Lodge Classic
10.25 or 12 inch
Illustration of the product
▶ From a video review of this product
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- Price
- $20 to $30
- Surface
- Pebbly, smooths with use
Why it ranks here. The Lodge is the skillet everyone owns and the one grandmothers hand down: $20 to $30, sold everywhere, and cooking after a century. It ranks first because owners with every boutique pan say it cooks the same. Its rough surface takes months to smooth, and it is heavy.
'There is NOTHING those more expensive pans can do that I can't do on a lodge. End of story'↗, says one owner. A woman in her seventies cooks on her grandmother's Lodge, which 'has been going strong for a century and performs just as flawlessly as it did when it was new'↗. Another's, bought by his grandparents, is 'at 116 years old'↗ 'the finest piece of cooking equipment I have ever used'↗. A 20-year owner calls it 'Completely nonstick and reliable. Best $20 I ever spent'↗. The pans 'start out a bit tough to use when new'↗, and one comparer lists the Field at $165 against the Lodge at $24.90: 'I think the choice is simple'↗. The factory seasoning gets called 'crap'↗ by one critic, and one owner who sanded his smooth found the seasoning 'constantly flaking off'↗ for four years. Cook on it instead.
What owners like
“I inherited a lodge skillet from my mother, who inherited it from her mother. I'm in my 70s, so I estimate that my Lodge 12" cast iron skillet has been going strong for a century and performs just as flawlessly as it did when it was new.” — YouTube comment · lindacgrace2973 · 2024-03-08
7 positive · 2 negative · 9 voices · ✓ all 9 linked to source
Read all 9 quotes (9 voices)
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I have the 8", 10" and 12" Lodge Classic skillets. They start out a bit tough to use when new, but with proper maintenance, the more you use them, the better they get. They are the stars of my kitchen.
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I inherited a lodge skillet from my mother, who inherited it from her mother. I'm in my 70s, so I estimate that my Lodge 12" cast iron skillet has been going strong for a century and performs just as flawlessly as it did when it was new.
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Quality of the material itself? My oldest one was purchased by my grandparents when they married. It is fantastic now, but I will let you know about durability in time. Currently, at 116 years old, it is the finest piece of cooking equipment I have ever used.
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I've had my Lodge cast iron skillet for 20 years. It's been through a lot of mishandling and learning experiences on my part, but it's come back time and time again and is now a well-seasoned mainstay in my kitchen. Completely nonstick and reliable. Best $20 I ever spent.
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The issue always boils down to this: There is NOTHING those more expensive pans can do that I can't do on a lodge. End of story.
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I own lodge cast iron and a field company skillet and every antique brand you can think of .....For me this is the bottom line ::::::: Am@zon Field Company 10.25 Skillet $165.00 Am@zon Lodge 10.25 Skillet $24.90 I think the choice is simple ,,,,
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Everyone is calling that carbon, but to me it looks like the usual factory seasoning seen on a Lodge, which is crap, and eventually this happens.
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I did this to a lodge pan once. It wasn't heat or ghee. I sanded it too smooth. Never did take a seasoning right and it would have these blueish greyish spots. The seasoning wouldn't stick and left exposed grey metal and was constantly flaking off... After 4 years of trying I got a new pan, ironically a finex. No issues since and now I have slidey eggs. But I still can't get a seasoning on that lodge.
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A $30 Lodge pan will perform pretty much the same as a Smithey pan. It will significantly outperform a Le Creuset or a Staub pan for high heat tasks like searing. That's the thing with cast iron. A cheap Lodge pan is just as good as an expensive pan for most of the things people actually use a skillet for.
