Utopia Kitchen Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet/Frying Pan - 12.5 Inch (32 cm) - Black

I love my gigantic caste-iron frying pan. They seem to not exist in Eastern Europe so it was worth the shipping. It's a little too big for my stove-top, but that's not the pan's fault :DHOWEVER -- (and this is not a bad "however") -- If you have never seasoned a pan before, you better learn. Even though it says that is it seasoned, it is not... not really. But then they never really are. So be prepared to use either a lot of pork fat or a TON of any other type of oil to get this pan to where it needs to be.You'll definitley taste the iron when you first start using it. But that is true of ANY new Iron skillet. If you don't have the opportunity to inherit one from a grandmother or parent... then this is worth if, and it is fun to "carbon it up" on your own... it you like that sort of thing.Mine's named "Sweet Bessy"

As good as expected, i have this skillet for 4 years now.Still in same condition as new. Good quality.

I didn't realise that getting a Cast Iron Skillet is not only obviously far healthier but it's a whole community, of the hows to season and many other things. Fascinating.Pan arrived promtly and is absolutely fine. It looks like metal that has been worked on obviously, a little rough in places and marked, but looking totally genuine, which i prefer to the often shop bought pans that are like trying to appear as immaculate, often with their non stick coating full off Teflon or the GenX chemicals they use even nowadays.Pan had a very small bit of rust upon opening underneath, which i quicky removed with some kitchen paper.And most the important thing is, Steak burgers, and also a chilli i made last night taste better than ever. I definetly think food tastes better, it's like a hot grill.One thing i learned from others, is heat the pans fairly slowly, so not to ever cause a thermal shock...esp if in cold temperatures.

This is my first cast iron pan so I didn't know what to expect. This thing is huge! The sizzling of my Tesco steak echoed in the vast expanse of the pan. I didn't trust the pre-seasoning so I scrubbed it off and seasoned it according to the first decent-looking Google link I could find. I didn't wash the pan straight after using it and it looks like it's stained a bit somehow?The bottom of the pan has risen up in places so it's not completely flat anymore. It doesn't look like rust so I'm not sure if it's such a big deal especially since I didn't care for it properly. If I had to do it again I'd probably buy a smaller pan that's probably more expensive and better quality, but since I have it now I'll just run it into the ground.Beginners beware! Take care of the pan as it's not very forgiving. Though I'm not sure if cast iron pans are supposed to be forgiving in the first place.

It’s perfect. Proper cast iron pan. It’s very heavy, as a grown man I can only just handle it one handed, my Mrs can’t.I seasoned it properly and never use any soaps and have an “oil sponge” which I run around it after each use. I just pour a bit of olive or sunflower oil in the pan and run the sponge around. It keeps it perfectly non-stick, yet it can char/tan foods like no Teflon lightweight pan can.A tip: After cooking, to reduce cleaning effort given no soap is involved, I heat the pan and run the hot tap. Then run some hot water into the pan at the sink. The massive heat in the pan will boil the water immediately. Just roll the water around the pan and you’ll pour the water away and leave a clean pan. If you do need to run a brush around, it’ll be effortless.

This pan is brilliant. Used it today for a stir fry and nothing stuck at all and food tasted wonderful. I did pre season lightly with a thin coat of rapeseed oil on a piece of kitchen paper which I probably didn’t need to do as it comes seasoned already but I wanted to make sure it was well coated. Only thing I find I didn’t like it the handle is a bit small for the size and weight of the pan. It is very heavy of course and you need 2 hands to lift it but it does have a second holding grip on the opposite side of handle so I managed ok. Can’t fault it and might even buy the smaller size and I should think this will last forever if I look after it properly and regularly season it.

I hesitated for ages before getting a cast-iron pan, but I wished I had bought this earlier.Excellent value, this has high sides, a useful helper handle, and the pre-seasoned coating is absolutely amazing. First time out my steak didn't catch once.This cooks the most amazing seared and succulent chicken breasts, and is useful for all sorts of cooking.I don't worry too much about the cleaning regime. I've had it for a couple of months now, and simply wait until it's cool before running it under water and use a scrubbing brush to dislodge the debris. I then put it on the hob for a few minutes to ensure all the moisture has been driven away, and that's it!The coating gets better as you use it, just ensure you don't leave it wet.

I bought the pan due to the claims it can help add the mineral iron to the food cooked in a cast iron pan. I also liked the idea of being able to put the pan in the oven when making meals.I have only had the pan for a few days but I am already regretting buying it , the first thing I cooked in it was vegetables ( to be fair it does say to cook bacon first if you can) however i didnt have any so tried vegetables. The second time I used it was for an omelette which was a complete disaster as it stuck quite badly on the bottom. I decided to season the pan in the oven when cooking a joint on Sunday to see if that would help, since then i cooked mushrooms which were incredibly greasy due to the amount of fat i ended up using to to stop it sticking.I am finding that when washing it, it doesnt look that cleanI think i would have been better to have spent my money on a good non stick pan, just wondering whether i can return but obviously I have used it now