12 Inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet Review

I am writing a 12 inch Lodge cast iron skillet review today. I used to use nonstick cookware a lot and now I am using cast iron, stainless steel, and carbon steel cookware.

This is what I own for cookware. I have a carbon steel wok to use to cook fried rice and stir-fried vegetables. I have a few stainless steel pots in small, medium, and large sizes to use for steaming food or cooking pasta for example.

I pretty much leave all my nonstick cookware in storage for collecting dust. I really don’t know what to do with it other than throw it away in the trash.

I don’t know when I made the switch to using cast iron cookware from nonstick. I can tell you it was quite long ago. To be honest with you, back then I didn’t even know how to use and take care of cast iron and carbon steel cookware at first. There is a learning curve for using it.

These are the things you will experience if you don’t know how to use and take care of the cast iron cookware. You will experience food sticking and becoming rusty with the pan or skillet.

Once you know how to use and take care of them, you will have use for a very long time with these cookware.  Click here to jump ahead to read how to use and take care of the 12 inch Lodge cast iron skillet.

I also own a 9 inch Lodge cast iron skillet. Actually, I am not the one who bought it. It was my hubby who did it. He only used it once and let it sit in storage to collect dust. And then I started using it. So I guess it was my hubby who got me into switching from nonstick pans to cast iron. 😂

By the way, you can get the 9 inch Lodge cast iron skillet by clicking here. Personally, I think it is too small to be used for cooking for 4 people and that’s why I bought the 12 inch skillet.

Features

There are a few benefits I would like to mention of owning a 12 inch Lodge cast iron skillet from below. I would also like to mention the food that I made from the cast iron skillet tastes a lot better than from a nonstick pan. Of course, that is my opinion.

Oven Safe

You can put the skillet in the oven up to 500 degrees according to the manufacturer. I have read some other users used even more than 500 degrees.

I really like the idea that I can put this skillet in the oven. I do have a few recipes that require stove-top cooking and then bake in the oven to complete the cooking.

Sometimes I use this 12 inch pan to make homemade pizza in my oven and I can also use it to bake pre-made frozen pizza bought from the store.

Use On Grill And Campfire

This pan can not only be used on the stovetop. It can also be used on a grill or over a campfire. That means it doesn’t have to be indoors.

It can be used outdoors on a grill as well. This will come in handy if you need to make food with liquid in them on a grill.

This will also be nice to take with you if you are on a camping trip. All you have to do is build a campfire and use something to hold the pan over the campfire and then you can start cooking delicious food.

Use Metal Spatulas

This is not a nonstick pan so you can use metal spatulas for stirring your food. I like using metal spatulas and I don’t like the idea of using plastic and wooden spatulas for nonstick pans. I just didn’t like having to worry about making scratches to the pans.

When using nonstick pans, sometimes I forget to take the plastic spatula out of the pan and it starts to melt. I really hate it when that happens. I don’t want to eat plastic and nonstick coating with my food.

If you don’t want to hand wash your metal spatulas, you can just buy a stainless steel spatula and just drop it in the dishwasher. Click here to check one out.

Made In USA

Does it matter to you where the product has been made? For me, I don’t really have a preference as long as that product is working as it is supposed to be.

I do know there are a lot of people who prefer products to be made in the USA and I am happy to tell you this cast iron pan is made in the US.

For once, it is NOT made in China but in the US.😂 This pan has been made in the state of Tennessee since 1896. That’s a lot of years already past. It is a good idea to support products made from the place where you live.

12 Inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet Video

Where To Buy 12 Inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet?

You might be asking where to buy the 12 inch Lodge cast iron skillet. You can either buy them at your local store or online.

I bought mine at my local Walmart when I was doing my grocery shopping. Lodge is a pretty popular brand for its cast iron cookware.

Most of the local stores will carry it like Walmart, Target, and Krogers. The only thing you need to check is if your local store has it in stock for the sizes that you want to buy. To save the time from searching for it, you can just buy it online.

You can get the 12 inch Lodge cast iron pan with a silicone hot handle holder by clicking here for a few more bucks than without it. When I was buying mine I didn’t have that option to choose.

So I just chose what was available to me. It might be a good idea to get it with the holder. When you touch the handle, your hands will get burned if you are not using any mittens when the pan is being used.

