I really like this 8″ skillet. It’s perfect to cook a burger or other small food items. However, I was disappointed that my Lodge (rectangular) bacon press doesn’t fit. No big deal though, since the press will fit very well in the 10.5″ Lodge skillet that I have on order. Since I fondly remember the old days when I went to the lunch counter at my local Woolworth’s store and got the (IMHO) best pressed grilled cheese and bacon sandwich in the world, the bacon press is a ‘must have’ for me. I got turned on to cast iron cooking after watching an episode on the Food Network that featured the Lodge Company. It didn’t take long for me to get really ‘gung ho’ about cast iron cooking that I went so far to buy an induction burner. For the 100 bucks that I paid for it, it was a good investment since I have a glass top stove. While if you’re very careful by lifting the skillet (no matter what size) and not dragging it on the surface or taking the chance of dropping it, it’s OK to use cast iron. But being the cautious person I normally am, I like having the burner rather than risking costly repairs or worse – replacing the stove.

I purchased three of these pans a couple of years ago. I use them all the time to heat up left overs, make pies, bake bread, cook eggs, fry bacon, and anything else that fits into it. These were my first cast iron pans. I burned the first thing I tried to cook by using too high of a heat and not seasoning it first. I do recommend that you season it before using it and after each time it is used. After washing, I put it on a medium heat, coat it lightly with oil using a paper towel, let it heat for a few minutes, then wipe it clean and cool it down before storing it again. This works great! These pans are now nonstick and clean up very easily. When I have used the procedure that Lodge recommends, my cast iron has become gummy.