Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

In Summary: * Designed in USA but made in China (that might eliminate many purists immediately). * Impressive smooth cooking surface only found on vintage or expensive modern cast iron. * Excellent handle allows for leverage and doubles as a spoon rest. * Factory seasoning and fit and finish leave a little to be desired. As a cast iron collector, I’m always on the lookout for new pieces. I own a few Greater Goods products and think very highly of the company, their products and their mission so this seemed like a natural fit for me. Purists want their cast iron cookware made in the USA and while this was designed here, it’s made in China. That will rule this out for many and it makes me a little skeptical but all things considered, I gave it a try and am happy I did. Initial Impressions: The packaging is nice. Branded cardboard box with another cardboard interior piece to hold the skillet in place. There’s also a sticker for a free silicon holder. That will come in handy as the handle is very different than any other piece of cast iron that I own. Printed on the inside of the box is the company’s mission and included is a card with use and care instructions. You can also find them online which is a nice touch in case you don’t know how to care for your cast iron. The skillet, at first glance, looks nice in the box. The “Nourish” logo and castings are large, simple, yet professional looking. I’d compare the initial presentation to being very similar to opening up a new Field skillet. Visual build quality is good, but not perfect. All the edges were smooth (no sharp edges or burrs) but they didn’t spend as much time on overall fit and finish as the higher-end brands do. The “hole” on the assist handle looks a little asymmetrical but it does the job. Upon flipping it over, you will notice the nice, smooth cooking surface. That was the main selling point of this piece for me. Out of the box, it rivals the smoothness of my vintage Griswold pans, but you can see where it was machined and polished. I found no inconsistencies in the cast which is impressive. The factory seasoning is extremely thin. They use flaxseed oil which is good and standard but it’s barely there. There were some initial signs of surface rust on the cooking surface. Nothing of major concern but this kept me from wanting to do an initial cook with just the factory seasoning. I washed it and seasoned it once myself first. As mentioned before, I’m a big fan of the handle. It’s longer and wider than you see on most skillets, especially ones less than $100. It’s designed to keep cooler longer and serves as a spoon rest. Very nice touch. Compared to the same size competitor’s skillet, this is much easier to handle and doesn’t even really need the assist handle on the opposite size. But it’s nice that it’s there. It’s about as thick as most modern skillets around this price. There’s no ring around the top, so it does look thinner, but once you account for that, I’d say it’s about the same. The pour spouts have a nice deep channel that makes pouring a breeze. First Cook: I seasoned the skillet with flaxseed oil hoping to fill in some of the thin spots from the factory seasoning. Normally, I’d try to fry something else first but decided to go in head first with: THE EGG TEST. I used a quick shot of generic cooking spray to oil the pan. A perfect fried egg on the first try. Gravity did all the work, I didn’t need to do anything to free it from the pan. Amazing. Nice even cook and it tasted great. No off-flavors from the skillet (not that I was expecting any). I cannot remember any of my pieces performing this well on the first cook. So this is impressive. Final Word: This is a great skillet for the price especially if you’re looking for that smooth surface found in vintage cast iron and not willing to break your piggy bank or break out the grinder to smooth it out. It’s well-designed and built, has some unique features and ultimately it supports a great cause. Should I have any change in opinion after future use, I’ll update this review. But beyond it’s country of manufacture, there is absolutely no reason for you not to pick up this excellent skillet.