Lodge Cast Iron Covered Deep Skillet - Pre-Seasoned Deep Cast Iron Skillet with Lid - Heavy-Duty Family Size Frying Pan for Braising, Sautéing, Grilling & Everyday Cooking - 5 Quart

Stack⠀OverflowUnited States

Goodbye Flaky (And Possibly Deleterious) Teflon Cookware

I got the Lodge Logic Cast-Iron Chicken Fryer when I learned that properly seasoned cast-iron cookware are an alternative to Teflon cookware. With the Lodge Logic Cast-Iron Chicken Fryer, I no longer have to contend with Teflon cooking surfaces that start to flake and lose their their non-stick properties over time. (Teflon 101: Teflon contains PTFE [Polytetrafluoroethylene], which the FDA finds to contain "insignificant" amounts of PFOA [Perfluorooctanoic acid], a toxicant and carcinogen in animals -Wikipedia. Insignificant amounts or not, I'm not taking chances.) Besides having a non-stick surface (which is PTFE- and PFOA-free), the Lodge Logic Cast-Iron Chicken Fryer has a lot more to offer: Heat Retention and Distribution ------------------------------- With cast-iron, heat is evenly distributed throughout the pan so you won't get hot spots that will burn your food. The excellent heat retention property of cast-iron also help to cook food quickly so more of the vitamins in the food are retained. Deep Sides ---------- I use the Lodge Logic Cast-Iron Chicken Fryer mostly as a regular pan. The deep sides (3-1/4") help to keep the stove top clean by acting as a shield to keep splatter from grease and bits of food from reaching the stove top. Durability ----------- The Lodge Logic Cast-Iron Chicken Fryer is a one-piece cookware with no joints or rivets. It is extremely durable under normal use. In fact, cast-iron cookware do oftentimes outlast their owners! Do note, however, that cast-iron pans DO crack when subjected to extreme temperature changes. So, be sure to let an extremely hot cast iron pan cool some before attempting to wash it. Non-Stick Surface ----------------- When properly seasoned, cast-iron cookware should provide a non-stick cooking surface. When I got the Lodge Logic Cast-Iron Chicken Fryer, I found that even though it came "pre-seasoned," it wasn't quite non-stick! The solution was simple enough - all I had to do was to "season" it some more. I did some research and found that your cast-iron is best seasoned with animal-based fats or other vegetable-based saturated fats because saturated fats are less likely than non-saturated fats to turn rancid. Non-saturated fats are also more likely to leave a sticky residue than saturated fats when baked. - Animal-Based Fats The most notable animal-based fat is of course lard. However, I was unable to find commercially available lard that wasn't hydrogenated (hydrogenation is a process used for making liquid fats solid or semi-solid and for increasing shelf life). If you want lard that's not hydrogenated, your best bet would be to render your own pork/bacon fat. - Vegetable-Based Fats Non-hydrogenated Palm oil and Coconut oil are both saturated vegetable oils that are readily available in the natural foods section of most supermarkets. The use of Coconut oil, however, is discouraged because coconut oil has a strong flavor and will impart a tinge of its flavor on foods cooked in cast-iron cookware that have been seasoned with coconut oil. I used Spectrum Organic Vegetable Oil (which is actually just 100% palm oil) to season my Lodge Logic cookware. - The Seasoning Process Rub only a *thin* and even coating of fat on the cast-iron pan and bake the pan in the oven for an hour. Remember, more isn't better - I had to learn this the hard way. I applied too much of the Spectrum Oil on my first couple of coatings and found that the baked on oil became very sticky. I had to scrape out the sticky coating with a wooden spatula and start over. So, go easy on that coating of oil/fat! I had to repeat the seasoning process 6 times before my Lodge Logic became seasoned. - The Seasonedness Test A good test of whether your cast-iron cookware is truly seasoned is to cook an egg with it using no oil whatsoever. If the egg doesn't stick to the pan, your cast-iron pan is seasoned. Conclusion ---------- The Lodge Logic Cast-Iron Chicken Fryer is a very good alternative to Teflon cookware and should last a lifetime. Once seasoned, it is perfect for healthy fat-free or low fat cooking. Highly recommended!

JennUnited States

Love this pan!

