Maybe it's just me, but I much prefer to find an old well-seasoned cast iron skillet at a thrift store than buy a new one from Lodge. I've had great luck finding some beautiful pans by Griswold and Wagner that way. They aren't cheap, but are often of better quality than Lodge.

our stovetop griddle is a Lodge, as is my enamelware dutch oven. no complaints whatsoever with either item.

I love my lodge but sometimes when I cook fish in it the smell stays no matter how hard I scrub.

Any advice?

have you tried cleaning it with kosher salt?

This post comes at a great time-I need a 10 inch cast iron pan and I wondered about the company. Thanks!

Love cast iron cookware & the yummy memories of cooking with family as a child. I was in charge of making the cornbread (baked in a skillet & the corncob mold). I inherited some items. Lodge is a great product.

There's also a Lodge factory store in Tennessee! I may be a little biased, but this Tennessean loves their products.

Glad to hear people like Lodge because I just used a Target gift card for a 12" skillet. I am, though, having some trouble with food sticking to the cast iron. Will that work itself out the longer I use and oil the pan? I'm really attracted to the durability and quality of cast iron, but I'm wondering if there are any basic tips that I should know.

@bubble, vintage cast-iron is always better than new because it's had so much time to season. In time my Lodge pan will be just as good quality as those old stand-bys. And I love it in the meantime!

LOVE my Lodge products. Great money-saving tip for you ... order your Lodge from Amazon.com because the savings is amazing ANNND the shipping is free (if you order $25 of eligible items). Yessss, that's right - they ship hhhheavy cast iron cookware F-R-E-E!! If you want to see the cookware in person first, go to Cracker Barrel b4 ordering from Amazon. Here's the Lodge I ordered from Amazon 3 yrs ago (love it!):

Grill/Griddle (stovetop reversible)
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-16-Inch-Cast-Iron-Griddle/dp/B00008GKDQ/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1262974352&sr=1-8#productPromotions

Large Skillet (12 in. with 2 handles)
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-12-Inch-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet/dp/B00006JSUB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1262974352&sr=1-1

Costco sells Lodge cast iron at a savings, too. I bought this pre-seasoned Lodge Dutch oven for $25 (they were $50 elsewhere) a few years ago!
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-Pre-Seasoned-5-Quart-Handles/dp/B00063RWYI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1262974352&sr=1-2

I hope that this helps someone.

Gvinton, glad you like your pans. I was talking about a difference in metal quality, not just the seasoning. But really, to each his own.

lmf2113, I am envious for 2 reasons: I would love to shop the factory store. Plus, I have lots of family in Memphis (where I was born) & in Nashville. My family moved north when I was a toddler; but, we returned south often as I grew up. Love it there! :-)

@Kelly Jeanne - Yes, definitely keep using it and seasoning it (oiling/greasing it) after use. Don't wash it with any detergent or soap. It will become more and more nonstick!

Thanks, EmmaC!

Kelly Jeanne, the Lodge site has tons of tips. Plus, the staff were very helpful the time that I called with questions. The pan temperature, amount of oil & timing of adding the food all make a big difference when cooking with cast iron ... & yes, you will find it's non-stick properties improve with age.

Also, whenever I cook anything messy in cast iron, I sprinkle coarse Kosher salt on the pan as soon as I finish cooking in it if I cannot stop & clean it right away. I have a few dark-colored towels set aside that I use for cleaning & drying my cast iron. There are times when I do need to use soapy water to clean it; but, I always rinse & dry it completely & then put a thin coat of oil on it afterwards so that it won't rust. If your pan ever gets rusty, don't toss it ... just scrub the rust away with steel wool & reseason it. That info is on the Lodge site as well. I made the mistake of storing some cast iron in my basement briefly; so, I will have to do this myself this weekend.

After getting a 10" pan for x-mas were are up to 3 cast iron pans. (12" 10"[lodge} and a little 6") The 10" and 6" need some more seasoning but the 12" is pretty good.

I had it for a few years before I really started to use it consistently. Now it's a few times a week at least.

Perrrrrfect timing! I just bought a Lodge 10" cast iron. I'm so glad I made the 'right' choice. I haven't used it, yet. I'll admit, I'm a little nervous about it, but I'll pull it out soon.

Here's a dumb question: do most of you long-time users use it as your main pan? As in, have you turned your back on your other basic (teflon) skillets? Or, do you just use it for certain types of recipes/foods?

