Lodge L8SGP3CN Logic Pre-Seasoned Square Grill Pan (Black)

This product needs a whole lot of ceremony to use and especially to clean. Honestly, it will take you as long to clean it after than to cook with it. Be sure of that.
It’s pre-seasoned but it doesn’t really is effective. I seasonned it twice in oven according to instructions. Doesn’t change anything. It will never be ‘non-sticky’ so don’t expect that.
You have to oil before use and also after anyway.
To help cleaning the black cooked stuff you have to boil water in it for 5 min. and then, it will help to detached the stuff by scrubbing.
Finaly, once clean you have wipe properly cause if there is any humidity left, it will rust. And add again so oil on it.
So it’s a whole lot of work just to have some ‘grill marks’ on my meat that I could have with the ‘Rock’ non sticky pan or even an electric grill.
It cooks well, but it doesn’t worth the hassle.

I searched around quite a lot before purchasing this LODGE griddle. I did not want en enameled product, I wanted something I could blast on the burner until very hot without having to worry about damaging the pan or the coating.
I read some negative reviews but this has not been my experience.
Be aware: the pan is HEAVY, the handle gets super-hot and cannot be put in the dishwasher. Cleaning it also requires some time. Instructions say not to use soap to avoid removing the seasoning: I ended up using 2 drops of soap and a nylon brush as the cooking grease would just not come off with water. I have been doing this a few times and my food has been great every time. I also dry the pan on the hob to make sure there is no water left at all.
I can finally grill some aubergine slices and they WON’T stick to the pan. I grilled a salmon fillet yesterday for the first time: it did not get stuck to the pan and it was grilled to perfection.
The picture attached is my actual pan after 2 months of use.

Bottom line: this is a ‘demanding’ pan because of the way it is made. If you are not prepared to spend some extra time on it, look elsewhere but do not blame the product.

At Last! A grill pan that will give the proper char marks you want from a steak. This is a serious piece of kit that if looked after (and it’s not difficult) may well outlast all of us. Keep it seasoned, which is not difficult at all, just follow the instructions eg the oiling of the pan, leaving just a light coating and placing upside down in the oven. This may sound a bit odd, but after a little while, the pan will actually get even better. Don’t buy the Lodge silicone hot handle because it’s rubbish, but the Lodge scrubbing brush does what it’s meant to do (I bought those items too). The grill pan has got a decent weight to it too. If you like seared steaks/chicken, this is the pan you want, Lodge know exactly what they’re doing here, it’s class.

It’s usual Lodge quality (although I still long for the smoother finish of my grandmother’s era). A welcome addition to any arsenal of cast iron cookware. Particularly useful to get those perfect grill marks on food when cooking indoors. Cleaning and maintaining cast iron is an easy skill to acquire to keep the pan looking great for many many years to come. Works equally well on a gas or induction stove top – and love that it can be popped in the oven or used on a BBQ or camp fire. TIP: Really helpful to get a silicone handle cover, also available on Amazon, to protect your hands.

We live in a tiny apartment and don’t have an outdoor space for a grill. I think that this is the next best thing. I use it mainly to grill tofu and it gives it a “restaurant” look. It does need to be seasoned more as it is more sticky than our regular, well loved cast iron pan.

This grill pan is great! I live in an apartment but longed for the grill marks and enhanced flavor from an outdoor barbecue. I don’t have good ventilation either, so indoor cooking that produces too much smoke is not a good idea. I was originally looking at electric grill pans, but most of them had reviews indicating they broke down easily. I like my regular cast iron skillet so I gave this a shot. So far, I’ve made bratwurst, corn on the cob, different types of chicken, bacon and then caramelized onion after in the fat (for a quiche), eggplant, homemade ground chicken burgers with garlic and jalapeño, and zucchini. I’ve also taken it camping. Nothing has gotten stuck, and I only used cooking oil the first few times (the others were either naturally fatty or I used the drippings from fatty foods cooked prior, which really kicks food up a notch in terms of flavor).

To anyone who hasn’t owned a cast iron skillet, or has gotten rust on theirs: DO NOT ALLOW THIS TO STAY WET. I mean, no air drying, no soaking, no “let me loosen it up by letting the water sit a while as I do other things and forget about it.” You MUST dry this pan thoroughly, and then coat it with oil (make sure the pan is warm). Also, don’t use soap!! One of the best things about a cast iron skillet is the “seasoning” that forms. Soap eats away at it and then: 1. You have to go through the trouble of re-seasoning it the “long” way by baking the pan in high heat, and 2. Your food will probably taste soapy. This is how I care for mine, and I’ve never had any problems (e.g. rust, cracking, etc.). It’s the same advice I got when I bought my first cast iron skillet, mixed with internet research, and it’s the safest option to ensure its longevity:
• I let the pan cool down before washing it (sudden temperature changes aren’t good, especially cold water on a hot pan… this is called thermal shock and will lead to cracks/broken pans)
• I use a dedicated silicone sponge that I never use dish soap on to wash it in warm water. I also bought the Lodge grill pan scraper because it makes clean up much easier than getting into each groove individually
• I wipe the pan down with a paper towel
• I heat the grill pan on the stove on medium-low heat until the remaining water evaporates
• After the pan cools down a little (but while it’s still warm), I use a clean paper towel to rub oil ALL over it (it’s made of one piece of metal so you need to protect the entire thing, including the handle and reverse side)
• I put it back in the cabinet and make sure never to store a damp/wet pot or pan near it

Alternatively, you can use salt instead of washing it. I don’t use this method because it adds another thing I have to worry about buying and/or I’d use up my good salt, so I just find it easier to wash it. But some people swear by the salt method. You just pour salt into the pan right after cooking, allow it to soak up remaining food bits and oil, and then wipe it down and season with oil as described above while it’s still warm (or after you’ve reheated it).

Tips:
• olive oil has a low smoke point, which means it’s ill-suited for use with grill pans. Use an oil with a higher smoke point instead (such as corn oil or grapeseed oil)
• don’t go above medium heat
• be careful when handling it, as it retains heat for a long time and heats very evenly, which means the handles are hot! I got the silicone handle cover AND silicone pinching mitts and with those, I feel safe handling the pan when it’s warm/hot, but otherwise I would avoid it because the pan is heavy (especially for a woman) so you have to hold it tight and you’ll probably drop it if you don’t protect yourself from the heat
• you can use metal utensils on it, but be careful not to scrape that precious seasoning off
• don’t cook overly acidic foods in it because the acid will eat through the seasoning (such as tomatoes)
• if your food is smoking too much, turn the heat down and/or reassess the type of cooking oil you’re using
• do a thorough cleaning and season the pan with oil every time you are done using it for a while. (If I’m cooking different meals over a day or two, I’ll sometimes just keep using it with only a wipe down, so you don’t have to clean it right away, but don’t let it sit too long and don’t use too much oil when seasoning it because eventually the oil can putrify. And never, ever leave it wet!)

If you follow these rules, this pan should last decades, and you’ll have a great seasoning on it whenever you cook. Do a little research on long-term care, such as when and how to remove and re-season the entire pan, and what type of oil you’ll like most, and you should love this pan.