Kitchen Reviews

This product is very nice. But don't buy it because of the best value deal. The companion product is currently not in stock, but Amazon doesn't mention that. I ordered the best value deal on 27 February. The 16-piece set has been already shipped to me, but I am now being asked to wait for the 4-piece until early June.

1 of: Libbey 4-Piece Heidelberg Beer Mug Set, by Libbey
- Updated shipping estimate: May 24 - May 31
- Updated delivery estimate: May 27 - June 9
- Your approval required by Sunday April 18 2004

You'd better have a concrete floor handy if you want to break one of these glasses. I have the larger sizes that I purchased locally and I find that they are comfortable in the hand as well as attractive on an informal table. They go through the dishwasher regularly and after months of use they have no scratches. Oh, yes. They are movie stars. If you have seen "The Rundown," an action movie with a sense of humor, you will see the female lead drinking from one in her bar.

These glasses are tougher than most designs due to the DuraTuff process of tempering the glass material. They are balanced well, and easy to clean. They seem to have a natural contour which makes the glasses easy to hold on to. Many times in our restaurant, when one drops one of these on the floor, it does not break, however when it does break, it seems like the breakage pattern of dense crystal, rather than merly glass. The glass denstity is thicker than normal, and so if you freeze the glass, it will keep a beverage cold longer than most designs. One more thing - you will see this glass pattern in commercial use at many bars and restaurants, which is a defacto testament to their durability, and popularity. There is a huge array of sizes in this "Gibralter" collection available too. The "Gilbralter" design ... it never seems goes out of style.

Excellant, very pleased. I can not understand why one would pay 100's for forged knives when this set fills the kitchen bill to a fine edge. More then acceptsble for an ordinary cook.

...when saw this one could not resist, so cheap and it is forged steel. To my dissapointment it is made in China, but what do you expect. The quality is good, the steel is nice and thick, they are balanced well, sharp, and seem good quality. I am not sure how they are in the long run, but are fine for now. The only drawback.....no steak knifes to go with the set.

I got my set of knives about 2 weeks ago and I am VERY pleased with them. They are heavy, feel comfortable to use, and are sharp. The block that they fit into is attractive also.

I like to cook in a variety of ways: stovetop, oven, grill and campfire. There is only one type of pan that answers the call under all of these conditions: cast iron. I have a set of high quality non-stick cookware that has served me well. BUT...you can't use metal utensils, place it in the oven and heaven forbid..put it on the grill. One of my colleagues gave me an old cast iron skillet a few years ago and it had that beautiful black patina characteristic of well-seasoned iron pans. I was hooked! I have greatly expanded my collection of cast iron pans, all from Lodge, and in spite of their weight, they consistently produce superior results. This pan is large and heavy but has no hot spots, thus heating uniformly. These pans require some special treatment: proper seasoning, NO SOAP and a thin wipe with shortening after each use, but you will have a pan that will be your culinary companion for life

After all the fancy All-Clad pots I own, this one is becoming my new favorite. For some things like searing meat, only cast iron does such a fine job. The only thing I'd point out to buyers is that this pan is bigger than it looks. If I'd bothered to measure first, I would have gone with the 10 inch skillet instead of this one, but that's my own fault! This one is big and VERY heavy, but after seasoning it, it's awesome for cooking. Try a fajita or a nice seared steak!

As Grandmother and any great cook knows, cast iron is the best for cooking and this is not only a well priced item the fact it will last for years and is easy to cook in and clean up makes it a must own for any well stocked kitchen. Le Creuset and Lodge are the two brands of cooking items I own.

Interesting facts about cast iron. No, it doesn't have to rust when washed IF you remember to read the simple instructions on how to "season" or prepare for use, and if you rinse out and wipe clean after each use and NEVER use steel wool or any abrasive cleaner that will destroy the "seasoning" that you have made.

For frying chicken you simply need to make sure the skillet is hot and as the rule says "Hot oil Hot skillet food won't stick". The skillet like all cast iron holds and distributes the heat evenly and you get trace iron in your diet which is healthy because cast iron emits trace iron into the food you cook.

Heck we even lug this on back pack trips because we KNOW that it can be use to cook up anything we are having for a meal. You can do pancakes to stew in in, and it is nice because you can use it to hit a bad guy over the head if he tries to hurt you. (joking). Although I do advise if you use one often that you switch hands on occasion since this will build up muscles due to its weight.

I flat out love this fryer. I purchased it to replace one of those fancy electric deep fryers. By doing so, I've saved counter space, because this fryer sits on your stove and can be stored permanently on the back of your stove full of grease with the cover on it. It will heat grease fast, and because its cast iron there is an exceptional taste difference in everything you fry. Also, you can use it as a regular pot. If you are assembling just the basics or a dream kitchen, a cast iron Skillet, Grill, and Fryer are a must have. There is no replacement item, or substitute for certain things you cook.

Wish I had got this a long time back instead of spending a fortune on all those expensive non-sticks and all! This is a great buy esp with the pre seasoned coating its just awesome. Cleaning is very easy! Trust me ...I have a huge cast iron skillet, griddle and this one. So if it's not worth it I would let know rt away. I would certainly recommend the Lodge cookware to anyone.

I own three pieces of cast iron cookware, and this item is one of them... and among my favorite cooking implements, period. For dishes requiring steady, even heat and for cooks who require durable cookware with easy clean-up, cast iron CANNOT be beat!

