Lodge LCS3 Cast Iron Chef Skillet, 10-Inch

Solid, high quality cast iron pan. Being that cast iron pans can last more than a lifetime (literally! I have a Sidney Wagnerware pan from the 1920s that I also use often & I'm a 31 year old male). When I was shopping for a new cast iron I wanted something special. That's why I chose the Rosie the riveter 2020 design. Not only does it signify something very important, but (hopefully) in 100 years when a future family member is cooking with this pan, it will be very easy to tell just how long ago this pan was made. Now on to the pan itself. This is a classic lodge product, high quality, attention to detail and one of the few cast iron cookware that are not made horribly in china, or cost an arm and a leg from Europe. Finishing is smooth for todays cast iron, although not as smooth as the stuff from yesteryear. I gave 2 stars for heat distribution and 3 for "easy to clean" only because this is cast iron- cast iron does not distribute heat, it holds heat, choosing the right sized heating element is a must for even heat distribution with cast iron. Cleanup is easy, but ONLY if you know how to care for cast iron (and it is well seasoned). Mostly I just wipe mine out after use, using the lodge plastic scraper for more stubborn residue (such as scrambled eggs- fried eggs require just a wipe with a paper towel). Properly seasoned cast iron is incredibly non stick. If you are new to cast iron, don't be discouraged, but do keep your mind open to learn. Once you get to know cast iron, you will NEVER go back to horrible non stick pans. I LOVE my cast iron and won't touch a nasty aluminum pan ever again (most Teflon, etc pans are cheap aluminum pans coated with a non stick coating, even those "blue diamond" or ceramic pans!) One more thing, I highly recommend adding a few additional coats of seasoning once you receive the pan- my go to is flax seed oil (I use the 365 brand from Whole Foods). Wipe the pan down liberally with the oil, then wipe the residue with a paper towel. Bake upside down @ 500f / 260c for 1 hour so the oil smokes and hardens. Let the pan cool & repeat (or if you use heat proof mits you can take it out and do it while its hot and go straight back in the hot oven)

Lodge cast iron is great, and I would highly recommend it for anyone shopping for cookware. That said, it requires some work to keep it working at the highest level. Lodge's cast iron is great at holding heat, and has good heat distribution. It is also one of the few pans that I feel comfortable using on any heat source: from gas, to induction, to a cast iron stove, or even a camp fire. If you remember the cast iron pans from your parents days, though, this is not the same. Old cast iron was machined smooth, so maintaining the glossy, non-stick surface was easier. The new (past 20+ years) Lodge stuff comes fresh out of the casting with bumps on the cooking surface. These bumps require use to smooth out, although a solid seasoning will make a huge difference too. Lodge advertises these as coming pre-seasoned, and they aren't wrong, but it isn't a strong seasoning like one that builds up over time. You can speed up the seasoning process at home though, using flaxseed oil and your oven or barbecue. If you have a gas barbecue and infrared thermometer I'd highly recommend that route, as a proper seasoning gets really smokey, and the smoke will fill up your kitchen if you don't have outdoor venting for your oven. The best material I have found for seasoning is flaxseed oil. It is available in large quantities for a good price on Amazon, Nature's Way Flax Oil Super Lignan, 24 Ounce . The trick is to wet a cloth or paper towel with flaxseed oil, and then rub it over the pan to create a thin, glossy coating. After you have a thin (doesn't run) glossy coating, toss the pan in the oven or barbecue and let it heat up to about 500f, leave it for an hour, then let it cool for two hours. Repeat this process 3-6 times depending on what thickness of coating you want, and you will have a cast iron pan that is as slippery as teflon. This process is expected to smoke a lot. For day to day maintenance, never ever soak your cast iron, and don't dishwasher it. Use a green kitchen scrub pad if required and a light rubbing. You don't want to wear off that seasoning you worked so hard to put on! Before you put your cast iron away, I would recommend heating it pretty warm to evaporate off any water left from cleaning so it won't rust. Many people recommend putting a light coating of oil on it before you put it away, but personally I do not do that. Once you have your well seasoned pan, you'll love cast iron and likely never go back to teflon for daily tasks! Grilled cheese on a cast iron frying pan is something else!

I've been married for almost six years now and have been doing the majority of cooking for about four years. I've owned a few cheap non-stick pans when we were super-poor, bought some decent non-stick pans when times were looking up, some stainless pans that were hand-me downs, and I've replaced them all with a couple Lodge cast iron pans. I managed to destroy a couple non-stick pans by overheating them or scratching them or looking at them funny. I had never used a cast-iron pan but after a little research I realized how nice they can be for not much money. Seriously, this pan cost half the price of some of the "better" pans I had bought. It comes pre-seasoned but I realize that it will take some work and time to get it really well seasoned and truly non stick. The fist couple uses I did nothing but cook bacon, caramelize onions or crisp up tortillas. Nothing too fancy just to get used to it and help break it in. Bacon wanted to stick initially but moving the strips around as I set in helped lubricate it and once the fat started to render out there as no problem with sticking whatsoever. After about 10 or so uses it's much more non-stick than it was and I'm sure it will just get better. What I wasn't prepared for though was how much heat retention this pan has. Once it gets hot it stays hot and for a long time. Food cooks faster because of that. I'm used to putting food in a hot pan and immediately losing a bunch of heat. This thing stays hot and cooks food FAST. I've had to adjust my cooking temperatures and times a little bit to re-adjust. Overall though, with a little bit of re-learning I wouldn't think about cooking with anything else now. I'll probably pick up a second one because it's so cheap and indestructible.

