Getting rid of our Teflon pans had been a priority for us when we moved into a new house.  We deal with allergies and other sensitivities so making our new home as non toxic as possible which included the things we ate off of has been a large process.

We had a 6 set Teflon pan set that we recycled and picked up several Lodge Logic cast iron pans.  I had never cooked with cast iron so I invested in the 10.25 size.  I find that it’s great for a small chicken, turkey sausage and for casseroles.  However, in my opinion it is to small for large batches of bacon and 5+ pieces of chicken.  We ended up buying a larger one for larger batches of food.

My favorite ways to use this skillet is to sauté vegetables in it first and then pop it into the oven to bake frittatas, quiches and casseroles.  I noticed right away that sautéing food in the pans is a lot easier because they don’t stick, even with using a very small amount of olive oil.  The pan heats evenly which makes it great for frying but I’ve only friend chicken in it once since it’s not really part of our diet.  I love that I can bake with it and have been experimenting lately with baking breads in the pan.

Because it’s cast iron if the pan is filled it can be heavy to pick up.  I usually leave it to my husband to pour out liquid (the skillet has two lips that allow for drainage) or to take put a stuffed roasted chicken out of the oven.  It also gets very hot so an excellent thick pair of oven mitts are necessary if you need to handle the skillet.

Cleaning this pan is easy, it’s recommended by Lodge Logic to use warm water and a stiff brush.  It’s not recommended to use soap, which breaks down the seasoning that is built up on the pan.  I thought this would gross me out but actually if I immediately clean up the pan, nothing gets stuck on it.  It’s also important to dry it off as soon as possible and we spray it with olive oil before storing to preserve the seasoning.  I made the mistake when I first got the pan of turning it upside down while we to dry and a few days later there as a little bit of rust forming.  After a scrub down it was back to new condition so I always dry it, spray it will oil and then store in a cool dark place. 

I purchased this skillet on Amazon.com but have also seen it at big box stores like Walmart and Target.  They are slightly more expensive at these stores and sometimes Amazon runs sales on them.  After using this skillet I ended up buying two bigger ones to accommodate larger recipes.  It’s easy to use and clean and well worth the money.

Tiffy0380
2012

Recommended: Yes