Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, 12-inch

Last updated: August 6, 2019


We looked at the top Cast Iron Cookware and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Cast Iron Cookware you should buy.

Product Details

In our analysis of 116 expert reviews, the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, 12-inch placed 15th when we looked at the top 17 products in the category. For the full ranking, see below.

From The Manufacturer

The Lodge Cast Iron 12-inch Skillet and Red Silicone Hot Handle Holder is a multi-functional cookware that works wonders with slow-cooking recipes and all your favorite foods. Fry up a mess of catfish, roast a chicken, or bake an apple crisp in this generous 12-inch pan that features two handles for heavy lifting and two subtle side lips for pouring. Cast iron loves a campfire, a stovetop, or an oven, and can slow-cook foods without scorching. It retains heat well so you can sear meat at higher temperatures and will keep your delicious meals warm for a long time. Whether used in a kitchen or camp, theses virtually indestructible cookware should last for generations. Made of cast iron, this Skillet evenly distributes heat from the bottom through the sidewalls. Sporting a stylish black color, the cast iron skillet looks good in most kitchens and it doubles up as an excellent source of nutritional iron. Cast Iron, like your grandmother used, still ranks as one of the best cooking utensils ever made. It gives you a nearly non-stick surface, without the possible harmful fumes generated by preheating chemically treated nonstick cookware. The American-based company, Lodge, has been fine-tuning its construction of rugged, cast-iron cookware for more than a century. Note the black patina given to the cookware by the factory seasoning process is, in fact, vegetable oil that has been baked into a piece of cookware that has emerged from an individual sand mold. This coating of oil is a functional application and not a cosmetic application. The cookware is hanging as it rides through the electrostatic sprayer and commercial conveyer ovens at very high temperatures. This allows the oil to penetrate deeply into the pores of the iron which creates an easy release finish. As a result of this process, you may see a blister or bubble of oil at the rim, southern-most point or at the end of the handle of the cookware piece. If visible, it will rub or flake off with your finger, leaving a brown spot. Don’t worry, it’s not rust but a seasoned spot that is brown, indicative of the varnish stage of seasoning. As a matter of fact, this is the color of home seasoned iron until it has been used several times. The brown spot will turn black with use

Our Expert Consultant

Julie Chernoff
Culinary Expert

Julie Chernoff is a long-time member of Les Dames d’Escoffier (past president of the Chicago Chapter, and current co-chair of the LDEI Legacy Awards Committee), the Association of Food Journalists (AFJ) and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Chernoff is the dining editor of Better, a lifestyle website and print magazine. Her journalism started in the test kitchens of Weight Watchers Magazine. She holds a BA in English from Yale University and is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy. She has spent the last few decades styling, photographing, teaching, developing recipes, editing, thinking and writing about food.

Expert Reviews


What reviewers liked

Lodge has created a high-quality skillet that offers you outstanding heat retention, even heating, and an easy-release finish so whatever you want to cook, this cast iron skillet makes cooking your culinary creations so easy.
Easy care: hand wash, dry, rub with cooking oil.
The first thing you’ll notice is that the pan has a silicone handle which is so convenient and comfortable to use. That feature may add to the price, but it’s worthy. It protects you from the hot iron, and it’s so soft and comfortable. I love it!
Thanks to its specially designed silicon handle holder, it helps keep the hands protected from high temperatures that can go up to 450 degrees F.
Lodge offers cooks silicone handles that come in different colors and designs to protect hands and add an extra layer of kitchen style. These silicone holders protect hands against heats up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Because of its tough and rugged construction, this skillet works well on open fires such as induction cooktops, stoves, and campfires, and closed ones such as oven without sacrificing functionality.
The skillet also has an incredibly heat retention capacity which enables it to maintain the warmth of the food even after the stove has been turned off.
It is also easy to use this pan and it can be hand washed and dried, before it is rubbed with oil.
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It is easy to maintain. You simply need to hand wash after using it.
Looking at its price, the Lodge L10SK3ASHH41B is considered an inexpensive skillet compared to other brands.
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At around 8½ pounds, this classic Lodge skillet weighs about 2 pounds more than the Lodge Chef Collection pan. That extra weight could be a real asset when it comes to cooking a thick cut of meat, since it can help the pan retain more heat.
Its heat retaining capacity is remarkable, which enables it to eliminate hot spots and cook food with the same level of deliciousness throughout the pan.
This pan doesn’t cost that much.
Lodge Cast-Iron Skillet L10SK3ASHH41B has two handles for heavy lifting and two subtle side lips for pouring.
The handle of this particular skillet comes with a silicon covering that allows you to position and move the pan without being burned.
It is easy to clean and is an easy care: hand wash, rinse, dry, and place cooking oil.
Easy to use and easy to maintain.
Comes with two handles for easy handling. This will be needed for the bigger pans.

What reviewers didn't like

The skillet cannot be put into the dishwasher so you have to wash it in warm soapy water and you need to keep it seasoned to maintain its high cooking ability and keep it dry to stop it from rusting.
This skillet is a bit heavier than the others, so you should be careful when using it. Sometimes, those silicone handles can be so slippery!
Must be reseasoned regularly.
Lodge doesn’t have a formal written guarantee or warranty.
Cast iron is heavy, doesn’t heat evenly, takes more time and effort to clean and keep rust-free than stainless-lined pans.
The pan being pretreated leaves you at the mercy of the flavors added before you cook. This will disappear as you cook more with your own flavors.
Its black coating may chip and rust after a long time of using.
There is nothing really not to like about this, maybe as with most pre-seasoned cast iron the initial seasoning is not great.
View our Cast Iron Cookware buying guide for in-depth advice and recommendations.

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