I was really worried that it would come cracked or chipped. It came in perfect! I've been working on building up my cast iron collection and getting rid of my Teflon pots and pans. I really love that this one comes with a lid as well. What made me choose this one is I already had a 10 inch lodge pan but I was only able to fry about 3 chicken legs at a time...which pushed dinner time further and further back. My hubby wanted to buy me this one to speed up time so he didn't have to wait longer to eat. :-) To clean it: Since it came pre-seasoned. My first meal in it was fried chicken. Came out great. I use coconut oil for all my cooking/frying needs. So once the chicken was done. I poured out the coconut oil (into a container) and while the pan was still hot...wiped it down. Then added fresh, clean coconut oil all over (inside, out and on the handle) of the pan and then let it cool off. So far so good. No scrubbing needed since I take the food out and wipe it down, as soon as the food is done cooking. I just made Manudo last night...did the same process and it came out great. P.S. I use this and my other Lodge Cast Iron on my electric glass top stove. No scratching, since I don't move the pan around. I always make sure the glass top stove has nothing on it and there is nothing on the bottom of my cast iron before setting it down. To keep the cast iron pans from scratching each other up (while stacked). I use some old diaper stuffers that I no longer use on my son (yes I bleached and stripped them, before hand). I bought the stuffers from Green Mountain Diapers (Cloth-eez Prefold Diapers - Organic - Size Large). Since they were so expensive (even at a bulk discount)...I'm trying to get all my money's worth out of them. They wick any moisture that might be left behind, from the cast iron. So I don't have to worry about any rust building up on them! If you are scared to use them because of them rusting...don't be. This one is a big investment but if you need something cheap to practice with. I recommend the Lodge 3 Quart Cast Iron combo cooker. That was the first one I started with (that the one that only allowed me 2-3 piece of chicken at a time). Best of luck!

Rick VUnited States

Lodge is superb quality, but watch for price fluctuations.

Background you can skip We started on a journey of replacing the Calphalon / Cephalon / Tefal / and Stainless potts and pans that we accumulated over the years. The reason is that the non-stick stuff, over time, comes off and who knows what it really does to your body long term. The cast iron pan we received of my mother, already 35 yrs old when we received it, was an eye opener as nothing stuck in it and it was glorious to cook in. So we decided to go pan by pan and build up a full "site" of cast iron pots and pans. We've tried various brands, initially, thinking "cast iron is cast iron". WRONG. The smoothness of the surface, quality of the seasoning, fit of the lid, even thickness etc are all critical in making something GREAT cookware versus a horrible failure. Lodge has been a winner in every category of cast iron cookware for us. At this point we have a complete cookware collection and 90% is Lodge and we love it. The trick with cast iron? Read up on directions on how to cook with and hot to properly clean. Too many people ruin the seasoning by not understanding how to care for it. If the seasoning ever gets sub-par or you make a mistake: re-seasoning is very easy with any oven and some cooking oil. Here's the good: - perfect thickness of iron - deep even and eternal seasoning: we have yet to re-season any of the pans after several years of intense use - smooth cast iron surface. The combination of seasoning and smooth surface make for virtually non-stick cooking, be it crepes or sunny side up eggs. Works great! - lid of this item fits precisely - Handle on pot as well as lid: its heavy - can withstand very very high heat, unlike non-stick. Great for over use - Keeps heat very long so dinner doesn't go cold in seconds On the downside (we're nitpicking on the first): - heavy to handle, so not great for older people. You can get a serious wrist workout from handling these - Amazon seems to have a crazy price band for this. Bought mine in the low thirty bucks and today, when writing this review, its 88. Nutty. Watch and time your purchase as it goes up and down and thats just not cool.

MauriceUnited States

This is my favorite cookware I've ever owned.

Because it's cast iron, the heat distribution and cleaning easiness won't be as good as a copper pan. However, it's simple, sturdy, and does basically anything you'd want it to. Here's my care process. CARE: I initially seasoned it with avocado oil 5 times. (Light coating across entire pan, baked in the oven for 40 minutes at 500 degrees. Cool. Repeat 5 times). This was a lengthy process but worth it for an initial layer. Otherwise, I clean it with a soft brush or a pan scrapper if necessary. I use a small amount of dish detergent (just enough for a light lather), rinse it clean, and throw it back on a hot burner for a minute before applying a light coat of Crisco or avocado oil. Wipe off excess oil. Turn burner off and let cool. It's a little bit of work, but this pan is versatile, indestructible, safe from plastics, and affordable. I hardly use my other pans except when making sauces or small single portions. Also, this pan is HEAVY. Use two hands with potholders.