet in oven for an hour. Cooled, repeated.). The first time I used it, it worked great, I prepared fried potatoes and they came out brown and crispy as only potatoes that have been fried in a cast iron skillet can. Cleanup was a breeze.

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