Lodge Cast Iron Grill Pan, Square, 10.5 Inch

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.

This grill pan is great! I live in an apartment but longed for the grill marks and enhanced flavor from an outdoor barbecue. I don’t have good ventilation either, so indoor cooking that produces too much smoke is not a good idea. I was originally looking at electric grill pans, but most of them had reviews indicating they broke down easily. I like my regular cast iron skillet so I gave this a shot. So far, I’ve made bratwurst, corn on the cob, different types of chicken, bacon and then caramelized onion after in the fat (for a quiche), eggplant, homemade ground chicken burgers with garlic and jalapeño, and zucchini. I’ve also taken it camping. Nothing has gotten stuck, and I only used cooking oil the first few times (the others were either naturally fatty or I used the drippings from fatty foods cooked prior, which really kicks food up a notch in terms of flavor). To anyone who hasn’t owned a cast iron skillet, or has gotten rust on theirs: DO NOT ALLOW THIS TO STAY WET. I mean, no air drying, no soaking, no “let me loosen it up by letting the water sit a while as I do other things and forget about it.” You MUST dry this pan thoroughly, and then coat it with oil (make sure the pan is warm). Also, don’t use soap!! One of the best things about a cast iron skillet is the “seasoning” that forms. Soap eats away at it and then: 1. You have to go through the trouble of re-seasoning it the “long” way by baking the pan in high heat, and 2. Your food will probably taste soapy. This is how I care for mine, and I’ve never had any problems (e.g. rust, cracking, etc.). It’s the same advice I got when I bought my first cast iron skillet, mixed with internet research, and it’s the safest option to ensure its longevity: • I let the pan cool down before washing it (sudden temperature changes aren’t good, especially cold water on a hot pan... this is called thermal shock and will lead to cracks/broken pans) • I use a dedicated silicone sponge that I never use dish soap on to wash it in warm water. I also bought the Lodge grill pan scraper because it makes clean up much easier than getting into each groove individually • I wipe the pan down with a paper towel • I heat the grill pan on the stove on medium-low heat until the remaining water evaporates • After the pan cools down a little (but while it’s still warm), I use a clean paper towel to rub oil ALL over it (it’s made of one piece of metal so you need to protect the entire thing, including the handle and reverse side) • I put it back in the cabinet and make sure never to store a damp/wet pot or pan near it Alternatively, you can use salt instead of washing it. I don’t use this method because it adds another thing I have to worry about buying and/or I’d use up my good salt, so I just find it easier to wash it. But some people swear by the salt method. You just pour salt into the pan right after cooking, allow it to soak up remaining food bits and oil, and then wipe it down and season with oil as described above while it’s still warm (or after you’ve reheated it). Tips: • olive oil has a low smoke point, which means it’s ill-suited for use with grill pans. Use an oil with a higher smoke point instead (such as corn oil or grapeseed oil) • don’t go above medium heat • be careful when handling it, as it retains heat for a long time and heats very evenly, which means the handles are hot! I got the silicone handle cover AND silicone pinching mitts and with those, I feel safe handling the pan when it’s warm/hot, but otherwise I would avoid it because the pan is heavy (especially for a woman) so you have to hold it tight and you’ll probably drop it if you don’t protect yourself from the heat • you can use metal utensils on it, but be careful not to scrape that precious seasoning off • don’t cook overly acidic foods in it because the acid will eat through the seasoning (such as tomatoes) • if your food is smoking too much, turn the heat down and/or reassess the type of cooking oil you’re using • do a thorough cleaning and season the pan with oil every time you are done using it for a while. (If I’m cooking different meals over a day or two, I’ll sometimes just keep using it with only a wipe down, so you don’t have to clean it right away, but don’t let it sit too long and don’t use too much oil when seasoning it because eventually the oil can putrify. And never, ever leave it wet!) If you follow these rules, this pan should last decades, and you’ll have a great seasoning on it whenever you cook. Do a little research on long-term care, such as when and how to remove and re-season the entire pan, and what type of oil you’ll like most, and you should love this pan.

Fabulous, American made quality crafted to last a lifetime! Excellent pan! We have used it several times since it arrived and it provides top performance. No cold or hot spots! Our food cooks evenly and the pre-seasoned pan cleans up beautifully. We have used it for chicken burgers (famous for sticking to pans!) but they did not stick to this pan at all and the grill marks are wonderful! We also cooked ham steaks in it and we roasted peppers too. Everything cooked perfectly! We have both Le Creuset and Lodge cast iron pots and pans in our kitchen. Lodge is economical and Le Creuset is expensive, but BOTH perform beautifully with absolutely no difference (other than the price). We would not trade our Lodge pans for anything! Perfect craftsmanship, quality and endurance every time. Great for grilling indoors any time, especially on rainy days when outdoor grilling isn't fun. Also great for camping! I would leave this pan ONE MILLION STARS if I could! You will not be disappointed! AAA+++