This fryer is going to last forever. Its care is easy: I scrub it with hot water only, and dry it with an old rag and apply a thin layer of vegetable oil while the iron is still hot... a year and a half later, it's still rust-free and delivering the reliable service I have come to expect and admire. No scratches interfere with its performance, as is the case with my allegedly-long-lasting Wearever nonstick cookware set (what a waste of money THAT was!). In fact, in this particular chicken fryer, I've produced everything from french fries to spaghetti sauce to eggs and bacon to french toast! It's a dependable griddle, skillet, grill, and pot, and it goes right from the stovetop and into the oven for maximum versatility.

The best thing about the chicken fryer is its somewhat smaller circumference than the skillet or the Dutch oven. It takes up a bit less stovetop space and provides greater depth, making it ideal for small batches of soups, stews, or deep-fried goodies.

I am an avid home-chef, and I can say without exception that my cast-iron cookware is the best kitchen investment I've ever made.

the glasses are cute, but very small (they are little juice glasses).
good for summer picnics and barbeques.
they are quite heavy and will not tip over all the time. they also seem thick enough to not break too easily.
comes with the plastic cover on the carafe, another good thing, whether it be for the refrigerator or for outdoor use.
a good deal too.

Even on the grayest, gloomiest days breakfast is appealing when juice is served in these cheery glasses.

The pitcher is a handy part of the set, but we seldom use it. When there are overnight guests it is attractive on the table, and allows all to have as much juice as they wish.

Glasses have heavy bottoms so they sit firmly, and are the right size to grasp.

We've given this set as a housewarming gift, and it has been received with much appreciation.

I love this set! After many (20+) years of using old Kraft Cheese spread jars for juice glasses, I've finally got a decent set, I must be coming up in this world!!

What a wonderful way to cook. We have never has food taste so good. Easy to clean! and a must to have. Thank you Lodge for making great cast iron cookwear.

I was looking into cast iron for a long time, and couldn't get past the prices. I had been learning the steady lesson in cookware that "you get what you pay for." I bought cheap pans, and threw them out after a year. So I was wary about the prices of Lodge cookware. But after listening to Alton Brown expound upon their greatness, and watching the myriad things he was able to do with his skillet, I decided to take the plunge. I wanted a skillet and a Dutch oven. I found this set, and said "perfect!" I get 2 skillets, the dutch oven (with the lid that fits one of the skillets too), and a griddle, for the price of a skillet and a dutch oven.
The only piece in this set I could do without is the griddle. I own a larger griddle/grill that I use far more frequently because of its more convenient size, but even so, I don't feel cheated because it was basically like a free gift at this price. And I use both skillets and the dutch oven so frequently, the meager investment isn't even a consideration.
About the cookware itself: yes, cast iron has a small upkeep. You can't clean it like you clean every other pan. You have to coat it with oil after EVERY cleaning. You MUST season the pans. BUT, this stuff is impossible to stick to after a cure has been worked in. Also, it's bulletproof. No more worrying about using those metal tongs in your teflon pan...you can scrape and jab and cut and bang, and that cure stays put. The only thing you can't do is soap it. But nothing sticks to it, so cleanup isn't really that big an issue.
PLUS it imparts natural iron to foods that are cooked in it.
So to sum up: affordable, needs maintenance, bulletproof, naturally non-stick, and makes foods a little more nutritious. What are you waiting for??

Down south, we know, and have known for years... nothing cooks as well, or cleans as easily, as well seasoned cast iron. Like so many good things of the past, all the small foundries have been forced by unremitting government regulation to cease production. Wagner, Dixie, Griswold and all the furnaces of Rome, Georgia, Birmingham, Alabama, and the steel corridor of the north now burn cold. Fear not, for one bright light burns on. Lodge is there, blazing the way for a new generation of cooks to experience the glory of cast iron. It matter not one whit, if you are competing with the Iron Chef or the talented Boy Scout next door, you will improve your chances with cast iron... and nobody pouring steel in America today does cookware like Lodge of Tennessee... America come home, out of the heartland greatness still runs, and as is so often the case, Tennessee points the way. Try it and establish a base line by which all other cooking will be measured... You just cannot beat cast iron and pig parts... Y'all come ya hear... South Carolina --- still too big to be an asylum and too small to be a nation

My brother gave us this for Christmas. At first, I was pretty disappointed if only because a pair would make more sense for a family of four. This pan is not very large and at this price, why not splurge? However, this is a fantastic pan for pancakes. It heats quickly, it makes one fast, fluffy, huge pancake at a time, it's a breeze to clean, and it's sort of funny! Also the potholder is useful when I use my "real" pans.

I've used this twice now and have been impressed....it's just like the restaurants.
I always make sure the vegetables are not fully cooked because they will cook in the fajita skillet, since it gets so hot.

I love cooking with cast iron. These fajita sets are so versatile. We do our steaks on them. Heat the skillets on the grill first, get them RED-HOT!.... then drop your steaks on them. Turn once. And serve them to guests SIZZLIN'... Your guests will be impressed... and of course they're good for fajitas, too. Ever tried drop biscuits on them? Drop some butter, preheat the skillets, then drop the biscuitdough on.
The secret to castiron cooking is to PRE-HEAT IT!!! and when you're through, wash up, turn upside down in heated oven to dry. Protects your seasoning of skillets.
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