8 Best Cast Iron Frying Pans for 2026 – Expert Picks for Quality Cooking

Customer Review: Excellent set! I purchased these after taking leisure classes at the Baton Rouge Culinary Institute, where we were learning Cajun cooking. I noticed these were the types of pans used to prepare some amazing dishes, so I knew I needed a set for myself. The quality is outstanding. The three sizes with matching lids are perfect for searing, slow cooking, and building deep flavor. The silicone handle covers are very practical and make handling the skillets much safer and more comfortable. Most cast iron sets don’t include lids, so I truly appreciate that this one does. The lids fit snugly and seal completely without ventilation gaps, which makes it possible to prepare even more recipes. I’m very happy with my purchase, definitely a great addition to my kitchen!

Customer Review: I have two 12″ skillets, one is 6 years old and is awesome. Just picked up my 2nd skillet with lid. If cared for properly, pan will last literally forever and is superior to teflon coated pans. PSA tip:1) Always preheat your pan for 5 minutes before cooking on it or until oil coating barely begins to smoke.2) To clean, buy a stiff brush and NEVER use soap on cast iron (unless you like the taste of soap in your food).3) For baked on gunk, while pan is hot fill with 1/2 inch hot water and soak for 15 minutes, brush clean and rinse.4) Dry immediately with kitchen towel or put back on hot burner for a minute.5) Oil with avocado oil or grapeseed oil using an old bedsheet cut and folded to make a 3″ square pad.6) Don’t use a paper towel as it leaves paper bits behind. Bedsheet can be used over and over and over for long time.7) Never leave a heavy coat of oil, apply super-thin coat, store pan till next use. Thick oil coating becomes gummy.

Customer Review: Another excellent pan to add to my Lodge collection. I have had other cast iron pots and pans and I gave them all away once my mom gave me my first Lodge frying pan for Christmas. This pan is utilitarian since you can use it to fry on the stovetop, broil and bake in the oven, roast in the bbq or over a campfire, and it fits perfectly into my airfryer. This 12” is the perfect size for all-around cooking needs. I use it primarily as a baking dish for casseroles and seating meat, but its thickness provides precision heat distribution to ensure food cooks evenly on the stovetop or open flame. It’s pre-seasoned so its ready to go out of the box and cleanup is a snap. In my opinion, Lodge makes the best pans for the best price.

Customer Review: I wanted to make fried potatoes & onions but knew it is best done in a cast iron skillet. Amazon to the rescue! In two days my order arrived! This Lodge skillet & lid is amazing! Unlike my cast irons from past years, this has a double handle which makes it easier to hold — for those of us who are a bit older. I washed this skillet first with a tiny dot of detergent, rinsed well & dried it then put it on top of the eye with a little heat to finish drying. I then added a tiny amount of oil, used a paper towel to spread the oil inside the skillet and on the edges (and lid). I added my oil before adding my onions & peppers, cooking just until they were transparent, then add potatoes & seasonings, and cook on medium temperature til done. OMG! Just like Mom use to make them!! The fried potatoes and onions turned out great with a bit of a ‘crust’ around edges. Then I wanted fried apples to go with my Oatmeal (I’d made on the side.) They were so good! I scrubbed any remaining potatoes out, wiped with a paper towel. Then added my vegan butter, let it melt and sizzle before adding sliced apples. Tonight, homemade vegan Naan! I cannot wait to use this skillet again! I love to make cornbread, pancakes, and fried foods also using cast iron. (Note: tomato-based dishes don’t work well in cast iron skillets!) Lodge packaged the product well and gave clear instructions. Foods really taste better to me when using cast iron than using the typical non-stick pan. Place your skillet on medium heat til butter sizzles, then add cornbread mixture. Place skillet in oven til bread is done. Oh my goodness the crunch you’ll get in edges when it is done! Delish! Thanks Lodge for an amazing product. Btw, I also purchased the silicone holders to make it easier to pick up the lid and two more to go on the skillet handles which make it very easy to pick up the hot skillet! All in, the skillet with the lid will be a great addition to my kitchen and at a great price!