Curbappeal, I use my cast iron for everything but the acidic dishes (acid reacts with cast iron and gives the food a metallic aftertaste) and eggs. So tomato sauces get cooked in a stainless steel pan and eggs -- in a non-stick omelette pan. Other than that, cast iron is great for everything, including pies and cornbread.

I have one of their skillets and love it, and I got one of their enameled dutch ovens for Christmas and will getting it in the mail soon. I'm hoping it's as wonderful as the skillet!

If you already have a number of stainless skillets and pans, is there a distinct added benefit to buying a cast-iron pan? My stainless skillets are ovenproof and dishwasher-safe. I also have an enameled cast-iron dutch oven from Target.

I love the Lodge item i decided to purchase a year or two ago--the dutch oven whose lid is a 10 inch skillet. definitely in my top 5 favorite and most used items in the kitchen.

@heather77, yes, I love my stainless & enameled cast iron cookware, too. My cast iron griddle/grill is a favorite of mine for everything from grilling lamb to making pancakes. I favor my cast iron skillet for frying (i.e., fish, zucchini, etc.), baking cornbread & making quesadillas.

I have two Lodge skillets and I absolutely love them. They get more and more non-stick over time as the seasoning builds up, definitely. Nothing sears a steak (indoors) like those guys.

I also like buying from an American company. Recently I have seen a lot of food celeb endorsed cast iron products (I'm looking at you, Emeril but there are others) in home goods stores that are made in China. There is nothing wrong with Chinese products, but we have one of the best cast iron producers here in the states and they're very reasonably priced!

lifeabundant no need to dry your cast iron with a towel! Simply heat your wet pan on low heat on the stove until the water evaporates. Dries more thoroughly than a towel.

heather77 one benefit to bare (vs. enameled) cast iron that no one has mentioned is that bare cast iron leaches trace amounts of iron into the food you cook in it.

Just made a panini sandwich using the 10" ridged skillet (sometimes it's called a grill pan, the ridges are inside on the bottom). Lay the sandwich in the lightly oiled pan and place another heated skillet on top to weigh it down, cook on medium heat until the first side has toasted grill marks, then rearrange and grill the other side. Also perfect for grilling sliced marinated portobello mushrooms- for said panini!

Customer service from Lodge is fantastic. The dutch oven I owned developed chips in the bottom. I emailed them and sent a few pictures of the damage to see if it was covered under warranty. They sent me a mailing label to send it back and shipped me a new one a week later.

My Lodge pans are the work horses in the kitchen. I know people say not to cook tomato sauce in cast iron, but I have been making mine in the cast iron dutch oven for 20 years (? really, has it been that long? sigh...) and have never noticed any kind of metallic taste, ever. I use these pans for everything except fried eggs, and thats only because the pans seem too big for just a few eggs. Guess its time to get a smaller one.... I just got an enameled cast iron dutch oven (not lodge) just because it is so pretty...wonder if I will use it as much.

And, I don't know why, but I just love that you can buy Lodge pans at the hardware store!

But if you cook your tomato sauce in a cast iron pan, you will increase the iron levels in your blood. Easy way for women to raise their iron levels without supplements.

Lodge makes great stuff.

I'm trying to convince my whole family to drop Teflon. They had lots of questions about cleaning skillets, getting rid of the fish smell, seasoning cast iron, etc.

I made a website to try to answer all those questions for my family and friends, but maybe it will help someone here:

http://www.derekoncastiron.com

Plenty of cast iron recipes, too!

-Derek

I have been cooking in cast iron for 30 years, and want to make a few points for those of you asking questions.
This is my own advice -- not totally in sync with the perceived wisdom:
1.) Don't worry about all the advice about avoiding soap and water -- use dish soap and a scrubber (not metal) when you need to, but,
2.) ALWAYS dry completely by putting over a hot burner or in a warm oven, and
3.) Periodically renew the seasoning by rubbing with shortening, unsalted butter or grease (not oil), and heating upside-down in a hot oven for a few hours.
4.) Cook lots of bacon in your skillet.
5.) MOST IMPORTANT, NEVER put cast iron in the dishwasher.

