At 58 years old I grew up using iron cookware and prefer to cook with it whenever possible. I have spent as much as $150 on a top name brand "non-stick" skillet only to be donated a year later to the thrift store! ~Never again.

I needed a new skillet and decided to go with another iron skillet and purchase this one from Amazon. It arrived in a couple of days and in perfect condition. As with all my cast iron I treated it the same way out of the box. I scrubbed it with hot water and coarse kosher salt, rinsed, then set on a burner and turned the burner on low, then gradually increased the heat until fully dry. While the pan is hot, I take a little bit of Crisco Shortening (about a tablespoon) and drop it in the pan, using a pasty brush I spread the melted shortening over the full interior surface, then I take a paper towel and wipe out any excess (but not too dry you want it to have a slight sheen to it), then I rub the outside of the pan, including the handle, sides and bottom. *note* Do this every time you've used your cast iron cookware, and you will never be disappointed in its performance.

NEVER - Use soap or detergent on your iron cookware you'll ruin the seasoning with soap. If you do have a sticking when the pan has cooled add hot water only, allow to soak for about 15 minutes or so and clean as usual. Properly cared for your cookware should last your lifetime, be virtually non-stick and extremely low maintenance.

NEVER - Allow your cookware to air dry. This will cause rust and you will most likely need to scrub with steel wool, rinse, dry and re-season and you may to repeat this process many times to return it to a desirable condition.

Iron cookware can crack if exposed to extreme temperature changes / hot to cold. Food should never be stored in iron, it is for cooking and serving from within a short time period only.

I hope my long winded review/comment has helped in some way. I love my iron skillets. I'll be back for more pieces.

I love this skillet! I've used it on the stove:gas and electric(on glass tops do not drag this skillet on it, it will scratch the glass) as well as over fire outdoors. I've owned it for 8 months now and it still looks as new as it did 8 months ago. Make sure to research how to clean your cast iron cookware and always heat them up to evaporate any surface moisture after cleaning before oiling. I've made many different foods in this, Utica Greens, bacon, eggs, steak, pizza...etc. All have come out perfect. Be aware this skillet is huge so make sure you have room to store it and it is also heavy...About 12 pounds I think, so my wife does have trouble moving it, I also need 2 hands to carry the sucker especially when its loaded with food! I would say I would buy this again, but I see this skillet lasting for ever!

These are awesome! Same high quality as my larger Lodge skillets in a cute individual size. There's just something more fun having a dessert made just for you. So far we've made cookies and brownies in our miniature skillets, topped with ice cream, hot fudge or caramel, and whipped cream. The kids got a huge kick out of it. Besides desserts, these are the perfect size to cook one egg in the shape of a biscuit or an english muffin to make your own breakfast sandwiches.

This review is for the 6.5 inch mini skillet, but the information below may apply to any size. The mini skillet is adorable and beautifully crafted. The dimensions can be deceptive, so here is a photo to give you an idea. The mini skillet is the perfect size for two fried eggs.

This is my first experience with cast iron, so I did a lot of research before buying and using. I read all the other reviews about how to season the pan correctly.

When the pan arrived, I decided to try it, using the original pre-seasoning. I fried two eggs with a bit of butter, and the eggs cooked perfectly and slid right out of the skillet.

That's when I noticed lots of little black specks all over the back of the eggs. At first I thought it was little flecks of iron from the skillet. I called Lodge customer service, and learned that the black specks were actually bits of the pre-seasoning and safe to eat. I threw away the speckled eggs and decided to season the skillet myself.

Following expert advice, I applied a thin layer of shortening and baked the skillet at 500 degrees for one hour. The first cycle produced a beautiful black, shiny coating. Several coats are recommended, so after cooling, I added another thin layer of shortening and baked for another hour at 500 degrees. This time the coating felt sticky. Instead of a nice shiny black, it had a slight reddish tint.

When I tried to fry eggs after the second seasoning cycle, the eggs were stuck to the skillet and impossible to remove.

The problem was that I used to much shortening during the second cycle. Be sure to use a small amount and wipe off any excess shortening.

Looking back, the original pre-seasoning was just fine. There was really no need to reseason the pan. Just be ready to toss out the first batch of eggs if you see speckling and don't want to eat it!

Update: Six months later, the skillet is smooth as glass once again. It's a joy to use. My favorite little skillet! Hope you will like it as much as I do!

I really love this cast iron 10 inch skillet from Lodge! I debated for a long time whether or not purchase one, For me, a purchase like this is about an investment, and I want my investment to last a long time.. I also really like the fact that this is made in the USA. American made products are just not easy to find anymore. But really, the proof in the quality of this cast iron was obvious when i made sweet potato corn bread and baked it in the oven in this skillet. It came out so nice and brown and moist. I'm enclosing pictures, so you can see the nice way it cooked the corn bread on both the top and bottom of the bread. Sorry, the pan in the first picture is a bit oily looking....I had cooked in the pan and then washed and oiled it. If you like this review, please click the helpful button under the review. It helps me to know if my reviews help people.