Customer Review: After I learned to season it quick like 7 times, and started using a brush and cup with a dap of oil on the side I kept around to wipe with oil when done, and learned to due to size I needed to have rag on edge of sink when dumping out water, and then I often but not always heat up water in electric kettle to pour in when done cooking in order to not shock it. I find after all this that I actually do basically no scrubbing, just a bit of scraping with the metal spatula while the hot water is in it. And then I use a silicone handle on one side I had gotten and I want to get the other side for the silicone side to hold but I just use a pot holder for the other side, thicker one. But I find now that this is an ideal pan to cook everything and anything and many things. I just leave it on top of my stove for daily use. And the weight, for the same reason a mechanics arms are big while not lifting, their muscles are big purely due to making the same motion every day repetitively with the wrench. It’s called a hermetic stressor, the same way weight session (more stressful obviously) and a hot sauna, cold plunge, run, etc, are all good forms of stress that cause adaptation, So to does this just cause you to lift a heavier pot a few times a day as you cook. For vast majority of us it’s nothing. But I told my mom for instance that she should use it and she complained how heavy it was, and my brutal honest response was “that’s exactly why you need to be using it because it’s not like you are working out”. It won’t make you buff, just a bit heavier than a similiar size pan, but for the older crowd who find it important to get their exercises in at the pool and such, this is no different. Plus, once I learned to clean efficiently and season a couple times, it’s a god send of a pan. I love it. I just want to put that “it’s too heavy” criticism that comes with cast iron in a new light. Your body adapts, allow it too gradually. I will at some point be adding a top to this, I just haven’t decided if I need to get the lodge glass one which would be nice or a silicone one for this, or just a cast iron one to keep the theme and look and durability forever. (Glass and silicone could both break in different ways). I do love this pan as I will admit, one of the reason I got this pan, being some one who can be hard on things by temperament, after knowing roughly how to care for this pan, I also have a license to absolutely abuse it and can’t scratch it or anything. Because once you have researched a couple of ways to take rust off and to totally reseason and recondition an old used on for instance, you have the confidence to own this the rest of your life and not ever feel like your going to ruin it. I’m also strategically lazy, I call efficient, my mom thinks different, lol, but anyway, the fastest way to clean any pan is with hot water right when done cooking as it burns and melts stuff right off, I can do that with this without worrying how it affects coatings or anything and I can do that to kingdom come. I just try to throw water from kettle on it ideally but not always. Again, the point of these pans is the amazing non stick coating that develops after use and learning to season a few more times yourself, but that you can absolutely abuse these pans and know they will last. There is a certain security that’s nice to feel with knowing that. The fact that it has a great non stick that develops after some use and is durable Af, I’m in love.Plus ever seen those videos on YouTube about how baking/pizza steel beats baking/pizza stones every time because of how the metal works vs the ceramic of the stone. It just hit me that this pan is also big enough to make a 15 inch pizza, and when making one for one to a few people depending how thick it is, that’s a good size to use as a pizza steel in the oven. I do even ti ally want a baking steel as I even learned you can leave those in your oven as it helps regulate the temperature in oven by functioning as a ballast in your oven. Don’t even have to clean those. Just let the oven burn stuff off. None the less, till then this will work as a great pizza steel surface too.++. I don’t have much sense of smell, a bit impulsive so I tottally would put it on “HIGH” on the stove every time. Might turn it down at times but it always creates smoke which didn’t matter to me, but got my mom has the higher disgust sensitivity (these two traits in the house do not get along well) anyway, I out of impatience realized I had a habit of heating it up quickly on high, Then I realized I tested how long it takes to smoke with the oil I was using to season it after each cook. I timed how long on high, waited till room temp, tested how long on medium, etc. Did this for any cast iron and carbon steel pans I have too. And in this one I can get away on our gas burner stove on high:High Canola 400°-450° 4m 34sMedium Canola 400°-450° 6m 43s400°-450°=smoke point at which smoke appears as the oil is actually starting to burn (note health wise causing this isn’t healthy so avoid normally by following these instructions). You can do the same test on your stove with your seasoning pans. And now I just run it for 3mins on high but then turn to medium or lower. Could probably get away with 3:30 duration on high. But this way you can cook at medium or a tad lower after.