Growing up we used cast iron. I learned to cook on it and thought it was 'the best' until non-stick came out - they touted non-stick as the greatest cooking item to ever arrive. 20 years later ... here I am returning to cast iron. I remember it was virtually non-stick once you learned to use it right. 1. Make sure your pan is good and hot - very hot and heated through. THEN add your oil and let it get hot - then add whatever it is you want to cook. 2. Don't start moving the food right away...let it cook a bit and THEN you can start moving it around. 3. When you cook meats - their will be 'fawn' in the bottom of the pan - add a bit of wine, chicken stock or water to 'deglaze' the pan and it makes a bit of pan juice to add over your meats - delicious. 4. When the pan cools down a bit, wash it with a stiff bristle brush and hot water and set it on the stove to heat back up and swish a paper towel with oil over the pan to keep the non-stick properties of it. 5. I only use a silicone spatula on my cast iron - it works great! REMEMBER - REMEMBER: HOT PAN, COLD OIL HEATED UP, FOOD WON'T STICK! This size is great for 1 or 2 people. When I make a stir-fry I cook the veggies first, put them into a bowl and then do my meat and sauce and put it into the bowl of veggies and stir when done (for 2). Or if 1 person this would work to stir-fry everything at once. Meats turn out wonderful on cast iron...it enhances the flavors somehow. The pan juice is awesome! I am very pleased with this pan and have used it every day since receiving it last week.

I love this little cast iron skillet. Prior to owning this pan I had only really ever used inexpensive non-stick pans. Since I have purchased this I can count on my fingers the number of times I have used those since and that was only when I needed a larger or second pan but that's no longer going to happen since this pan convinced me to buy a Lodge 12" as well. I have made everything from pancakes to chicken to over easy eggs in this pan and it has been perfect every time. I make sure to treat it right by adding some vegetable oil to it with a paper towel after washing with warm water every time. The pan is nice and slick now and easy to clean with nothing more than hot water, a sponge and a little elbow grease for a few little baked in spots. I love the way this pan gets hot on my crappy apartment stove. My stove was notorious for having hot spots in my cheap-o non-stick pans (which actually per pan cost about as much as this). I can now cook with ease and even heat. The sear I can get on chicken or a pork chop and the even fluffiness of a pancake I can get with this are fantastic and I am far from a great cook. It you see this baby for under $20 grab one and you won't regret it for a second. I do recommend grabbing one of the silicon handle covers though as that makes life a lot easier. The only thing I will say is that if you are cooking for more than 2 people then consider the 12" which can fit 4 chicken breasts versus 2 a bit tight in this.

Bought this after moving into a new place because my old roommate owned all of the cast iron in our kitchen. So this review has as its point of reference a very old, very well seasoned cast iron skillet of the same size (brand unknown). Pros: -Great price -no apparent durability issues -The second handle opposite the main one is a big plus -Good non-stick properties after just 2 seasoning cycles. Cons: -The sides are rounded- more so than apparent from the picture. Not a deal breaker for me, but it could be an important factor for someone who regularly bakes in a skillet (pizzas, biscuits, cornbread, etc.) - can't quite compare to a skillet with 20 years of seasoning under its belt Full Review: In some ways, there is not much to distinguish cast iron skillets from one another, but certain subtle features can have an effect on the cooking performance and usability. For example, aficionados will tell you that what you really want is an old, used cast iron skillet. Older skillets were available with a machined cooking surface which would give you a much, much smoother starting surface on which to build your seasoning than a skillet that has just been cast. However, in order to get your hands on one of these today, you have to hit up thrift stores, yard sales, ebay, etc. to find the right used skillet. I have even seen a kickstarter campaign for a new machined cast iron skillet (with a few other nice features), but with a $195 retail price tag and a long lead time ahead, I decided that I would purchase an un-machined skillet and be diligent in my seasoning. Physical Features: The skillet is nice and heavy as you would expect. It includes a second handle opposite the main one, which is a very useful feature- a full skillet can be quite heavy and when it is full of piping hot food a little added stability is much appreciated. One issue that took me by surprise was how rounded the sides of the skillet are. A quick glance at the picture led me to believe that it would have straight sides like most other cast iron skillets. Whether or not this is a problem depends on how you plan on using your skillet I suppose. It's no problem for me, but for those who bake pizzas, cornbread, cakes etc. in cast iron it could be problematic. Non-stick properties: My biggest concern with getting a new skillet was how long it would take to build up a useful layer of seasoning. I did some searching and settled on the following seasoning method: I washed the brand new skillet with dish soap and hot water to remove any residual oils from manufacturing. This would be the last time that soap every touched the skillet. Next I coated the skillet with lard and baked it in a 200F oven for 3 hours, allowed it to cool slowly, wiping off some of the excess lard as it cooled. I repeated this cycle one more time. Since then I have only used hot water to clean it off. I dry it immediately on a stove burner, followed by a quick wipe with a paper towel soaked in vegetable oil. After just 2 seasoning cycles, the pan has a fairly nice non-stick property. I can easily sear steaks, chops, fish without any sticking and it handles scrambled eggs easily. I haven't given it the ultimate test of a cheese omelette cooked on high heat (and I'm not totally convinced it would pass), but it is more than sufficient for my purposes. Overall impression: This is a very inexpensive alternative to a nice, heirloom machined skillet. After $1.00 worth of lard and a few hours in the oven it is nicely non-stick. It will also last forever and, unlike nonstick skillets, will get better with age.

