LodgeCast Iron Skillet with Red Mini Silicone Hot Handle Holder, 8-inch

This is the first small cast iron skillet I’ve used. It’s great, there’s nothing like cast iron for cooking. I like it’s being pre seasoned, as seasoning cast iron isn’t something I like doing. It’s a perfect piece of cookware. The silicone grip isn’t worth much, so be careful.

If you're in the market for a high-quality cast iron skillet, the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet with Red Mini Silicone Hot Handle Holder is an excellent choice. This skillet is beautifully crafted with attention to detail, and it offers outstanding performance that's sure to impress.One of the first things that caught my eye about this skillet is the attractive red mini silicone hot handle holder. This handy accessory not only looks great, but it also provides a secure and comfortable grip on the skillet, making it easy to handle even when it's hot.But the real star of the show is the skillet itself. The Lodge Cast Iron Skillet is made from high-quality cast iron that heats evenly and retains heat well, so your food cooks to perfection every time. The skillet is pre-seasoned with vegetable oil, so it's ready to use right out of the box, and it only gets better with time as it develops a natural non-stick coating.What I love most about this skillet is its versatility. It's the perfect size for cooking a variety of dishes, from scrambled eggs to cornbread to seared steaks. And because it's made from cast iron, it can go from stovetop to oven to grill with ease, making it a truly versatile kitchen tool.Overall, I'm extremely impressed with the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet with Red Mini Silicone Hot Handle Holder. It's a beautiful and functional addition to any kitchen, and it's sure to become a go-to tool for all your cooking needs. If you're in the market for a high-quality cast iron skillet, this one is definitely worth considering.

TL;DR version - The skillet is awesome, it cooks everything from dutch babies to searing meat without any sticking or hot spots. No kitchen is complete without a cast iron skillet.------Now that's out of the way, if you haven't cooked with cast iron you're missing out, and you've also got a lot to learn, so here's a crash course to help figure out if this skillet is right for you.Advantages of cast iron:* cast iron has a high density, thus is retains heat extremely well* it's great at distributing even heat* properly seasoned cast iron can perform with the best non-stick pans* they are built to last longer than you, many are passed down generation to generation* you could rearrange a home intruder's face with a good swing of a cast iron panDisadvantages of cast iron:* unseasoned cast iron will rust quicker than you imagine* takes longer to heat up than your nonstick or steel* will probably crack if thermally shocked or dropped* they are heavier than any other type of cooking vesselA lot of the disadvantages of cast iron are easily addressable with a bit of common sense. First and foremost, cast iron has to be completely seasoned. This means the cooking surface, the bottom, the handle, everything. The good news is, this is pretty easy to do and the more you use the pan the better your seasoning gets.Seasoning your cookware:There are many discussions as to how to properly season cast iron. A recent post on lifehacker sums them up best. Basically what everyone agrees on is the vessel is covered in a layer of fat, and is put under high heat until the fat polymerizes. You let the pan cool, and repeat until you have multiple thin layers of polymerized fat. The discrepancies are what type of fat to use, the baking temp/time, and the best practices to maintain your seasoning.Traditionalists will argue that lard is best, because that's the way it always has been done. I've seasoned with bacon fat, and I'm a big fan of it. It satisfies the inner animal in me and makes me feel I'm cooking in the manliest way possible without putting a whole animal into a fire - not that I'm insecure about such things. I've also seasoned with vegetable oil, and found that it produces almost identical performance that lard does. The food science crowd suggests using flax seed oil, because it polymerizes easiest. I haven't had a chance to try seasoning with flax seed oil, but it's what I plan on doing after my next move in a few months. Another point to bring up, is that cast iron used to be offered polished and unpolished. The Lodge skillet comes unpolished, meaning it has a textured surface. I think before I do the flax seed oil seasoning, I will likely use a dremel/sandpaper to smooth the cooking surface purely for aesthetic purposes to flaunt that I take care of my cookware. Polished cast iron does offer the benefit of more exposed internal pores, so the seasoning sticks better, but I've never had an issue seasoning so this point is moot.I've done both high heat and medium heat for seasoning, and I find that the hotter the oven the better the seasoning. If you fail to season above 350f, you will likely end up with a browned pan that is slightly sticky because the fat didn't form a polymer, and will make you leave an unnecessary low star Amazon review and never know the benefits of cast iron. My suggestion is scrub the skillet with steel wool and soap until the water runs clear and you're sure there's no soap remaining on the cast iron. Dry the skillet completely, and cover with oil; make sure you get the handles, bottom, and top. Place a cookie sheet below the oven rack to catch any drips so you don't burn the house down. Heat the oven to 400f to 500f and put the skillet in there and bake for an hour - not including the preheating time. Putting it in a cold oven may be unnecessary, however this is the thermal shock downfall I mentioned earlier. It's better to get into the habit of avoiding massive temperature changes so you can pass the skillet down to your children's children. After the hour, shut off the oven and allow the skillet to cook down. This initial seasoning layer isn't quite ready for primetime, if you were to cook something with tomatoes, lemons, vinegar you could very well screw it all up because of the low PH reacting to the thin layer of fat polymer and possibly penetrating all the way to the cast iron. Too much science for me, so to be on the safe side if I'm going to be using the oven with temperatures in excess of 375f I make sure the cast iron gets another layer of fat and gets re-seasoned. Usually after about 3 or 4 trips to the oven, it could withstand just about anything.Now that you're seasoned, how do you not screw this up? First and foremost, I use metal utensils on it because it inevitably makes it easier to clean if stuff isn't stuck to it for very long. Providing you're not trying drill for oil through the pan, the polymer should be hard enough to not flake off and ruin your day. Next, make sure you invest in a large thing of salt. I don't think it's anything chemical about salt that allows it to clean the pan, but it's an edible scouring powder. I've read that because we generally don't use dish soaps that contain lye, they should be gentle enough to use on cast iron. I cannot confirm or deny this, because I find just using salt and a bit of oil to make a paste works just as well. Get a paper towel and polish down the dried bits of food until it resembles how it started. It may not have the same shine, but you should be completely drying the skillet and applying a real thin coat of oil to it. There's your shine. It's important to continuously use the skillet to maintain the coat. This doesn't mean every night, but treat yourself to a steak for dinner or pannekoeken for breakfast once a week - your skillet and taste buds will thank you.

I bought the larger size Lodge cast iron stove after buying the smaller one. However, this seasoned pan started to rust after I washed it the first time. O did not have that issue with the little pan.

Bought for shower gift for my son n he loved it.

I made a small case to store my skillet in. The skillet should last for 100's of years if looked after. Follow these 7 steps as a guide. 1/ Wash the skillet using boiling water and a wooden spoon, but make sure the skillet is HOT, if not hot the cast iron will crack!! 2/ Do not place skillet in the dishwasher, or use soap or detergent, as this will ruin the pan's coating.3/ Do not use paper towel, use a lint free cloth.4/ Thoroughly dry the skillet. 5/ Apply a light coat of avocado oil to the inside and outside of the skillet. 6/ Buff to remove any excess oil.7/ Store the skillet in a dry place.

We love this pan. I got it to make omlettes. It has become the most used item within a month.

Muy buena calidad de este sartén, envió rápido, lo único malo es que necesito uno más grande pero Amazon México no lo tiene disponible solo por otros vendedores que tienen un envió muy caro, tendré que buscarlo en eBay.

Use this to cook steaks on the stove. The steaks taste fantastic and I can't wait to cook other meats on the pan.

Es muy grande y resistente, de los mejores sartenes de metal que he tenido, muy buen precio y la entrega a tiempo. Gracias