Customer Review: I picked this up back in October, and it’s quickly become one of my most-used pans. I can see why it’s such a top seller. What I love:· Built to last – this thing is solid. No worries about non-stick coatings wearing off or chemicals leaching. It’s pure, simple, durable iron.· Great heat retention – once it’s hot, it stays hot. Perfect for getting a good sear on steak, crispy skin on chicken, or even baking cornbread. I’ve used it on the stovetop, in the oven, and on the grill—it handles it all.· Natural non-stick with use – the factory seasoning is a good start, but it truly becomes non-stick the more you cook with it. Fry an egg after a few months of use, and it slides right off.· Versatile – oven-safe, stovetop-safe (including induction), campfire-safe. It really does it all.A few things to know:· It’s heavy. Not a big deal for everyday cooking, but if you have wrist issues or prefer lightweight pans, it’s worth noting.· Care is different – no soap in the dishwasher (hand wash only), and you need to dry it thoroughly and rub a thin layer of oil after each use to maintain the seasoning. It sounds like a lot, but it becomes second nature quickly.· The surface isn’t glass-smooth like vintage cast iron or some higher-end brands, but it still performs great and smooths out over time. Overall, this is a fantastic workhorse pan that will last a lifetime if cared for. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys cooking—whether you’re new to cast iron or a seasoned pro.

Customer Review: After I learned to season it quick like 7 times, and started using a brush and cup with a dap of oil on the side I kept around to wipe with oil when done, and learned to due to size I needed to have rag on edge of sink when dumping out water, and then I often but not always heat up water in electric kettle to pour in when done cooking in order to not shock it. I find after all this that I actually do basically no scrubbing, just a bit of scraping with the metal spatula while the hot water is in it. And then I use a silicone handle on one side I had gotten and I want to get the other side for the silicone side to hold but I just use a pot holder for the other side, thicker one. But I find now that this is an ideal pan to cook everything and anything and many things. I just leave it on top of my stove for daily use. And the weight, for the same reason a mechanics arms are big while not lifting, their muscles are big purely due to making the same motion every day repetitively with the wrench. It’s called a hermetic stressor, the same way weight session (more stressful obviously) and a hot sauna, cold plunge, run, etc, are all good forms of stress that cause adaptation, So to does this just cause you to lift a heavier pot a few times a day as you cook. For vast majority of us it’s nothing. But I told my mom for instance that she should use it and she complained how heavy it was, and my brutal honest response was “that’s exactly why you need to be using it because it’s not like you are working out”. It won’t make you buff, just a bit heavier than a similiar size pan, but for the older crowd who find it important to get their exercises in at the pool and such, this is no different. Plus, once I learned to clean efficiently and season a couple times, it’s a god send of a pan. I love it. I just want to put that “it’s too heavy” criticism that comes with cast iron in a new light. Your body adapts, allow it too gradually. I will at some point be adding a top to this, I just haven’t decided if I need to get the lodge glass one which would be nice or a silicone one for this, or just a cast iron one to keep the theme and look and durability forever. (Glass and silicone could both break in different ways). I do love this pan as I will admit, one of the reason I got this pan, being some one who can be hard on things by temperament, after knowing roughly how to care for this pan, I also have a license to absolutely abuse it and can’t scratch it or anything. Because once you have researched a couple of ways to take rust off and to totally reseason and recondition an old used on for instance, you have the confidence to own this the rest of your life and not ever feel like your going to ruin it. I’m also strategically lazy, I call efficient, my mom thinks different, lol, but anyway, the fastest way to clean any pan is with hot water right when done cooking as it burns and melts stuff right off, I can do that with this without worrying how it affects coatings or anything and I can do that to kingdom come. I just try to throw water from kettle on it ideally but not always. Again, the point of these pans is the amazing non stick coating that develops after use and learning to season a few more times yourself, but that you can absolutely abuse these pans and know they will last. There is a certain security that’s nice to feel with knowing that. The fact that it has a great non stick that develops after some use and is durable Af, I’m in love.Plus ever seen those videos on YouTube about how baking/pizza steel beats baking/pizza stones every time because of how the metal works vs the ceramic of the stone. It just hit me that this pan is also big enough to make a 15 inch pizza, and when making one for one to a few people depending how thick it is, that’s a good size to use as a pizza steel in the oven. I do even ti ally want a baking steel as I even learned you can leave those in your oven as it helps regulate the temperature in oven by functioning as a ballast in your oven. Don’t even have to clean those. Just let the oven burn stuff off. None the less, till then this will work as a great pizza steel surface too.++. I don’t have much sense of smell, a bit impulsive so I tottally would put it on “HIGH” on the stove every time. Might turn it down at times but it always creates smoke which didn’t matter to me, but got my mom has the higher disgust sensitivity (these two traits in the house do not get along well) anyway, I out of impatience realized I had a habit of heating it up quickly on high, Then I realized I tested how long it takes to smoke with the oil I was using to season it after each cook. I timed how long on high, waited till room temp, tested how long on medium, etc. Did this for any cast iron and carbon steel pans I have too. And in this one I can get away on our gas burner stove on high:High Canola 400°-450° 4m 34sMedium Canola 400°-450° 6m 43s400°-450°=smoke point at which smoke appears as the oil is actually starting to burn (note health wise causing this isn’t healthy so avoid normally by following these instructions). You can do the same test on your stove with your seasoning pans. And now I just run it for 3mins on high but then turn to medium or lower. Could probably get away with 3:30 duration on high. But this way you can cook at medium or a tad lower after.

