Ask any good home cook — or even a professional chef — worth their salt and they’ll tell you one of the best things you can have in your arsenal is a cast iron skillet — especially a Lodge cast iron skillet. It’s pretty difficult to totally ruin cast iron, which means it can hold up for generations if you take care of it properly.
That’s not an exaggeration either; just think about all the old cast iron skillets you may have seen at garage sales or even at flea markets. A well-seasoned bit of cast iron allows for even heat retention across the surface, which means you get food that’s been cooked consistently throughout. Once you consider the health benefits (you get a bit of iron in your food each time you use it) and just how cool it looks (the presentation of a cobbler in cast iron just looks great) it really is worth the extra muscle (cast iron is heavy after all!) and investment.
Lodge’s cast iron products are among some of the absolute best on the market. But what happens when you take those beloved traits and apply them to other handy bakeware classics? Turns out, it’s a pretty perfect pairing. Launching today, Lodge has expanded their product offerings into nine different bakeware options including a pie pan, casserole pan, baking pan, baker’s skillet, a specialized holiday wreath pan (coming soon in time for the holiday season), and redesigns of a pizza pan, loaf pan, wedge pan, and a cornstick pan. SPY was fortunate enough to test the baking and casserole pan ahead of the launch. In short, they certainly live up to the reputation Lodge has carved out for themselves since the company started all the way back in 1896(!).
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I used the casserole pan to make my family’s take on a Chicken Divan and was yielded a deliciously cheesy crust, with broccoli that had been roasted to perfection and chicken that was perfectly juicy. The baking pan crisped up my weekend morning bacon with ease and further seasoned the tray just like it would have if I’d made it over the stove in a cast iron skillet. Fishing each pan out of the oven was really easy thanks to their dual handles which I could feel through my oven mitts. Cleaning was just the same as how I’d clean my skillet (with minimal amounts of water) so there was no real increase in time despite the larger area of each pan.
These are just two uses of the respective pans — and fairly straightforward uses of them — but I’m sure more versatile chefs will come up with all kinds of other inventive uses. Hell, considering you can bake bread in a skillet, I’m sure there will be hundreds of possibilities. Even in this (somewhat) limited use, it’s clear Lodge’s approach to each of these pans is the same that’s made them such a household name for over a 100 years; These new items follow in the footsteps of a legacy that’s lasted well over 100 years — and looks to last for generations to come.
Lodge Cast Iron Casserole Dish
Lodge Cast Iron Baking Pan