As you use your cookware, the finish will become more non-stick, but you can always make it easier to clean by adding a little warm water immediately on removing the food. If you do this, you can probably get by with the recommended swish with a scrubbing brush, but as I said, I find that scrubbing in normal soapy water is fine as long as you dry with heat and renew the finish now and then.

Someone asked if a stainless user also needed cast iron, and I would say yes, I'd rather have the iron pans than the stainless, for the seasoned finish and the thermal mass to provide good heat retention. Maybe I am just missing out, but I have never known stainless steel to have any of the seasoned, non-stick qualities of cast iron. I love stainless steel for saucepans, and cookie sheets, but not for skillets, fry pans, dutch ovens, stew pots, etc.

I cannot imagine that a stainless steel skillet would ever work as well for searing a steak (cast iron can be heated to smoking and can hold heat well), or for frying bacon and eggs (cast iron finish keeps bacon from sticking, and eggs do fine cooked in the same pan). Can someone more experienced with stainless steel weigh in on this point?

I am also wondering if I should get an enameled dutch oven. I have a cast iron dutch oven that I love to use for no-knead bread, for long-simmering soups, and for pot roasts. I can't believe that the enamel would ever hold up the way the plain iron cookware does. I think my cast iron dutch oven is older than I am. Wouldn't an enameled one be full of chips and cracks and stains by that (unspecified) age?

Hey Deb from Indiana,

Great advice. (especially the bacon part). Totally agree on the soap and water... As well-seasoned pan can easily tolerate a little soap now and again. Cast iron is nowhere near as fussy as folks make it out to be.

I also agree that a stainless steel user needs cast iron. Cast iron is the only safe nonstick cookware in my opinion. Stainless is great for when you WANT your food to stick--so you can deglaze it to make a pan-sauce--or for things like boiling noodles, making a white sauce, etc.

Enameled cast iron is great for high-acid recipes like marinara sauce, tomato-based soups, chilis, etc. But, yeah, it will break down over time and chip or crack. Should still last a few decades with proper care (but not generations, like bare cast iron).

Hope that helps!

-Derek

Thank you for all of the responses to my question about the merits of cast iron vs. stainless. It sounds like a Lodge or other pan might be in my future.

I have the Lodge cast iron round griddle and very large skillet. While I love both now, I was not impressed with the seasoning initially. Now they both have that black sheen of nice, well seasoned cast iron.

I love the large skillet to cook items and transport them immediately - things stay hot.

If you buy a Lodge item, the first thing you should do is cook something extremely fatty in it to help build up the seasoning - like bacon (beef or pork, not turkey), hamburgers, or steak. I wash my items in hot soapy water, but immediately dry the items and put them back on a warm burner.

I would love to get a lipless round cast iron griddle (like my mom's). If anyone has any recs please post!

@joydreamz, here is a link to a round cast iron griddle on Amazon for $16 (eligible for free shipping):
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-Pre-Seasoned-2-Inch-Griddle/dp/B00008GKDN/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1263324457&sr=8-13

Make sure that you scroll down on that Amazon webpage to see links to similar griddles on other websites.

It appears that all of those griddles have a tiny bit of a lip on them. I have seen people cook on the underside of cast iron skillets (tortillas, etc.), too; so, try that if you want no lip at all.

I recently decided to purchase an enameled cast iron dutch oven. I bought the Emeril Trinity Pot and it was terrible. The enamel chipped in 6 different places after one use. I promptly returned it. I then purchased the beautiful green Lodge enamled dutch oven for about half the price and I LOVE IT. I've used it many time with no chipping. It's great for stovetop or cooking in the oven and it cleans up like a dream. I think the quality of Lodge is far better than most of the celebrity chef endorsed cookware lines.

Just to fill in one part of this (excellent) review, I had one brush with Lodge's customer service.

My mother passed to me a Lodge Reversible Griddle / Grill and, after 6-8 months of use, the grill's seasoning flaked off and began to rust. I asked them for advice as to how to maintain both sides of the oven; they had an answer for me ASAP (—I messaged them at 3am, they responded at 8:30am…not that I was awake to receive it). They were helpful and informative.

@heather77

Cast iron is the way to go if you're cooking thicker cuts of meat indoor (meaning not on the grill). You need a really heavy pan to sear and cook the meat properly. Thinner pans will cool off too much when the meat is placed on the pan. The thick cast iron will retain a lot more heat so you will get that nice brown caramelization on both sides of the meat without it becoming tough.