Irons Reviews

Believe me, I dearly wanted this pan to work out. It costs well over $100. However, no matter what I did, everything I cooked in this pan stuck. I tried using it without greasing it, greasing it with oil, spraying pam on it, putting ghee/butter in it etc. The following things all stuck: pancakes, eggs, hamburgers and chicken. In fact, every thing I tried, stuck. Also, the shape was strange as most of the surface area was off the heating surface. Also, they have this 1" label on the bottom that was hard to get off. I finally did but once I cooked something, when I turned the pan over there was a microscopic film of glue from the label that I wasn't able to get off and it had turned brown. Ugggh, this was the worst cooking experience of my life. Needless to say, I returned this pan...

Le Creuset's grills, woks, and frying pans come with a textured black enamel that needs to be "Seasoned" like tradiitonal cast iron. There are instructions in the product pamphlet as to how to do this. Basically after removing the stickers using a warm water and soap soak and drying the pan, the pan is coated with a thin layer of vegetable oil with a paper towel and heated at medium heat until the oil smokes. Let the pan cool, remove the oil with a paper towel, and repeat two or three times. A surface "patina" builds up that is quite non-stick. From now on the pan can be cleaned with a moist towel. In the case of burned-on food, a brief soak in soapy water works well. As the pan is used the patina continues to build. Le Creuset's omelete pans do come with silverstone non-stick if you like non-stick. The textured enamel works well and is stable at higher heats than non-stick coating. I own a Le Creuset Wok, a square grill pan, and three frying pans with this textured finish and I find that they work fine after being seasoned this way. I also own a Le Creuset Omlete pan that has a good non-stick coating. This pan work fine for delicate foods like egg and pancake preparations. The textured finish pans work well for grilling meats, stir fries, and other hardier preparations. If you use good non-scratch silicone or nylon tools in your Le Creuset wares and a small amout of PAM or a little oil spread with a paper towel you will have no problems.

If I could have located something similar here in Singapore I could have saved the $100 shipping charge to get it here. The box was over 1 meter long so when it went through the trans-shipment service I use it turned the $21 rack into a bit of an expensive few bits of steel. Otherwise, it does what it's supposed too and looks good on the wall. Maybe shipping box size could be included in the description?

All Lodge cast iron pots and pans are TERRIBLE!!! Even pre-seasoned ones don`t have smooth surface, it`s all rough and uneven and food sticks no matter how hot the pan and oil get. After it sticks you have to clean them thorouhgly and seasoning comes off... then you have to season them all over again - almost each time. Cast iron MUST have smooth surface - and also it doesn`t have to be that heavy to be good. I used to have cast iron pans, and they were so much better - not that heavy and rough... Very bad quality!

I order this, figuring it would be large enough for a couple of steaks, chops, or paninis. Though this is a 10 inch pan, the actual grill area is only big enough for one moderate sized sandwich.

Also, the seasoning doesn't seem as good. The 12 inch skillet I bought was well seasoned and deep black (I wish Lodge made a round Pro Logic grill this size). This pan is very ashy, though I am sure it will season up after some use.

This has become my favorite pan! The key to a good grill pan are the Grooves: they must be Deep in order to work right, preventing the food from sitting in its own grease. This pan has 'em, and they work. The heavy-weight construction does indeed create even heat across the surface. And as long as you give it a quick shot of spray oil (like Pam), there is minimal sticking; and it is the sticking that creates nice seared grill marks! I've used mine for a year, and it looks like it could last for ever...