My understanding is that Lodge is already pre-seasoned. If not, seasoning isn't difficult, you coat with oil and bake in oven for an hour or so -- you can get more specific directions if need be.

There are those who swear by cast iron for certain things including Alton Brown. I really think it depends on what types of thiings you cook and your cooking surface -- i.e. cast iron is NOT recommended for smooth top ranges.

You can buy the preseasoned cookware or the kind you season yourself. At the lodge web site they give instructions on how to season a cast iron pan.
If you do decide to season the pan yourself, be sure and put foil down before you place the pan in the oven (and place the pan upside down). The foil keeps the oil that will drip off the pan from creating a mess in your oven.

The pre-seasoned is called Lodge Logic. I love it. There is no need to prepare the cookware, just start using it. I do coat it with a very thin coat of vegetable oil (not olive oil) after use. The pre-seasoned cookware is great, the cookware is inexpensive, and if you cook meat, you will have the best seared meat you can eat!!!!!

I have a few small pieces of pre seasoned Lodge cast iron. I do have a smooth top stove,and so far, havn't had a problem.I am very careful using it. I wouldn't use a real large skillet,or a deep fryer though. I mostly use a 7" or a 10"skillet to do scrambled eggs,or saute some onions. I get the pan hot for a minute or 2 on Med. heat,than lower it to very low til finished.
Dotty

I have the wok and I really like it.

I have a bunch of cast iron cookware, including some that has been in the family since probably the 1870s or 1880s.

I love it, but I do find myself using teflon coated pans more often than not anymore.

I too have several pieces of cast iron cookware, including Lodge. The seasoning process is simple and straight forward. Cast iron is great, take care of it, and it will outlive your great grand childern.

Cast iron does have a couple of drawbacks such as it is not good for cooking anything acidic, and sometimes needs to be completely cleaned and re-seasonned if abused. Best cleaning method I have found if it has lost its seasonning is; place it in the oven, and operate the clean cycle, then re-season. But for pan-frying/grilling meats, shallow/deep fat frying, blackened meats, etc. nothing can compare to it.

Biggest tip is learn how to season it and care for it. For instance I have one 12-inch skillet that has never seen water for 20+ years. I use it strictly for pan broiling and fried eggs. Better than Teflon.

Thanks for all the good advice-I'm ordering a few pieces from Lodge today.

HI,
I dont know if anyone is still viewing this but I have been noticing Lodge iwth enamelled finish. This would be a good option for Le creusuet except I am not sure if anyone has used it...

suda

I have a Lodge Cast Iron griddle and I love it. It is a heavy "mutha" to lift but worth every penny.

Lodge makes great stuff. Cast Iron is underappreciated and under used, imho.

I do have Le Crueset, too, but there are certain things only castiron will work for. I've got everything from 6quart dutch oven to 16" fry pan...

It's funny, but since I originally posted in this thread in August, I've been using my cast iron cookware more and more. I'd forgotten how much I like cooking in it.

Its under rated I think partially because it's not a high profit item... not seen on any tv shows at all, the price would go way up.

I once was in a Fields Store in Chicago and over heard the rave of a German couple here on vacation who were scarfing up on cast iron cookware. The price/performance ratio is about the best of any kitchen item, IMHO. My mom bought much of hers on the Ojibwa Indian reservation in Northern WI, all used. She passed it down to me when it got too heavy for her to handle (in her seventies). It's all well seasoned. I'll be passing it on to my son who already loves cooking with it.. he loves those quesadias and fresh salsa cruda!

It's great stuff. The thing about not cooking acidic stuff (tomatoes) in ironware is this: The acid will pick up a trace of iron into the food.

Now if you're a woman of child-bearing age, or prone to being anemic, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but some people (men, and men of Irish or Scottish ancestry, of all things) build up too much iron in their blood, and too much isn't good.

It would take a long long long time of cooking nothing but vinegar in your Lodge pans, though, to damage the pans.

It's not hard to season the original version. It only takes an hour or so, and it continues to improve with age and repeated use.

We have three skillets that are 30 years old and still a delight to use.

The only down side is the weight. There's a reason you don't see much of it in commercial kitchens.

Anyone cook with them on induction burners? How do the larger pieces work with the lower-power burners? I'm looking at a portable 1.2KW burner and wondering how well they work together...

If the pan is fairly flat on the bottom, they work GREAT on induction. Few things are more magnetizable than cast iron.

I have found some great deals on Lodge at ebay. Before bidding, do check the shipping costs because these things are HEAVY.

Anyone else using Lodge cast iron with a glass cooktop?

Lodge has been around a long long time and is very reputable among cast iron cookware. You can't go wrong purchasing Lodge.

Have fun with them!