Lodge Manufacturing Company CRS12HH61 Carbon Steel Skillet, 12", Black/Orange

Just what I was looking for, a good, heavy steel skillet. (I almost never rate anything "5-star".) I now can save my (mostly Lodge) cast iron from frying uncured meat which usually results in my having to re-season it. It's not "slick" like my well-seasoned cast iron, but there's no need to worry about scraping it after use-no injury to the cooking surface. Just grease it well before heating, and most stuff doesn't stick. No toxic "non-stick" surface of wonder-chemicals that turn out to be cancer-causing decades later. It passed the test of browning ground meat for chili-didn't stick and cleanup was easy. Heating is even, though the bottom may not be perfectly level (I'm not sure. It seems to be "close enough".) The extra-long handle seems to be designed for campfire cooking-a little unhandy for stovetop frying as well as storage. The 10-inch version fits standard electric stove eyes very well (Main reason I bought it-already have a 12-inch Revere ware stainless skillet inherited from Mama-too big for present range.) The silicone rubber handle protector (easily removable for oven use) is a bonus. I'm sure it'll outlast me! Would definitely buy again- Lodge wins again!

While the Lodge carbon steel is heavier than my previous cheaper carbon steel pans, this one is so durable. I love the long handle and its design, makes it easy to flip food. The thicker gauge carbon steel makes it a perfect compromise between a traditional, and heavy, Lodge cast iron, and super lightweight carbon steel pan. This is my go to pan (I have six different cast iron/carbon steel pans), heavy use, daily, and it has held up exceptionally well. On some of my cheaper and thinner carbon steel pans, they have warped when I left them a bit long heating on the stove, but I haven't had this problem with the Lodge. It takes a bit longer to heat up, due to the thicker gauge, but I find it retains and spreads the head more evenly than my cheaper carbon steel pans. I also love the silicone handle, comfortable to use and on issues of heat transfer to the hand.It cleans well, and if one keeps it oiled properly, it is like having a teflon pan w/o the downside of POFAs exposure that comes from teflon (and this problem of toxic exposure to POFAs is the reason why I pivoted away from all teflon pans-even ones that claim to be free of such chemicals is not quite being honest, and this family of chemicals is wide ranging, and they are using different formulations than the original teflon formula, but they are still a problematic chemical and they have not shown it to be safe long term). Even those that claim to be ceramic lined, etc. still have some form of POFAs coating to ensure food doesn't stick.One downside, due to the handle length, it is a bit awkward to store, but for me, the majority of time it sits on my stove as it is used on a regular basis.Overall, I have used a variety of Lodge products over the years, and I have yet to be disappointed with any of their products. In the end, the extra cost for Lodge means you will have a high quality, long-term pan that can be passed down generations.

Removed one star for the unacceptably rough surface, but otherwise a good pan. Took a couple of minutes and sanded the surface and edges with higher grit sandpaper, and it made it much better. This could have been done in the factory in a matter of seconds to greatly improve the product. Once sanded, it's a good, sturdy steel pan.

Not as heavy as my cast iron, but still has great heat capacity. Oven save for going from the stove to the oven. Easy to care for with a a chainmaille scrubber. Sticks very little when preheated properly and a little oil is used.Was staying with a friend who had an old beat up teflon pan that was no longer save to use, so I immediately ordered one of these for him to be his new daily driver. Safe, easy to clean and just an all around solid pan for a reasonable price.

Right out the box, I like the weight. I had to give up cast iron skillets.For the first couple of weeks, I wasn't too sure about it. Then, I found my husband making hash in it. The hash was bubbling away as he was working to get it all browned up. I asked if he'd sprayed it with non-stick before he started and he said no. That's when I knew if this pan was really any good. I must say, the pan is great. After removing the hash, I immediately wiped it with a dry paper towel. Then I let the pan cool completely. Once cool, I took a dry Scrub Daddy (you can get them on Amazon) and lightly scrubbed to remove all bits that the paper towel missed. After that, I put a wee bit of water on the scrub daddy and ran it around the pan. After that, I immediately dried the pan. That is probably all that I had to do but my practice is to put a couple of drops of oil in the pan as the gas is heating the pan (I have the gas on the highest setting) and spread the oil with a folded paper towel held by long handled tongs. Once the oil completely covers the pan, I leave the heat on and take a fresh folded paper towel and wipe out the excess oil. I then let it cook until it steams/burns off for a minute or 2 (no flames/no smoke alarms). No more wiping. I just turn the heat off and let the pan cool completely. I have a made-in carbon steel pan that always loses its seasoning and I found this method keeps the pan in good shape and ready for the next use. If you are looking for a carbon steel pan, I do recommend this Lodge skillet. Just remember to never put a hot pan in water (it will warp), do not use dish soap or cleansers in it (If you feel that you must clean it, pour a lot of salt in the skillet and rub until all bits are removed, then wipe out the salt and take a damp paper towel to remove any salt residue), NEVER soak in water..in fact, don't leave any trace of water anywhere on the pan (if the bottom or sides get wet, fire it up until it is dry).Oh, and I use Avocado oil (also on Amazon) because it's good to 500 degrees F and when refreshing the seasoning or just keeping the seasoning fresh, you want the pan screaming hot.