It happened to me a few times when I wasn’t thinking and not getting used to it. Now, I remember using my cooking mittens to hold it.

One of the things I like to mention is that the red silicone handle holder will melt if you leave it on the handle for too long when the skillet is being used.

It is not a good idea to do that. You might want to slip it on only when you need to use the handle. That way, it will protect your hands from burning and your holder won’t melt.

What’s In The Box?

This 12 inch Lodge cast iron skillet doesn’t come with a box. So there is no box but you might get a shipping box if you are buying it online. You will only get the 12 inch skillet.

12 Inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet Review

Here is my 12 inch Lodge cast iron skillet review. I am giving it a 4.5 rating since it is so darn heavy. This skillet weighs about 7.5 pounds on my scale. As you can see it is pretty heavy.

Sometimes, I need both hands to carry it to my sink for clean up. I feel like I’m doing my exercise workout with it. 😂

I could have gone with a 15 inch skillet but since the 12 inch is already 7.5 pounds then how am I going to lift up a 15 inch skillet?

To be honest with you I didn’t even season the pan before the first usage. All I did was wash it with dawn soap with a sponge and rinse it off with warm water.

Of course, I dry it thoroughly. I used a paper towel to dry it and then heated it up on my stove to dry it more. Sometimes, I rub some cooking oil on it.

✅ Pros:

• Cheap and affordable.
• Can last for a very long time.
• No eating chemical coating.
• Can use a metal spatula for stirring and flipping food.
• Pre-seasoned with soy based vegetable oil with no chemicals.

❌ Cons:

• It is so darn heavy.
• Hand wash only.
• The skillet will become rusty if you don’t dry it after the clean up or leave the skillet uncleaned for too long.
• Food will stick to the pan or skillet if you don’t heat it long enough with cooking oil before flipping.

Bottom Line

✅ Bottom Line: This is a great skillet that I have been using. The buying price is reasonable and you don’t have to spend a fortune on it. This pan could last you a lifetime of use. If you don’t mind the skillet is heavy and hand washing it then I recommend you get it. Click here to buy it or read more reviews from other users who have bought it.

How Do You Take Care Of The 12 Inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet?

A lot of you might be asking how you can clean or take care of the 12 inch Lodge cast iron skillet. I think this is a very good question if you are a brand new cast iron cookware user.

Cast iron cookware does not work the same as cleaning stainless and nonstick cookware. Stainless and nonstick pots and pans don’t need to dry after the cleaning and you can just let it air dry.

On the other hand cast iron pots and pans do require you to dry them immediately after you finish cleaning them up and you can’t have it air dry.

By doing so, your cast iron pots and pans will rust. Carbon steel pans work the same way too. If you don’t want them to be rusty then you have to dry them with a lint-free towel or paper towel.

If you want your cast iron pan to be shiny rub a little bit of cooking oil on it after you have dried it. This way it will prevent it from rusting.

How To Clean Lodge Cast Iron Skillet?

Here is a video showing you how to clean a Lodge cast iron skillet. It is pretty short under 1 minute.

How To Restore Rusty Lodge Cast Iron Skillet?

The first thing you would do is throw out a rusty pan, right? I suggest you not do that with cast iron cookware. If you find your Lodge cast iron cookware is rusty, you can do the following steps from the below video to restore it.

It will save you some money by doing it instead of throwing it away. Once you have restored it be sure not to let water get into it again and dry it thoroughly.

How To Make Food Not Stick To Cast Iron?

No matter whether you are using a cast iron wok, pan, pot, grill, or others, you should follow the below steps to cook your food.

The trick is to heat up your cast iron pan and then add cooking oil. That’s the trick that I always use for my cooking with cast iron and carbon steel cookware to keep food from sticking.

• Heat up your cast iron cookware first.
• When you start seeing smoke coming up then add your cooking oil.
• Wait for a little bit for your cooking oil to be hot.
• Add your food like meat, fish, and eggs if that’s what you’re making for example.
• Before turning or flipping your chicken, for example, let it cook for a few minutes and then make the turn. If you make the turn from the instant you put your food in the pan then your food will most likely stick.

What Are Your Thoughts On Using A Cast Iron Skillet?

Will you be getting cast iron cookware or do you already own one?