The Lodge L10SK3 12-inch cast iron skillet is the best-value piece of lifetime cookware available in Canada — pre-seasoned from the factory, induction and oven compatible, and made in the USA at a price that makes it difficult to justify any alternative. Available on Amazon.ca (ASIN B00G2XGC88) at around $49 CAD.
8 mentions · 2 threadslast mention Dec 2025
Real comments from Reddit, linked to the original thread. Nothing paraphrased.
Check your heat…when I learned to trust the process and drop my heat to 3-5 out of 10, let it heat for 10 minutes, and use some avocado oil my food just stopped sticking. Try it with an egg a few times until you can see it happening in real time.
It's the preheating. I make my coffee, take it off burner and put the pan on. Turn to med low and feel it with my hand above the pan. When I can feel the heat, I add oil and food. Cover and cook. I've never liked sunny side up eggs until I did this. The cover creates a film and they are awesome!
I probably use mine everyday. Its such a workhorse. Admitedly, it took me a week or two before learning how to make stuff not stick. For me it was definitely the pre-heating part, not the low heat.
I never understood this. I always have my gas burner on max during preheating and cooking, never had anything stick.
Hey just warm it up slowly. I usually do 5 mins on medium low, 5 on medium, add oil let it sit for a few minutes then let it rip. Use plenty of fat. Wash it up and try again.
Agreed to just scrape and try again. Also cooking some bacon and scraping will fill those tiny voids and help for future use. Using a flat metal spatula is totally okay too! I use crisco to grease it after cleaning as well. That's a personal preference
People fuss about these super expensive cast iron skillets, but I have no idea why. I paid under $20 for my Lodge skillet 10+ years ago, and I can't see any reason to pay $200 for a skillet. It's my most used pan and I'll never give it up.
We used it 4/5 times a week since then ("as is", without sanding it or doing anything to improve it) and you can clearly see what a difference it makes in terms of seasoning!
The Lodge 12-inch cast iron skillet is a $49 pan that will outlast every other piece of cookware in a Canadian kitchen and improve with every use — its heat retention, oven versatility, and longevity are genuinely difficult to match at any price. The weight and maintenance requirements are real trade-offs, and its limitations with acidic foods and electric coil heating are worth knowing. For searing, cornbread, shallow frying, and oven-finishing, nothing in this price range comes close. Buyers willing to learn the basic care routine will likely pass it to their children.
