VERY heavy. Lots of TLC required. Versatile. Multi-generational. Reasonably priced. Lodge seasoned CI-made in USA. First of all, for those of you who care about country of origin, rest assured that Lodge seasoned cast iron is made in the USA (the enameled Lodge cast iron however, is made in China). Before I delve into the review of this LCI, let me just warn my readers that CI is rather heavy! If you have arthritis or a weak arm and had, you may want to consider a lighter-weight cookware. Now on to the “meat” (pun intended) portions of this review… Cast iron is a forgiving but high maintenance mistress! She will forgive almost anything (even allowing her to rust!!!), but she does require a little TLC before, during, and after each use. The TLC she needs is: 1. Before using: season CI 1) Cast iron must be seasoned before any use; luckily, Lodge double seasons its cast iron so that customers may use the product right out of the box, but if you need to re-season the cast iron product, follow these steps: i) Scrub CI well in hot soapy water. ii) Dry thoroughly. iii) Spread a thin layer of oil (I like avocado oil, but vegetable or canola will suffice) over the CI (interior, exterior, handle, all parts). iv) Place CI upside down on a middle oven rack and turn on the oven and allow to heat to 550°. (PLEASE refrain from placing the CI into an already heated oven; the CI heat gradually in the oven as the oven works its way up to 550 degrees F) (1) ***NOTE: temperature depends on the oil being used to season (AO has a high smoking point, but VO and CO have lower smoking points; this means that if you are using VO or CO, you need to set the oven to 400 degrees instead of 550). v) Place foil on a lower rack to catch drips. vi) Once the oven temperature reaches 550 degrees, “bake” the CI for 50-90 minutes. vii) Turn off the oven and allow the CI to cool inside the oven. ***Reminder: temperature depends on the oil being used to season (AO has a high smoking point, but VO and CO have lower smoking points; this means that if you are using VO or CO, you need to set the oven to 400 degrees instead of 550). 2. During usage: use a “fatty food” the first time you use the CI implement. a. Personally, I love any excuse to fry bacon, so I always “break-in” my CI with bacon slices; however, there are many amongst you who are unable to partake in bacon for religious, moral and ethical, or environmental reasons. For those amongst you who cannot use bacon, cook a food that requires deep frying. b. Pre-heat the CI before using (every single time) or your food will stick and crumble i. NOTE: Although I ALWAYS pre-heat my CI for cooking, I rarely do so for cake-baking; for cake-baking I used a very liberal amount of my home-made pan release “goo” to fully coat the pan, and I pour the cake batter right into the pan; works every time! 3. After using: wash and re-season (NO, not the detailed steps mentioned above) a. After using the CI, and while it is still hot, wash using scorching (wear heat resistant gloves as to not burn your hands) water and salt (refrain from using chemical cleaners) i. NEVER wash in a dishwasher (OMG) b. Dry completely and thoroughly c. Spread a thin layer of oil over the CI (interior, exterior, handle, all parts) and place the CI on the stove top to heat for about 10 minutes d. Store CI in a moisture free environment i. NEVER store food in CI ii. NEVER store CI in fridge or freezer So that is the TLC required for a CI pan or pot, but there are still several things to keep in mind: A. NOT everything should be cooked in cast iron! (1) Avoid cooking acidic foods in CI (yes, it is okay to finish the dish with a small squeeze of lemon (not when skillet is hot) or a few drops of vinegar, it is okay to add tomatoes and tomato paste to the dish you are cooking, but it is NEVER okay to stew tomato prolonged periods, deglaze with vinegar, or lemon juice to foods while they were still hot on the skillet) (2) Avoid (at least in the beginning when your cast iron is still getting TLC) sticky foods (fried eggs, omelets, pancakes, scrambled eggs, fried rice, crepes, etc.) as they will definitely stick to your CI; this is not to say that you will not eventually be able to fry eggs or make crepes on your CI, I do all the time, but you will need to have reused and reasoned you CI many times before it becomes fully non-stick. (3) Avoid cooking delicate fish (flounder, tilapia, etc.) In CI because the delicate fish will not tolerate the heat retained by the CI (an asset when searing steak) and will fall apart when flipped. (4) Avoid (particularly before your CI becomes super well-seasoned) using the same pan for savory and sweet as the CI does retain flavors; in other words, using the CI to bake a vanilla cake immediately the day after using it to make garlic chicken may make your vanilla a tad too garlicky! (5) Avoid using CI to cook foods that require lengthy periods of simmering, boiling, or steaming as the lengthy simmering, boiling, or steaming will strip your CI of its hard-earned seasoning. Are you still reading? If after reading the previous portions of this review, you are concerned about the TLC necessary to maintain CI, then I really recommend you consider other cookware options. (Caphlan non-stick is a viable alternative); if on the other hand, you are still reading, then you are not dissuaded from investing in CI cookware, and I am glad of that! There are numerous benefits to cooking and baking in CI: 1) Cast iron is extremely sturdy and is very difficult to ruin. (If you do ruin a CI pan, you can restore and reclaim it!). 2) Cast iron heats up evenly and retains heat incredibly well, which makes CI excellent for searing meat, baking corn bread, making pies, baking crusty bread, etc., and for keeping food warm as you serve it! 3) Cast iron is healthy; yes, that is true! During the cooking process a trace amount of iron is absorbed into the foods, and when the foods are consumed by you, you are getting some iron into your system (a healthy by-product of CI cooking). 4) Cast iron is quite versatile. You may use CI for almost everything (you make slow cook a lamb leg to perfect or make a three-layer birthday cake for your daughter in CI). Additionally, CI goes from cupboard, to stove-top, to oven, to camp-fire, and to dinner table! Talk about versatility! 5) Cast iron is of heirloom status; it lasts for generations! I personally have a huge collection, and I plan to bequest my CI to my daughter (it shall be written in my will-not kidding). So, to re-cap: CI is a rather heavy type of cookware that offers great versatility, heats evenly, retains heat well, requires pre-seasoning and re-seasoning, and is multi-generational. And, of course, Lodge is an excellent CI brand. Lodge was founded in 1896 and is one of the very few remaining companies that still produce seasoned CI in the US (in the Lodge foundries in Tennessee). Lodge products are sturdy, versatile, heirloom-quality, and of course reasonably priced (as compared to the more expensive companies). I have been using CI (especially Lodge) for two and one-half decades (yes, ¼ of a century) now, and I will NEVER use anything else! A purchase of Lodge CI cookware and bakeware is a very sound investment indeed! **If you found this review of use, please “like” using the thumbs-up button below. Thank you. **If you would like to read more of my reviews (when I post reviews), please select “follow” button below. Thank you.