Customer Review: I picked this up back in October, and it’s quickly become one of my most-used pans. I can see why it’s such a top seller. What I love:· Built to last – this thing is solid. No worries about non-stick coatings wearing off or chemicals leaching. It’s pure, simple, durable iron.· Great heat retention – once it’s hot, it stays hot. Perfect for getting a good sear on steak, crispy skin on chicken, or even baking cornbread. I’ve used it on the stovetop, in the oven, and on the grill—it handles it all.· Natural non-stick with use – the factory seasoning is a good start, but it truly becomes non-stick the more you cook with it. Fry an egg after a few months of use, and it slides right off.· Versatile – oven-safe, stovetop-safe (including induction), campfire-safe. It really does it all.A few things to know:· It’s heavy. Not a big deal for everyday cooking, but if you have wrist issues or prefer lightweight pans, it’s worth noting.· Care is different – no soap in the dishwasher (hand wash only), and you need to dry it thoroughly and rub a thin layer of oil after each use to maintain the seasoning. It sounds like a lot, but it becomes second nature quickly.· The surface isn’t glass-smooth like vintage cast iron or some higher-end brands, but it still performs great and smooths out over time. Overall, this is a fantastic workhorse pan that will last a lifetime if cared for. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys cooking—whether you’re new to cast iron or a seasoned pro.

Customer Review: After I learned to season it quick like 7 times, and started using a brush and cup with a dap of oil on the side I kept around to wipe with oil when done, and learned to due to size I needed to have rag on edge of sink when dumping out water, and then I often but not always heat up water in electric kettle to pour in when done cooking in order to not shock it. I find after all this that I actually do basically no scrubbing, just a bit of scraping with the metal spatula while the hot water is in it. And then I use a silicone handle on one side I had gotten and I want to get the other side for the silicone side to hold but I just use a pot holder for the other side, thicker one. But I find now that this is an ideal pan to cook everything and anything and many things. I just leave it on top of my stove for daily use. And the weight, for the same reason a mechanics arms are big while not lifting, their muscles are big purely due to making the same motion every day repetitively with the wrench. It’s called a hermetic stressor, the same way weight session (more stressful obviously) and a hot sauna, cold plunge, run, etc, are all good forms of stress that cause adaptation, So to does this just cause you to lift a heavier pot a few times a day as you cook. For vast majority of us it’s nothing. But I told my mom for instance that she should use it and she complained how heavy it was, and my brutal honest response was “that’s exactly why you need to be using it because it’s not like you are working out”. It won’t make you buff, just a bit heavier than a similiar size pan, but for the older crowd who find it important to get their exercises in at the pool and such, this is no different. Plus, once I learned to clean efficiently and season a couple times, it’s a god send of a pan. I love it. I just want to put that “it’s too heavy” criticism that comes with cast iron in a new light. Your body adapts, allow it too gradually. I will at some point be adding a top to this, I just haven’t decided if I need to get the lodge glass one which would be nice or a silicone one for this, or just a cast iron one to keep the theme and look and durability forever. (Glass and silicone could both break in different ways). I do love this pan as I will admit, one of the reason I got this pan, being some one who can be hard on things by temperament, after knowing roughly how to care for this pan, I also have a license to absolutely abuse it and can’t scratch it or anything. Because once you have researched a couple of ways to take rust off and to totally reseason and recondition an old used on for instance, you have the confidence to own this the rest of your life and not ever feel like your going to ruin it. I’m also strategically lazy, I call efficient, my mom thinks different, lol, but anyway, the fastest way to clean any pan is with hot water right when done cooking as it burns and melts stuff right off, I can do that with this without worrying how it affects coatings or anything and I can do that to kingdom come. I just try to throw water from kettle on it ideally but not always. Again, the point of these pans is the amazing non stick coating that develops after use and learning to season a few more times yourself, but that you can absolutely abuse these pans and know they will last. There is a certain security that’s nice to feel with knowing that. The fact that it has a great non stick that develops after some use and is durable Af, I’m in love.Plus ever seen those videos on YouTube about how baking/pizza steel beats baking/pizza stones every time because of how the metal works vs the ceramic of the stone. It just hit me that this pan is also big enough to make a 15 inch pizza, and when making one for one to a few people depending how thick it is, that’s a good size to use as a pizza steel in the oven. I do even ti ally want a baking steel as I even learned you can leave those in your oven as it helps regulate the temperature in oven by functioning as a ballast in your oven. Don’t even have to clean those. Just let the oven burn stuff off. None the less, till then this will work as a great pizza steel surface too.++. I don’t have much sense of smell, a bit impulsive so I tottally would put it on “HIGH” on the stove every time. Might turn it down at times but it always creates smoke which didn’t matter to me, but got my mom has the higher disgust sensitivity (these two traits in the house do not get along well) anyway, I out of impatience realized I had a habit of heating it up quickly on high, Then I realized I tested how long it takes to smoke with the oil I was using to season it after each cook. I timed how long on high, waited till room temp, tested how long on medium, etc. Did this for any cast iron and carbon steel pans I have too. And in this one I can get away on our gas burner stove on high:High Canola 400°-450° 4m 34sMedium Canola 400°-450° 6m 43s400°-450°=smoke point at which smoke appears as the oil is actually starting to burn (note health wise causing this isn’t healthy so avoid normally by following these instructions). You can do the same test on your stove with your seasoning pans. And now I just run it for 3mins on high but then turn to medium or lower. Could probably get away with 3:30 duration on high. But this way you can cook at medium or a tad lower after.

