Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

At 58 years old I grew up using iron cookware and prefer to cook with it whenever possible. I have spent as much as $150 on a top name brand "non-stick" skillet only to be donated a year later to the thrift store! ~Never again. I needed a new skillet and decided to go with another iron skillet and purchase this one from Amazon. It arrived in a couple of days and in perfect condition. As with all my cast iron I treated it the same way out of the box. I scrubbed it with hot water and coarse kosher salt, rinsed, then set on a burner and turned the burner on low, then gradually increased the heat until fully dry. While the pan is hot, I take a little bit of Crisco Shortening (about a tablespoon) and drop it in the pan, using a pasty brush I spread the melted shortening over the full interior surface, then I take a paper towel and wipe out any excess (but not too dry you want it to have a slight sheen to it), then I rub the outside of the pan, including the handle, sides and bottom. *note* Do this every time you've used your cast iron cookware, and you will never be disappointed in its performance. NEVER - Use soap or detergent on your iron cookware you'll ruin the seasoning with soap. If you do have a sticking when the pan has cooled add hot water only, allow to soak for about 15 minutes or so and clean as usual. Properly cared for your cookware should last your lifetime, be virtually non-stick and extremely low maintenance. NEVER - Allow your cookware to air dry. This will cause rust and you will most likely need to scrub with steel wool, rinse, dry and re-season and you may to repeat this process many times to return it to a desirable condition. Iron cookware can crack if exposed to extreme temperature changes / hot to cold. Food should never be stored in iron, it is for cooking and serving from within a short time period only. I hope my long winded review/comment has helped in some way. I love my iron skillets. I'll be back for more pieces.