LodgePre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Skillet - Use in the Oven, on the Stove, on the Grill, or Over a Campfire - 15 Inch Dual Handle

I purchased this to use on my grill since a grill (or oven) provides even heating vs a cooktop.Anyway, I used it for the first time today to cook thick cut bacon. Bacon did not stick, but the bacon left a residue of brown bits on the pan (normal for non-teflon pans). After removing the bacon, the bits were easy to remove using a metal spatula and 1 minute effort (the pan was still hot with bacon fat in it).I did not cook eggs it in since I prefer aluminum hard annodized skillet for that.As for cleanup, I poured out the fat, scrubbed with a Lodge nylon brush under hot water, towel dried, heated on cooktop to completely dry, and added a light layer of peanut oil.The inside is slightly rough, so a lint free dish towel is best to dry this.After one cook, I am pleased. I am not disappointed in my purchase. I uploaded one photo sharing the results after one bacon cook, scrub and light application of oil.To address some complaints of others:1. Technically, this is a paella pan, not a skillet. Big difference. I don't know why Lodge advertises this as a skillet. There are plenty of carbon steel Skillets out there with completely smooth interiors and flat bottoms. If you want a true Skillet, this pan is not for you.2. It is large, so it must be pre-heated on low to avoid, or minimize, hotspots if cooking on a stove. when I use cast iron, I use the cooksillustrated preferred method of preheating. Meaning low for 10 minutes. and I use the same technique on this carbon steel pan.3. Clean up is a breeze if you use a nylon brush dedicated to be used only for this pan. Just rub on the hot water all the pan is still hot, I use oven mitts to hold it, everything comes off.4. While I do like the pre seasoning, the quality of the carbon steel is rough. Would have been nice if the interior was as smooth as my triply stainless steel skillets. but everything is a trade-off. 12 inch diameter cooking surface is pretty large compared to the nine inch cooking surfcae most 12 inch skillets have.5. As for the pan being high in the center, I put a straight edge on the the bottom of the pan. it does appear to be high in the center but only by a very very small amount. Maybe 1/32 of an inch or 1/64 of an inch.

This item comes from Lodge - the company that is the "Iron" standard of cast iron skillets. We've had a set (8", 10", 12" and 15") for five months now and have used every one of them on the kitchen stove, on the grill, and over the open fire. They are better than all my cast iron lodge pans that I've used for 50 years. Here's why: They heat up a little faster than cast iron (though not as fast as aluminum or regular steel pans). They cool down faster than cast iron - a real plus when you are an iron chef like myself who uses our restaurant-grade stove at high flame! These pans have shown NO sign of rust despite my using them outside regularly. They required zero seasoning - it seemed to me that they were seasoned better than I could have done (usually with oven time, olive oil, and rubbing). And best of all, they are lighter than cast iron. The weight aspect is critical for me who is starting to lose a little wrist strength (though I can still lower a double-bit axe to my nose when holding it at arm's length)! And I am able to actually hold the long, steel handle of these skillets - almost entirely for the duration of any cooking job - without a mitt. I have switched entirely to these skillets instead of cast iron unless I'm using the dutch oven. The rivets are extremely well-fastened and I have confidence they will hold the handle on for the rest of my life. Why did I not discover these earlier!?

I use this primarily to grill steaks! It gets extremely hot very fast! Does a wonderful job searing steaks! If you like a steak Pittsburgh style you can certainly do it with this pan. I use it on a large gas burner. I recommend a splatter screen whenever you use it!

The non-stick in my 14.5 in non-stick pan is wearing out. I have read many reviews on how great the non-stick properties are for seasoned carbon steel pans. I like a large skillet for making skillet fried potatoes and pancakes so I bought this 15 in Lodge carbon steel skillet, seasoned it following on-line instructions and have cooked three potatoes with ham hash breakfasts. The cooking surface of the pan is ~ 12 inches. The large burner on my glass stovetop is 11 inches. Using an infrared thermometer, the temperature in the middle of the pan was ~ 420 degrees, while the temperature towards the edges was ~ 230-300 degrees. The burner was set to "4". The pan has a very significant warp that gets worse as it heats.The good news is the taste of the cooked hash. I microwave potatoes till cooked, then chop them into small chunks. I also chopped the ham into small chunks. I use a generous (tablespoon +) helping of ghee. I start cooking the ham while still preparing the potatoes (I like the ham well cooked). I spread the food evenly throughout the pan and stir/turn it pretty often. The center obviously cooks much faster than the edges, so it is important to monitor and stir/turn the cooking food frequently, about every 1 to 1.5 minutes. NOTE: This is my favorite breakfast. I have been making it for years. My technique is pretty solid. The taste of this breakfast, cooked in this pan is perfect, noticeably better than in my 14 inch non-stick (Teflon?) skillet. Potatoes are soft on the inside with the slight toasted crunch on the outside that I consider perfection.One the hash starts getting close to being done, I move everything to one side of the pan, leaving plenty of room to cook (usually) 4 but could fit 6 eggs. The eggs turn easily, without significant sticking. Realize, the pan is not fully seasoned yet. I also continue to turn the hash. I love that the pan is large enough to accommodate everything at one time. Overall, I am happy with the pan, but very disappointed with the warped bottom and loss of contact with the stove burner. This would not be a problem on a gas stove.Cleanup this AM was super easy. The pan wiped clean with a paper towel. Zero sticking of either ham or potato bits. Again, I stress that the pan is not fully seasoned yet.I am eager to see how well this pan will cook pancakes once it has seasoned a bit more. No doubt it will cook a great Paella in the oven or on a grill. I also think it will do a good job of searing meats, although I haven't done that yet. Results would be better on a flat pan, but I see some advantages of being able to move cooking foods to the less hot outer edges.If you cook on a gas stove, I think you will be very satisfied with this pan. Electric, not as much. My experience with this carbon steel pan on my glass top stove, and the pan's tendency to warp means I will not be replacing my teflon pans with carbon steel pans. However, I am happy enough that I am generally satisfied with the pan and not wishing to return it.