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(More customer reviews)The Emerilware Cast Iron 10 Inch Skillet is a very good cast iron skillet for the home cook on a budget. A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is an essential for anybody that wants to cook beyond the basic level. There are several reservations, which are more based on knowing your needs than any limits with the product. The first thing to keep in mind is that, though most cast iron skillets, including this one, come pre-seasoned, they still need to be seasoned further before you can get the benefits of a nice non-stick surface for cooking. This factory seasoning is definitely a great start, but the main benefits will be that it will prevent rusting and keep your food from getting the metallic taste that is common with completely un-seasoned cast-iron. Some people knock these products for their claims of being pre-seasoned. I give them the benefit of the doubt on that. I have simply never used a pre-seasoned skillet that didn't need to be really seasoned a few times before it was useful for cooking purposes.
The second consideration is regarding size. It is pretty common to make the mistake of looking at skillets and their prices and choosing one that is simply too large. Cast-iron is heavy, so bigger is not always better. This 10 inch skillet is the perfect size for general use. Even if you choose another brand, unless you are cooking regularly for 5-6 people I would advise you against getting anything larger than 10 inches. The 12 inch skillet is only a few dollars more but that extra weight and bulk will ensure that you will get to use it much less. The larger skillets often crowd out most stove-tops and are harder to maneuver.
Seasoning is a good deal of work and there is more than one approach. In my experience, you will definitely want to get your oven hotter and do your seasoning longer than what the instructions indicate. I personally think you need to heat your oven to at least 425 degrees, though some people recommend seasoning your pan at up to 550 degrees. No matter what the temperature, you will want to keep your pan hot for the better part of an hour and allow it to remain in the oven for several hours afterwards as it slowly cools. The 30 minutes noted on the instructions are just not going to cut it.
If you find that food is sticking, even after seasoning, you are going to want to season it again. Seasoning is just meant to speed up the longer term seasoning that happens from cooking in your pan and oiling it consistently over time. Eventually you will reach a nice non-stick surface that will require only infrequent re-seasoning and very little oil for cooking.
One common benefit of cast-iron is that it will generally produce a more even heat than other types of pans. My only real negative observation about this pan is that I noticed that it ran center-hot, meaning that there was a hot-spot towards the middle of the pan that didn't exist around the edges. I think with further seasoning this should be minimized, but some more expensive pans seem to have less noticeable hot-spots even before they have been seasoned.
I had a friend who had a cast iron skillet that I used to marvel at. With no additional oil, that skillet produced great food with wonderful flavor and in less time than other skillets. When I asked how long it took to obtain that wonderful patina on the inside of the surface, their answer was daunting: years of cooking and continuous seasoning.
Their post-cooking ritual was as follows: first they would slowly rinse out the pan, making sure it was totally clean. Then, they would reheat the skillet to dry it out completely. Finally, they would recoat the inside of the skillet with a thin layer of vegetable oil. Upon further research, it seems like some people substitute mineral oil for vegetable oil. I think it depends on how often you use your skillet, since vegetable oil will go bad if it sits in your pan for more than a few days. Using your cast iron skillet is the most important thing you can do to break it in and start to build a permanent seasoning on the surface.If possible, you will want to spend the first month using this skillet as much as possible. If you use it daily, and clean off the excess oil before each use, vegetable oil should be fine as it won't have time to go rancid.
I still recommend this skillet as long as you are willing to do the research needed to properly prepare it for use and care for it. For the price there are few cast-iron skillets that are as good and give you as much of a head-start with the pre-seasoning. Be mindful of the hot-spots and make sure you keep track of how *non-stick* the surface feels after seasoning. If food sticks at all, you have not seasoned the pan enough. With repeated seasoning and proper care, you will get a great return on your time invested. Please see the comments section for references to more information.
Enjoy.
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Emerilware Cast Iron 10 Inch SkilletA Kitchen staple, these skillets stay put on the stovetop.Won't warp or chip.And are naturally non-stick.A cooks essential for searing, saute'ing and deglazing.Ideal for high heat cooking.Excellent heat retention - keeps food war at the table. Pre-seasoned pan surface. Thick base and sidewalls ensure no warping or chipping and Lifetime Guarantee.
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