Calphalon Cast Iron Skillet

There usually isn't much differentiation pre-seasoned cast iron skillets but this piece is indeed different in two ways that make a difference to me. First, it seems to be a thinner cast iron, making it lighter. It's actually lighter than a "regular" smaller 10" cast iron skillet that I have (weighed them, the Calphalon is about a pound lighter!). Cast iron is never lightweight, to be sure, but this is somewhat easier to maneuver for cooking and cleaning than it would otherwise be. (The product description says 6.8 pounds; another 12" skillet shows at 8 pounds.) Second, the bottom and sides meet in a slope, a curve. Most cast iron skillets are sharply angled at that juncture. The curved corner makes foods easier to move around (fried eggs, for example; also scrapple, burgers, steaks, and grilled cheese sammys) or to stir (stews and the like). The curved corner also makes it easier to clean - nothing gets stuck in the angle between bottom and sides. I've had this skillet for a little over three weeks and it has performed up to my every expectation. It has taken additional seasoning well (the bottom is now almost as slick as Teflon - some of that may be due to using chain mail on it). My only criticism I have is that Calphalon doesn't make 10" and 8" versions of this skillet.

This is a great cast iron skillet. Based on its quality, I expect a great grand kid will be using it one day.It heats evenly and is easy to use/clean.

I have tried a few cast iron pans and I always burned everything I ever cooked. I bought this pan because we have the high end regular Calphalon pots and pans and love them. After more research and trying to cook with this pan, I really love it. Its great! Just make sure you season it regularly for the first few times to make sure food won't stick/burn.

I really like this pan. No muss no fuss! It is heavy and easy to clean. use it a lot. Great for eggs and pancakes.

I was always skeptical of what people said about cast iron skillets, but this one has proven it all to be true. It came pre-seasoned, but I seasoned it myself again. The first time I used it, it was really hard to clean, and I tired myself out with the steel scrubby. But after a few uses now, it's amazing! Even burnt-on, carbonized drippings from pork tenderloin or steak just slide right off. I used it to make perfect steaks the other day, and clean-up took almost no time at all. It's getting nicely seasoned, and I'm looking forward to using it for other foods soon.

After 40+ years of having coated pans which were too thin (Okay, I'm cheap) and suffering for another 6 months with those in which the coating wore off and I had to scrape all my food off the bottom (crunchy is tasty, right?) I was skeptical whether this one could really match coated pans. More than once I prematurely ruined those pans by setting pre-heat and then getting a phone call or otherwise distracted until I smelled chemical smoke. Oops, another $25 burned up.I did the conditioning 4 times in my oven, doing as they suggested, after baking it for 2 hours, turning off the oven and leaving it in there for at least 6 hours, or overnight.Well, I love fried eggs, and with just a thin coat of oil or Pam, it's as good as any coated pan. I can't express it well, but it's a better 'cook taste' for things like veggies. Yes, it does require a pre-heat, but then I have an electric glasstop cooktop, so I can't be accused of being a gourmet.For frying eggs, the handle will not be warm enough to require a hotpad to move it off the hot burner after the eggs are done. For things which require longer cooking, a hotpad on the handle is a good idea. If one gets a magnetic hook, one can hang a pad right on the stove, always handy. Between cooking, after it's cooled down, I wipe down with a paper towel. One can clean it by using a dollop of cooking oil as if it were soap, on a paper towel.

Very good

I love the curved corners between the bottom and the sides. It says it’s lighter than other 12” skillets and it’s still hard for me to control with my left hand while emptying so any heavier than this would be a challenge. Like all reasonably priced cast iron the interior cooking surface is too rough for my taste for food to not stick more often than I’d prefer. Rather than buy a very pricey Field, Finex, or Stargazer (only available in 10.5” now), I decided to pay an extremely reasonable amount for this larger skillet and grind down the existing seasoning and rough iron interior with an Avanti pro disc and then sand it with 40, 80, 120, and 220 grit sandpaper to get a very smooth interior cooking surface. Then I seasoned four times with olive oil and four one hour stints in the oven upside down at 425 degrees. It cooks beautifully now and is a lovely smooth black.

Es la primera vez que uso un sartén así.La verdad da muchas opciones.Es muy cómoda porque permite de cocinar en el fuego con muy alta temperatura, para sellar/dorar y después terminar la cocción en el horno. La comida agarra un muy buen sabor.Lo único es que se tiene que lavar justo cuando se termina de comer. No conviene dejarla allí hasta la mañana siguiente.Para lavarla, la paso con un cepillo de esos para ropa, si se queda algo pegado algo uso la esponja de metal. Use jabón un par de veces también porque me daba cosa dejarlo así después de cocinar pollo.Pero cada vez, después de lavarlo, se tiene que secar bien. Cuando seco, aconsejo de pasarlo 1 minuto en el horno, se mete un poquito de aceite y se pasa con papel en todas partes, para que esté listo para usarse la vez siguiente.La verdad cuando se hace esto de meterle aceite, aconsejo usar un aceite extra virgen de olivo, para que la vez siguiente la comida tenga buen sabor. Use una vez un aceite barato de estos 123 para tratarlo y la vez siguiente la comida supo de taqueria barata, este sabor fuerte y pesado que se te queda entre garganta y nariz. Mejor el aceite Evo para tratarla.Si la tienen siempre protegida con aceite van a evitar que se oxide. Si la dejan seca, se le va a oxidar muy fácil.

Excellent! I will be buying a bigger one and some of the smaller ones.

Although listed as nonstick I followed others and seasoned the pan a couple more times before using. V happy with this purchase. Excellent product, nicely rounded at the bottom of the pan, decent weight and well made. I do concur with others that the handle is a bit small. Overall good price and sure it is a sound investment for years to come.

Wow this is one fantastic cast iron pan. With proper seasoning this is pretty much a non stick pan. Brilliant at cooking meat, it tends to help the meat maintain it's juices. You can fry eggs without any sticking as well. You really only need to have the heat at a bit over medium for great results. The trick for great results is to make sure the pan is super hot before adding anything to the pan, this ensures a pretty good non stick outcome.Yes it is heavy but after all it is cast iron and it does have a little grip piece opposite the handle so you can easily use two hands. Should anything stick it's quite easy to clean. Seasoning is also simple. This pan should last a lifetime and a great selling point is it works on all cooking surfaces including Induction and camp fire.I must admit I've always been keen on Calphalon pans and this one doesn't dissapoint. An excellent buy that provides great results. If your in the market for a pan of similar specs i don't know that you'll find anything else with better bang for buck.

Pretty good pan, but the handle is too short.