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Reviews & Guides · Kitchen & Dining

Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron 5 Piece Set: a year in a two-person kitchen

Reviewed: Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron 5 Piece SetRegional reference: Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron 5 Piece Set (US)

My Lodge skillets get daily use, and the griddle comes out three or four times a week. For our two-person home, the Dutch oven is too big and heavy.

Three black cast iron pans resting on a white electric coil stovetop, including a lidded Lodge skillet on the front left, a small skillet on the front right, and a flat griddle pan on the back right, flanked by bottles of oil and salt.
A seasoned black cast-iron skillet resting on a white electric coil stovetop.

Last November, I bought a Lodge cast-iron cookware set on Amazon and posted a note about it. It unexpectedly received more than 10,000 views, so it seems many people are enthusiastic about cookware. Here is how it felt after one year of use:

  1. 10.5-inch shallow griddle:

    Use frequency: 3–4 times a week.

    Main uses: jianbing, pan-fried flatbreads, teppanyaki-style grilled meat, pan-fried fish and frying everything.

  2. 10.25-inch deep skillet:

    Use frequency: every day.

    Main uses: frying, stir-frying, deep-frying and anything else—it is my all-purpose pan. I braise meat almost every three days, including pork, beef and chicken. The meat turns out very fragrant, and I do not need to use much oil.

  3. 8-inch skillet:

    Use frequency: every day.

    Main uses: It is relatively small and is generally used for breakfast—fried eggs, egg pancakes and toasted bread. It is convenient and easy to use.

  4. 10.25-inch Dutch oven: The photograph does not show it. I have put it at the very back of the cabinet because it is too heavy and too large. It could still be useful for a larger household, but there are only two people in my home, so we really do not need it.

Overall, since buying the cast-iron cookware, I threw away all my nonstick pans. At first, I kept forgetting to wash and oil the cast iron, but gradually I developed the habit. I buy vegetable-oil spray; after washing, I dry the pan, spray it and spread the oil evenly, and that is all. For your health, throw away your nonstick pans too—cast iron is the best.

Source: 倔强的肉干儿 · Xiaohongshu · 2020-10-21 · lodge铸铁锅使用一年体验反馈. Search this Chinese title in Xiaohongshu to find the original post.

Before You Buy

Models in your region

The owner’s four named pieces match the contents and sizes of the US Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron 5 Piece Set, but the source does not show its purchase SKU. The comparison therefore uses the official US set as the corresponding product family, not as proof of the exact retail code bought by the owner.

Model in this review Related regional model What to know
Lodge cast-iron cookware set used by the owner Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron 5 Piece Set (US) The owner’s 8-inch skillet, 10.25-inch skillet, 10.5-inch griddle and 10.25-inch Dutch oven correspond to the US Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron 5 Piece Set, which officially includes those pieces plus a lid. The owner’s exact purchase SKU is not shown, so confirm the contents before buying.
Model in this review
Lodge cast-iron cookware set used by the owner
Related regional model
Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron 5 Piece Set (US)
What to know
The owner’s 8-inch skillet, 10.25-inch skillet, 10.5-inch griddle and 10.25-inch Dutch oven correspond to the US Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron 5 Piece Set, which officially includes those pieces plus a lid. The owner’s exact purchase SKU is not shown, so confirm the contents before buying.

What the owner actually used

After roughly a year, both skillets had become daily tools in this two-person kitchen, while the griddle came out three or four times a week. The Dutch oven was put away because it felt too large and heavy. That uneven use is a useful reason to compare the whole set with buying only the pieces you expect to reach for.

Match the pan to the cooking task

The 8-inch skillet handled eggs, egg pancakes and toast. The 10.25-inch skillet was the all-purpose pan, including meat braises about every three days, while the shallow griddle handled jianbing, flatbreads, meat and fish. In the US set, those are three separate cooking surfaces; choose among them by the meals you actually make rather than assuming every piece will get equal use.

Weight and storage matter as much as capacity

The Dutch oven was the clear mismatch for this owner: it was described as too heavy and too large for two people, then stored at the back of a cabinet. The official US set weighs 28 lb in total, but that figure covers the complete set rather than the Dutch oven alone, so it cannot establish how heavy any one piece will feel during lifting or washing. Buyers with limited storage or a smaller household should check individual dimensions and handling needs before choosing the full set.

Care is part of the daily routine

The owner initially forgot to wash and oil the pans, then settled into drying them and applying vegetable-oil spray after cleaning. Lodge’s care guidance for this seasoned-cast-iron product family similarly calls for gradual preheating, some oil, washing after cooling with warm soapy water, thorough drying and light oiling. That supports the maintenance routine, but it does not prove that the cookware is healthier than nonstick cookware.

Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron 5 Piece Set · US

Check the regional configuration

The five-piece count includes the lid: L5HS3 supplies four cookware pieces, not five pans. Lodge lists the set for induction and other stovetops, ovens, grills and campfires. Those options may add value if you will use them; this owner’s account focuses on an everyday stovetop routine.

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