I enjoy eating lots of rice, noodles, and pastas. Making fried rice on this pot taste really great (a good portion of eggs is crucial to good fried rice). A healthy diet should limit the intake of foods cooked in high heat (prolonged stir fry, grilling, deep frying). I pretty much use this to cook my daily meals as it adds more flavor when the meats are seared and not simply boiled like what my stainless steel wok did. I substitute a portion of oil with water and dry spices and the food still turns out quite tasty. I think every family should have a cast iron cookware since you can use it anywhere: campfire, stovetop, oven, and bbq grills. I have owned this pot for 3 months now and I have yet to deep fry anything on it. This pot is very versatile and I use it to cook everything.

I learned it is important to not use any harsh detergent or any detergents at all when washing cast iron cookware. If it does start to rust, it should come off quite easily if you boil water in the pot and then scrub it with a steel brush. Proper care is important when storing cast iron pots for a long period of time. I heat up the pot after cleaning it in hot water, and I spread an even layer of oil all over the pot before I close the lid. It is recommended to use vegetable oil, but I only use canola oil these days and it works the same. I heard that cast iron gets better with age, and I really look forward to seeing that statement come true.

I really love this little pot. It is a perfect size for so many uses. It is very impressively made, as are all the US-made Lodge products.

I also enjoy the gentle pour spouts on each side. I’m left-handed so chances are if there was only a spout on one side it would be the wrong one.

I agree with P. Callen that it was not packed well, however. Mine was just tossed into the bottom of a much larger box with some of those air bags so it was jostling around. I was lucky that it came from the amazon warehouse that is only 30 miles from my house but I imagine if I had to travel, and be handled, more it would have been at peril. Just going from my UPS hub (the same one for the amazon warehouse) to delivery the box was already showing wear.

I’m replacing all my cookware with Lodge Logic. This little pot seemed like a luxury item, since I expected to use it to melt chocolate and butter or scald milk. But I cook and bake a lot so decided to treat myself to a specialty item.

It was delivered a few minutes ago, and I can immediately see a lot of uses for it, including: reheating gravy, heating a single serving of vegetables or other side dish, warming a 14 oz. serving of soup. And of course, melting chocolate and butter.

It has a pleasing shape, and the handle is a good length. Spouts on either side will make pouring easy and neat. Another winner, Lodge!

Second, this makes great cornbread. No real complaints there.

But this thing is ridiculous. The preformed wedges leave difficult-to-clean corners where food gets trapped and refuses to come out. Cornbread doesn’t cause much of a cleaning problem, if the pan is seasoned and lubricated properly, but I tried making a version of a pineapple upside-down cake, and I was scrubbing melted brown sugar residue out of this thing with a toothbrush for an hour.

Granted, this is primarily a cornbread pan, so I guess it’s my fault for trying something else in it (although the description does say “cornbread, scones, and more.”) But I wanted to make this thing less of a one-trick-pony.

Which brings up another point. Most cornbread recipes I can find are for a 10″ skillet (without partitions). Not only does that mean breaking out my high-school math book to calculate volume changes, it also means that cooking times change, particularly due to the additional heated metal of the partitions baking the cornbread from all angles. One recipe was done in half the time it was supposed to be. Granted, this can be a good thing once you’re used to it, but getting there will leave a trail of blackened cornbread in your path — and several hours of scrubbing.

So bottom line: this does make some fine cornbread, but it’s a unitasker if there every was one, it’s tough to clean, and it will mess with your recipes. Personally, I plan on switching to a standard 10″ cast-iron skillet. But if you make a lot of cornbread, don’t try new recipes, and just want it done fast and easy, this will work out fine.

When I got the lid, the “self-basting spikes” (see picture) were not on the description list, so I had really no idea what they were for. I thought it might have been a manufacturing artifact. Or considering that the pioneers didn’t have much space, it had dual functions, like maybe you can use it double up as a grill, or use it to tenderize/hold meat, or play Chinese Checkers. The premise of the self-basting spikes is that as condensation forms on the underside of the lid, the liquid will drip down those spikes evenly on the food. I think it works pretty well – the only real problem I have with this lid is that it is soooo heavy. And not clear. Oh well.

The lid was surprisingly easy to season, though. I thought I might have to cook on it to get it properly seasoned, but after 1 session in the oven, it came out better-seasoned looking than my matching griddle.

If you own the Lodge Logic 10-1/4-inch skillet, this cover allows for more versatility. It allows for even heating and dutch oven type use. If you prepare something, and just want to keep it warm, or use it outdoors and need protection. It also will seal in nutrients and flavors because of the tight fit, and also the self-basting spikes. I used another lid in a pinch, but it didnt give me the same cooking results as the Lodge lid. The 3-quart chicken fryer, and 5-quart Dutch oven have the same size lids, and you can interchange those lids, but I found I was using them at the same times often, and needed a seperate lid for my skillet. For the price, it just doesnt make sense not to go ahead and have one.

This is a very nice kitchen towel…
What I like the most is the fact that it has a small loop built right in the towel so you can hang it off the cabinet knob under your kitchen sink….It is always there so you can either wipe your hands or anything else that needs drying. Plus nice and soft…..The green apple is quite colorful……

I love this bean pot from Paula Deen. It is made well and easy to handle. LOVE, LOVE IT!