Others say...

"SMOOTH TOP STOVE OWNERS BEWARE!!"
I wanted a cast iron skillet for years, but when I finally got this one (which is outstanding in workmanship & quality), I found out cast iron & a smooth top stove are not a good combination. My treasured cast iron skillet is now in good hands though; it was donated to my son-in-law/chef, Rob. Enjoy!!

"The Best Skillet you will ever need!"
This is my favorite pan, and I don't even use my stainless set anymore.
My family absolutely loves this pan too! We don't camp anymore, but use this as our everyday pan. It's wonderful for just about everything.
Highly recommended!!!

"Basic and perfect!!"
I teetered back and forth between this one and the larger size, thinking this might not be big enough. I'm glad I chose this one. It's huge, and, well, how much is there to say about a chunk of iron that you heat up and cook stuff in. I assume anyone reading this review has already read up on the cooking properties of iron, yadda yadda yadda, so I won't bother. I will say that this perticular skillet appears to be very well made, the walls are an even thickness and the burrs left grom the forging process have been cleaned off nicely. I looked at a 10" skillet in a department store that was $40, made in Malaysia, not pre seasoned and appeared to have been made in a garage. No comparison. Buy the Lodge. The free shipping and quick delivery give Amazon an extra star as well.

"I was skeptical"
I kept hearing the statement that cast iron was "the original non-stick pan".

I used this pan to cook some eggs after I bought it with horrible results.

Then, I started cooking meats (steak pork chops, etc) in it. What a difference that made in my pan! The more I used it after that, the more everything slid off of it like it was made of glass.

This pan has a permanent spot on top of my stove now. What's more, it's the most reliable pan I have that goes from stove-top to oven, and back.

The other great thing about it is that you can bring it along with your dutch oven on your camping trips to cook over an open fire/coals.

As far as the heft (weight) of this thing goes, if anyone doesn't understand what cast iron is all about, they shouldn't be buying it. The biggest reason for that heft is heat retention. There is NOTHING better!

If they made the handle any longer, it would have the tendency to break, and then everyone would complain about that. I doubt that anyone complaining about the handle ever thought about that.

"A must for most kitchens"
I've had my Lodge Cast Iron 12" pan for about 8 years now. I use it primarily for burgers, steaks, fried chicken, pancakes and cornbread (I don't make eggs and I bake my bacon). It goes from stove-top to oven back to stove-top without issue.

This thing gets heat and holds it. You are not going to be able to adjust the heat quickly by fine-tuning the burner. Well, you can heat it up OK, but just turning the burner down is not going to stop the pan from being hot. Only time will do that - like with other pans, only this pan takes a lot longer to cool down. (Quick tip - since this can potentially be a hazard, it's a good idea to wrap a washcloth or tea towel around the handle while it sits on the stove-top cooling off.)

Kawakami's 2-star review asks some good questions - and, so you know what camp I'm in: I used canola oil and high heat to cure mine; I use salt and oil to clean (water only hits the pan when I put in a tablespoon if I'm heating it up on the stove; when the water evaporates completely, I know it's ready for a burger); if the weather's not too warm I'll toss it in the oven at 500 to heat it up (too hot to do that in the summertime); I'll use tomatoes but only if I'm cooking them for 5 minutes or so; I've used wine in a reduction; and when I put it away I pour in a little canola oil, rub it all over with a towel or rag, then put 2 paper towels in and store it under the oven - and I have had no problems at all. No rust, no cracking, no flaking, no stripping of seasoning. Nothing.

It's great for searing, grilling, pan-frying and as a griddle. Its density makes it great for thawing flat cuts of meat, and its heft makes it a workable stand-in for "chicken-under-a-brick" if you find yourself without bricks. You can take it camping with you, if that's your thing (keep an old tennis racket cover around for that), and use it for 3 meals a day over a fire. This pan is a workhorse!

I would advise not relying 100% on the pre-seasoning, who knows how many hands it's passed through, what those hands touched, or if the coating given at the factory is sufficient? Instead, give it a quick scrub once you get it home, and then cure it like any other new piece of cast-iron. I did this with my pre-seasoned 10-inch pan, and have had no problems with it.

Another great thing about this pan - it's inexpensive! This is a pan that, if you're even considering trying, you can spend less than twenty bucks and give it a shot! If you don't like it, someone within your circle of friends should be happy to take it off your hands. I had a 5 qt. Lodge cast iron dutch-oven. I then obtained a porcelain enameled 6-qt one, and had no room to keep both. I put the old one in the basement of my building with a "free" note attached - and it got snatched up in 5 minutes!

Cast iron can't do everything, but it does a lot, and I highly recommend adding some cast iron cookware to your kitchen.