Reviews of Universal Housewares Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron 15 Inch Skillet

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List Price: $39.77
Sale Price: $29.46
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This is our first cast iron skillet. The wife and I had been lurking around, watching some cooking shows and the ol' cast iron skillet came up over and over again. Time to get one. I bought it for a Christmas present for her last year.

I don't do anything half a$$ed. I bought the biggest and baddest one out there. At first, my wife was like "Oh %$#@, that thing is a monster!" However the more we've used it, the more we decided that the size is fantastic even just for 2 people. Try blackening 4 salmon filet's on a 10 or 12 inch skillet. Not gonna happen. How about a whole bunch of breakfast potatoes for the overnight visitors? Pour the hole bag into this baby. Heck we just cooked some scallops and an almond encrusted trout in it side by side tonight, both turned out spectacular.

Just figure that this pan is not one you want to put away in a cupboard, and take back out again every night. This is a pan that will live on top of your stove and will often get raised eye comments about its size. Never once have we heard anyone say, "That thing is too big!" Most of the time the comments made are, "Wow, nice skillet!"

Of course it's a bit big for camping and we'll probably pick up a smaller one for travel, but for the home this has become our defacto skillet when things need to get hot to cook. Don't be offset by the fact that it IS a big honkin' piece of metal when you first handle it, and that the box it comes in (as was ours) will probably be trashed. If you like to cook in a cast iron skillet, and you often have the occasion to cook for more than 2 people, this is your pan.

Just make SURE that you have two GOOD silicon 'grabbers' for it. We have a silicon handle slip on cover and a 'glove' holder for grasping the tab on the front (both from Bed Bath & Beyond) so you can get a good grip on it while moving it to the sink. I don't care if you are a WWF wrestler, you will need two hands to big this thing up. That is the only task that needs careful attention. She gets hot and she is heavy, but with the right tools and using both hands, even my 5 foot, 100 pound wife can wield it with confidence towards the sink.

And don't ever wash it! Rinse it with hot water, and if any burnt stuffs don't come off with a gentle scrubbing, put it back on the stove and boil some water in it then gently scrub away the residue, rinse again and dry it with the heat from the burners and she's good to go.

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I was so excited to get this pan. It's very heavy and huge! It's well seasoned, and exactly what I needed. One major flaw for me, though. The pan is not flat on the inside, and all the oil will go and puddle on the sides. it's higher in the middle, and the food or oil on the sides will cook well, but the middle will burn. I'm not able to fry anything, which is what I bought this for, because unless I'm using a whole bottle of oil, the oil will pool only on the sides. It's fine for other cooking, but disappointing!

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I read the reviews for the Lodge brand skillets and they were mixed. It sounded as if the newer ones cracked under the heat.

So I found this one. It's great, and cheaper than the Lodge one.

I was looking for something better than a wok. Woks are useless on normal American kitchen stovetops. They are made for deep fire pits that they use in China. We need to use a flat-bottomed, cast-iron pan to get high heat for stir frying. I made some awesome Thai stir fry with this pan.

It's heavy, but that's what you need. Use a pot holder for the handle. You can get those silicone sleeves that stay on the handle.

It's pre-seasoned, so things don't stick too much. When you're done using it, don't scrub it with soap and water that will remove the seasoning. Just rinse it, wipe it, and rub a little oil all over it. Don't leave water in it, or it will rust.

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I have absolutely no problems with the quality of this skillet. It was pre-seasoned perfectly, the thickness of the iron is fine. Even the weight is manageable for such a large skillet. But I would suggest before purchasing it, makes sure it'll fit on your stove and heat evenly. Our stove is a little too small for it. We've tried using two burners, but that leaves the middle section cold. And we've tried centering it on one burner, but that leaves the outer rim cold. So just ensure you have the space for it on your stove.

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I bought this skillet because the one I had is only a 12 inch and I needed a bigger one. This one fills the bill, it is very big(and heavy too). It was also the least expensive one I could find. It has good thickness and cooks evenly ,I use it as a deep dish pizza pan and the crust always comes out golden brown . The only gripe I have is when it arrived, the edges of the pan were kind of jagged,from the casting process, not sharp but very rough. I used a disc sander with a 40 grit disc to smooth them off. It worked fine and now I'm sure this pan will give me a lifetime of good use.