Customer Review: I picked this up back in October, and it’s quickly become one of my most-used pans. I can see why it’s such a top seller. What I love:· Built to last – this thing is solid. No worries about non-stick coatings wearing off or chemicals leaching. It’s pure, simple, durable iron.· Great heat retention – once it’s hot, it stays hot. Perfect for getting a good sear on steak, crispy skin on chicken, or even baking cornbread. I’ve used it on the stovetop, in the oven, and on the grill—it handles it all.· Natural non-stick with use – the factory seasoning is a good start, but it truly becomes non-stick the more you cook with it. Fry an egg after a few months of use, and it slides right off.· Versatile – oven-safe, stovetop-safe (including induction), campfire-safe. It really does it all.A few things to know:· It’s heavy. Not a big deal for everyday cooking, but if you have wrist issues or prefer lightweight pans, it’s worth noting.· Care is different – no soap in the dishwasher (hand wash only), and you need to dry it thoroughly and rub a thin layer of oil after each use to maintain the seasoning. It sounds like a lot, but it becomes second nature quickly.· The surface isn’t glass-smooth like vintage cast iron or some higher-end brands, but it still performs great and smooths out over time. Overall, this is a fantastic workhorse pan that will last a lifetime if cared for. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys cooking—whether you’re new to cast iron or a seasoned pro.

Customer Review: I am not an expert on cast iron, but I love these pans. I already have a Le Creuset, which I bought years ago when they were less than $100. I needed more pans and took a chance on Lodge based on the reviews. I have had them for just one month and enjoy using them. I use at least one of them daily. I still cook my eggs in the Le Creuset, but so far the Lodge pans are perfect for everything else. I did read it can take a while to season the pans for cooking eggs, so I am waiting a bit longer, which may not be necessary. The pans are easy to clean and seem to have seasoned well. Take good care of them and you can’t go wrong with this set. I also bought a set of tools made by Lodge for cleaning and seasoning the pans and a chain mail scrubber. The Lodge set comes with a handle cover, which is an essential item for lifting a hot, heavy pan. All of these things are very useful in using and caring for the pans.

Customer Review: I have used Lodge cast iron skillets for over 60 years. When we bought a different home in another state we bought another set. They are truly pre-seasoned, but I am careful when I first start using them and re-season as we use. They will last many generations of our family. They are easy to clean and maintain, heavy, sturdy. You cannot get a better non-stick surface if you treat them right. Thank you Lodge for an affordable lifetime skillet.

