Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

Lodge has been making cast iron skillets in South Pittsburg, Tennessee since 1896. The 10.25-inch skillet costs $20 at a hardware store and is one of the most practical objects I own even though it weighs 5 pounds and requires more maintenance than any other pan in the kitchen. It comes pre-seasoned with soybean oil, and that means you can cook on it immediately. Real seasoning builds over months of use as layers of polymerized fat create a surface that becomes increasingly nonstick with age. Lodge's factory is the last remaining cast iron foundry in the United States that still operates at scale, producing about 150,000 pieces per week. Making the same product for 128 years in the same town says something about the durability of both the company and the pan. The handle gets hot on the stovetop and you need a towel or a silicone grip to pick it up. But That is a trade-off I accept because cast iron distributes heat more evenly than any other material at this price point. The sear you get on a steak at high heat is something a $200 stainless steel pan struggles to match. My grandmother gave me her Lodge skillet and it is 40 years old and cooks better than the new 1 because 4 decades of seasoning have turned the surface into something that works as well as Teflon without the chemicals. Weight of the pan is a feature rather than a flaw because it holds temperature when cold food hits the surface. Thermal mass is what gives you a crust on cornbread or a char on vegetables that lighter pans can't achieve. However, I wouldn't recommend it for acidic foods like tomato sauce because the acid strips the seasoning, and you have to dry it immediately after washing to prevent rust. At $20, this is a product that will outlive every other pan in your kitchen and possibly outlive you, and it costs less than a pizza delivery.