I know there's a gazillion reviews already, but having used Lodge cast iron cookware a gazillion times, I can't resist weighing in. If you're newly getting into cast iron, read a bunch of the negative reviews first ... and discover people who are truly (often innocently) clueless about the preparation, care and usage of timeless cast iron cookware. I have a bunch of Lodge skillets, a griddle, two Dutch ovens and a pot with a self-basting lid which happens to also fit one of my skillets as well as my new chef's skillet. I really wanted a skillet with rounded sides, mostly for an egg and omelette pan. At $15, the LCS3 is a steal, considering I can neither find nor afford vintage Griswold. Like all Lodge, it comes pre-seasoned, which simply means it has a coating of oil that prevents oxidation. This seasoning is not what makes it non-stick. How you cook with it does. Out of the box, I enjoyed the cathartic ritual of baking four more coats of oil onto the seasoning which turned it a lovely, shiny black. Then, I pressed it into service as a non-stick wonder. Some people complain about the "pebbly" texture of the pan, some even testifying that this is the reason food sticks ... wrong. Proper temperature and proper amounts of fats are the keys to cooking non-stick. The "pebbly" texture means nothing. Besides, with continued use, the "pebbly" texture will turn into a smooth-as-silk surface. All my Lodge has been used enough to reach this point (except, of course, this brand new piece.) There are a lot of great videos on Youtube that can teach you how to cook with and care for your cast iron, but I can sum it up in a jiffy. Always preheat your cast iron over medium / low heat first, until it lightly smokes. Lower the heat slightly. Add butter, oil or other fats that are room temperature or cold. Coat the bottom and sides. Add your food and watch it slide around. When finished, rinse with hot water; if you have fond in the pan, scrape with a nylon scraper and rinse away. Dry the cast iron on the stove top burner and then wipe down with a very light coating of oil. You're ready for the next use. (This coating will lightly smoke when it reaches proper temperature, indicating when to add your cooking fats.) Other than the initial wash-down out of the box, I personally do not use soap on my cast iron. Some people do. Avoid cooking with acidic foods and liquids like tomatoes or vinegars or you'll surely be re-seasoning your pan before you know it. Good luck, and good cooking. And remember the chef's maxim: "Hot pan, cold fat."

This was our first piece of Cast Iron cookware. Sadly we used it only a few times while camping and when we were home it sat at home unused while we used our non-stick pots and pans. We thought it was just our "camping" pan and it wasn't until we started buying only organic food that we decided to look into a healthier way to prepare our food. We narrowed it down to either Cast Iron or Stainless Steel. We couldn't decide which one to get, and when we used our "camping" skillet we didn't care much for it (since we knew very little about cooking with cast iron) We thought the experience we had with the pan was just part of the whole camping package and that the pan was just a means of survival while away from our modern conveniences. So, we ended up buying an All-Clad d5 Stainless Steel set from William Sonama. We spent close to a thousand bucks on this and justified this cost because d5 is after all supposed to be "Top of the Line." We used the d5 SS a few times and we weren't thrilled at all especially for the amount of money we spent. We then broke out our 10 inch trusty "camping" skillet and started really researching the benefits of using cast iron and looking into how to properly care for it. After learning all about cast iron we seasoned the skillet PROPERLY the first time since owning this fine cooking vessel ( I shouldn't even use the word properly because we hadn't even seasoned it at all yet since it was pre-seasoned when we bought it we thought we didn't need to) Anyway, after seasoning it we started using it and FELL IN LOVE!!! We had 90 days to return the All-Clad d5 set and we did as soon as we got the chance!!! Soon after we started adding to our collection of "camping" pots and pans... ONLY NOW WE USE THEM DAILY AT HOME FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, AND DESSERTS:)!!! We love all of our Lodge Cast Iron pots and pans!!!