Customer Review: Cooking with this pan is a dream. I’ve even used it over a camp fire several times now, where the heat distribution feature really shines. The pan sits at the side, just 1/2 over flames and embers, and still, everything was evenly cooked with only a few stirrings needed, and clean-up was a breeze. The lighter weight of this pan is a big plus for me. I have a tiny wrist (people have laughed at it; it’s THAT tiny) but have no trouble getting this pan safely off the fire using just one hand. That’s with a heavy glass lid on top and the pan 3/4 full. After having retired a couple of ceramic non-stick pans in the past year, I find that this cast iron pan delivers far superior results and is made to last for a lifetime. I won’t go back to non-stick, no matter how tough and safe it’s marketed to be, they all fail after a while and likely have a long list of chemicals in them, that have never even been (sufficiently) tested for health risks. And last but not least, I also want to mention that the pan arrived with a lovely handwritten note. It adds a nice touch and probably even some flavor as I treasure this pan and all that goes into it.

Customer Review: This is by far the best cast iron skillet available in my experience. I’ve used Lodge, Field, and Marquette Castings (oh, and a Finex I borrowed from a friend one time). This skillet is the absolute best of the bunch. It is the lightest, best design, non-stick right out of the box and performs the best. It has a wonderful factory seasoning and the best handle design in my opinion. It also cleans up the easiest of the group for me. If I could give it ten stars I would! Wish I’d purchased this skillet first.

Customer Review: I love this thing! So far everything I’ve cooked in it has turned out perfectly and cleaning it is a breeze, and after seasoning it nothing sticks in it or burns to the surface. Even with the messiest I’ve gotten in I’ve gotten it cleaned up in minutes after a quick wipe with paper towels and a light scrub with some coarse salt. Also, this is a BIG skillet, big enough that I’m able to cook entire meals in the thing with room to spare. The only downsides someone might have with it is that it might be heavier and larger than they’re expecting, so make sure you have some place nice and dry to keep it stored properly when not in use and try not to drop it on your foot or something.

Customer Review: I have been making my own pizza for about 5 years now, ever since I received a bread machine to make me pizza dough. Well I had tried countless aluminum and steel pizza pans, with and without holes. I had even tried the pizza stone in the oven, but I could never slide a raw, uncooked pizza from the prep area to the stone without causing a huge mess (I even had the big wooden shovel thing and used gratuitous cornmeal!). Well my pizza was always flawed in one way or another, though the most common flaw was uneven cooking. Burnt crust, soggy interior, sauce and cheese dripping off the sides onto the oven bottom, burning and stinking up my house. Well the solution to all my problems was this pan. After a round of seasoning followed by cooking a pound of bacon in it (tis how I prepare all my cast iron) I placed my pizza dough into the pan and prepared it as usual, tossed it into my preheated oven (which it barely fits in by the way, it actually keeps the oven door about 1/4 inch open, so measure your oven before buying this thing!) and after 25 minutes out came the greatest pizza that I have ever created! My crust was not burnt, but perfectly crisped; the entire bottom of the pizza was evenly cooked, nice and crisp, but not burnt; the cheese was evenly browned across the entire top, perfect! I could even slice the pizza while still in the pan (no concerns of scratching the surface here) and when leaving the remainder of the pizza in the pan, it remains warm for the next 20-30 minutes. I used to have to reheat slices 2 and 3, but the cast iron retains its heat so well that every piece tasted as warm and fresh as the piece before it. After all was said and done I then tried to make some deep dish pizza and oh dear Jebus, I may never buy pizza again. This is the next best thing to get aside from installing a brick pizza oven in your kitchen. Highly recommended for oven use, not so much for stovetop use. It takes so long to heat up evenly on the stove top that its not worth it. For stove top jobs like eggs and pancakes I use my collection of skillets. Update May 2013: I took this thing out for camping and cooked chicken, eggs, bacon, potatoes, hot dogs, and hamburgers over a roaring open flame. It worked great. Took it home, scrubbed it clean and its still like new. I use this pan in place of aluminum foil covered baking sheets for the most part too, though you must add a couple minutes to cook time for the pan to heat up. I want to buy another one of these but I have no reason to since my current one does everything its supposed to, and more.