Universal Housewares Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron 15 Inch Skilletbestusa

This is our first cast iron skillet. The wife and I had been lurking around, watching some cooking shows and the ol' cast iron skillet came up over and over again. Time to get one. I bought it for a Christmas present for her last year.

I don't do anything half a$$ed. I bought the biggest and baddest one out there. At first, my wife was like "Oh %$#@, that thing is a monster!" However the more we've used it, the more we decided that the size is fantastic even just for 2 people. Try blackening 4 salmon filet's on a 10 or 12 inch skillet. Not gonna happen. How about a whole bunch of breakfast potatoes for the overnight visitors? Pour the hole bag into this baby. Heck we just cooked some scallops and an almond encrusted trout in it side by side tonight, both turned out spectacular.

Just figure that this pan is not one you want to put away in a cupboard, and take back out again every night. This is a pan that will live on top of your stove and will often get raised... Read more

I was so excited to get this pan. It's very heavy and huge! It's well seasoned, and exactly what I needed. One major flaw for me, though. The pan is not flat on the inside, and all the oil will go and puddle on the sides. it's higher in the middle, and the food or oil on the sides will cook well, but the middle will burn. I'm not able to fry anything, which is what I bought this for, because unless I'm using a whole bottle of oil, the oil will pool only on the sides. It's fine for other cooking, but disappointing!

I read the reviews for the Lodge brand skillets and they were mixed. It sounded as if the newer ones cracked under the heat.

So I found this one. It's great, and cheaper than the Lodge one.

I was looking for something better than a wok. Woks are useless on normal American kitchen stovetops. They are made for deep fire pits that they use in China. We need to use a flat-bottomed, cast-iron pan to get high heat for stir frying. I made some awesome Thai stir fry with this pan.

It's heavy, but that's what you need. Use a pot holder for the handle. You can get those silicone sleeves that stay on the handle.

It's pre-seasoned, so things don't stick too much. When you're done using it, don't scrub it with soap and water - that will remove the seasoning. Just rinse it, wipe it, and rub a little oil all over it. Don't leave water in it, or it will rust.