Others say...

"Enamel Cast Iron-great for glasstop stove"
i am really pleased, overall with my purchase. well worth it. i originally wanted a le creuset, but it didnt seem cost effective. this cast iron skillet is wonderful and a great price. the only warning is that if you are using it for some time, the handle does get hot, so be aware of that! also, sometimes it doesnt seem to clean up completely, but when i use it again and wash, it comes out clean. so no staining or anything has been noticeable yet. i let it soak for a little while but because its cast iron, it should be washed soon and dried immediately. however, i have left it in the sink with water in it over night and it didn't show any signs of rusting, probably because of the coating on the surface. it isnt nonstick, so i use olive and canola oils generously, but i dont have to worry about chemicals like that from nonstick cookware, getting into my food. if they made a larger one, i would purchase that one too. i bought a splatter screen for when i am cooking bacon and such as it has no cover. oh,and i do have a glasstop stove. no problems, but definately be careful when placing it on the stove, its a heavy skillet. i use both handles. the second one was a great idea from whoever designed it. if you purchase a different brand make sure it has a handle on both sides. you will be thankful in the end!

hope this helps everyone...and the blue color is really pretty.

"Good pan"
Pretty good pan. A lot easier to maintain and keep clean than a traditional cast iron pan. The "white enamel" style fry pans are more non-stick than this with liquid items like eggs. The "satin enamel" finish in this one, which is a rough cast iron type finish with a dark gray enamel coating, tends to stick less on solid items like steak and bacon.

So you may use a little more fat in this pan than in one of the ones using a smooth bottom white enamel style, which all of the other Lodge pans use.

This type of finish is also going to be a lot harder to scratch or scrape with tools, and wont show a scratch as much.

If you're going to cook cornbread and scrambled eggs 95% of the time...I might consider one of the white smooth enamel bottom. If you're going to sear a lot of meats and dont mind using a bit of fat with your cornbread or eggs, this will work great and you cant beat the price.

"better than cast iron, not quite a smooth surface"
I love my enameled cast iron pots and dutch oven because they conduct heat like cast iron but are much easier to clean (gunk just wipes off the enamel). I also don't have to worry about cooking with tomatoes or vinegar. I bought this pan to "replace" my cast iron ones, but the inside surface of the pan isn't smooth like the inside of the dutch ovens. It's a little bumpy and rough. Not really sure why - maybe it's trying to mimic cast iron? Because of this, it's not as easy to clean and it's not as non-stick as I'd like. If I add a thin layer of oil to it before heating, it does perform wonderfully, though.

Overall, it's a good pan and I use it frequently, but you should know that the inside surface is quite different from typical enameled cast iron.

"Functional, but a lot more work than the glossy enameled style"
I've had this pan for several months now and had previously been used to frying with regular cast iron or stainless steel. I have a flat top stove and am not supposed to use my cast iron on it so I thought I would try this one instead. I've found that the interior is better than stainless steel for cooking certain things (like over-easy eggs) with a simple clean-up and minimal sticking. It's also good for reheating left-over meals, or making pancakes.

However, when I tried cooking things like sausage, or stir-fry meat, or with any sauces that contained sugar, I ended up with charred bits that would not come off. I tried boiling the pan with vinegar, or scouring gently with baking soda and nothing works. I did of course follow the directions and have never cooked on any setting above medium (usually, I use medium low). Then I made the mistake of frying falafel in the pan. I now have a permanent layer of caramelized oil on the bottom of my pan. Add the two chips on the handle that came off within the first week of use (and I am extremely gentle with this pan), and I would have to say I am fairly disappointed.

I also own the Lodge Enamel 6 quart dutch oven, and that item is fabulous. Not a chip or stain on it, even though I use it extensively. Also, I have fried up some of the same things in the dutch oven as the fry pan - with no sticking/stains in the dutch oven, but with permanently charred bits in the fry pan. Lodge should have made this one with the glossy interior.

Perhaps I'll replace this one with the 3 quart covered casserole since it has the glossy interior.

"Great pan"
Browns nicely, very nonstick, easy cleanup. I was surprised that the inside was a matte enamel finish that is not smooth like the the inside of the dutch oven . It works just great though. The other good news is that the lid from the 6 quart dutch oven fits it perfectly. Lodge Enamel on Cast Iron 6 Quart Dutch Oven, Caribbean Blue

Now one down side is that this thing is heavy as hell. Without the helper handle it would be very awkward to lift unless you are built like Arnold Schwarzenegger (at least how he used to be built). This isn't for your grandmother (unless she is a weightlifter).

An update. We have had absolutely no sticking problems. We cooked a salmon dish last night with a sauce that had some sugar in it. No problems (and absolutely delicious BTW) . A chicken dish with ricotta, the other day, worked great. I use a little higher heat, up to medium high, then slow it down to medium when browning. Let the food release before flipping.

No soaking, no scrubbing, just the plastic thing (on the other side of the kitchen sponges, can't think of the name), hot water, dish soap and almost no elbow grease.

I'd say it is a bargain. We have mostly Calphalon in our kitchen but are using this extensively. It looks good too.