My pan arrived yesterday. Alerted to the manufacturing defects noted by some reviewers, I looked the pan over closely. I found three very small ones that were all on the handle area. They looked liked nicks, but actually were areas where the factory seasoning didn't stick. One was visibly starting to rust. The rest of the pan looked good. Since the hits were small and the pan otherwise was heavy and looked like any other Lodge pan, ( I own two others), I decided to keep it and try and re-season the areas. I cleaned and sanded the small areas and commenced to re-season the pan. So far, so good. I used the pan last night and it was excellent in performance. I've got 30 days to see what happens with ny repairs. The cooking side of the pan has a heavier glaze that the handle and outside. I noticed that the heavier glaze was accidentally spread up the handle a little. Not a functional defect, but a sign of lousy quality control. I guess Lodge is having some QA issues. I hope only with this model, since it is the low end of the Lodge line. I will report back as the re-seasoning develops. As for food sticking and the pan a pain to clean a couple suggestions. First, as others have said, season the pan before you use it. Even though it has the factory coating, before using it, heat it and rub some cooking oil all over it. Let the pan cool so the oil is absorbed, then wipe, and use. Start heating on med-low and ramp up as thew pan heats. Never start heating a pan on high heat. Always gradually work up. This, and a good re-seasoning should help the sticking. I take a micro fiber cloth and wipe the cool pan, then warm it up and wipe again. If you use a moist micro cloth to wipe the pan, which I do, then always reheat right away and remember to ramp the heat up instead of blasting it, and finish with a wipe of oil and a cool down.

Needed and wanted for many reasons. Has not disappointed. Had to be able to fit in sink to clean (I’m well schooled on how to take care of cast iron, so know no soak). Fits stovetop burner just fine. Made gorgeous seared pork chops with photo-worthy grill marks that did NOT overcook and beautifully released from pan without effort. Tonight, fresh Pennsylvania smoked thick bacon and, culinary highlight of our every Spring, wild Connecticut shad roe. Addendum: Several negative reviews by folks not familiar with cast iron warrant me saying ... 1. Cast iron is heavy. It’s solid iron. And the reason why it’s so great with heat distribution and longevity. 2. The magic of successful cast iron lies in its seasoning. And the reason why long soaking and powerful degreasing dish detergents, like Dawn, should be used sparingly, if at all. 3. Cast iron, no matter how well-seasoned, will rust anywhere humidity or water can permeate. That’s why the entire piece (even handles and exterior surface) needs to be protected by oil. 4. Cast iron is not meant for high temperatures. There’s no reason whatsoever to use a high temp other than to polymerize new seasoning. Steaks and chops can be cooked on medium or even low heat. Trust me. 5. Cast iron is robust, but will warp and even crack if subject to fast temperature changes, like suddenly submerging the hot pan in sink water. Once warped, only a sledgehammer can pound it flat again, if that. Never put a hot cast iron pan into water. 6. Trust factory or proper non-factory seasoned cast iron to release food easily when the food is seared. It really will. 7. Do resist using metal utensils, not because they’ll damage the cast iron but because they’ll scratch off the seasoning. 8. I’ve experimented with every oil in the world to season my cast iron, but have learned the best is bacon fat. Forget the grape seeds, high smoke points, and anything expensive or ‘artisan.’ And don’t worry about the seasoning ‘going bad’ — nothing live can survive typical cast iron cooking temperatures. 9. Lodge makes plastic notched scrapers for their grill pans. They work beautifully to get up any solidified oil and food chunks, and get into the grooves for cleaning. 10. Light rust over time is not a game changer, but should be dealt with if or when it appears. Lightly scrape area with stainless steel, copper, or spic and span pad, then rinse well, dry, and re-oil. Maybe pay extra attention to re-oil going forward. 11. Cast iron is infinitely more healthy to cook with than nearly every non-stick chemically-coated pan on the market. Non-stick pans are notorious for coatings that become downright poisonous over time or high heat.

You could pay a whole lot more for a different brand - probably 3 or 4 times as much. This pan is well priced and works just as well because it is heavy and holds the heat. Lodge is the best value out there and is always a solid buy.

perfect thickness, cooking ability, size and handle in comfortable, glad I bought this, will have this for years.

Edit 4-1-17: I've used this grill pan twice now. I've baked chicken breast and pork loin chops. Both meats were marinated in a sweet teriyaki sauce prior to baking so I consider that a good test. The sugar content in the marinade usually creates a bit of a mess to clean in baking pans. Not this pan. It was a dream to cook in and clean. I've gotten a little used to the weight and my husband helps when needed. As I stated in my original comment, I gave it a seasoning before ever using it. After cooking I let the pan sit while we eat. I DO NOT LEAVE IT SITTING WITH WATER IN IT. When it's time to clean, I put a little water in the bottom of the pan and bring it to a boil. Let it sit a few minutes to cool off enough to handle. Then I use the Lodge scraper to scrape away residue from the marinade. I put the pan in the sink and use my dishwashing brush to clean it with really hot water. Voila...clean as a whistle. Dry it WELL. Finally, I coat it with a very thin coating of olive oil and bake it in the oven on 350 for half and hour or so. Turn off the oven and let it cool and then hang it up. WONDERFUL seasoning on a pan I just purchased with little effort. I'll trade the extra weight for the amazing job it does cooking food and the ease of cleaning. Changed my rating from 4 stars to 5 stars. Would give it more if I could. My skillet arrived today. I'm starting my review today because I want everyone to know this thing WEIGHS A TON~!!! If I had known how heavy it was I wouldn't have ordered it. Now I'm elderly and in a wheelchair so, for me, it's not as easy as it would be for someone younger and fit. Just want people like me to know what you're getting. NOW...with that being said, it's a beautiful pan. It's well seasoned. I washed it because it's new and then I put a very thin coating of olive oil on it and baked it at 325 F for 30 mins. Came out great. Tomorrow night I make my first chicken breast dish in it. I have no doubt it will cook perfectly. If there are any issues at all I'll come right back and note them. Just wanted to let people know right away that this is a HEAVY pan.