Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Square Grill Pan

The square pan provides plenty of room to fry up a few burgers and the hot juices in the bottom are made-to-order for sauteeing a few mushrooms, onions, or peppers to go on top. The handle is fatter than older Lodge designs and quite ergonomic as long as you're wearing an oven mitt. Cleans nicely by boiling a little water in the pan and giving it a quick scrub with a stiff round natural-bristle vegetable brush and the hottest water that'll come out of the tap.

I would recommend this pan over the 11.5" one Lodge also offers because the thicker bottom, smaller sides, and deeper walls of the 10.5" pan provide fairly even heat over the entire grill surface. It appears that the 11.5" pan is based on the griddle of the same size, and my 11.5" griddle is hot near the center and cooler near the edges when used on a burner - OK for hash browns, but bad for burgers, grilled cheese, and such.

Excellent product; if you can't grill outside, this pan is the next best thing!


Does a good job, things to be aware of ...   August 12, 2006
 56 out of 56 found this review helpful

I just cooked a thick ribeye steak using this grill. It's the first thing that I have cooked on it. Similar to a cast iron frying pan that I have, this generates a lot of "smoke". I had to take the battery out of my smoke detector, and open windows. I think I cooked it at a slightly higher temperature than I needed to. If smoke is a problem, think twice about buying this.

The result is the best steak I have ever cooked indoors. It beats any electric grill I have ever used, and it beats the George Foreman grill hands down. I would say that the results are almost restaurant quality. I look forward to cooking hamburgers within the next day or so.

I think this would work better with slightly less thick cuts of meat. Even at high heat it took longer than it would have taken on a grill. During the cooking I put a metal lid over the pan to control splattering.

I think it will be a breeze to clean. Oiling it after cleaning, with the ridges, will be a little more work than for smoother surfaces.

Because the ridges are so high, the grill does a great job of cooking away from the fat, and probably (my guess) does even a better job than the George Foreman grill in that regard.

Pans like this pay for themselves. This pan is about the cost of a dinner for two, and it will result in less eating out.

Update: I cleaned the pan after making the steak. It was more difficult to clean than other cast iron pans due to the ridges, however, I think I need to find a different tool to clean it with. Someone recommended a grill pad or brush. Also, I usually put the pan over enough heat to evaporate any water from cleaning, and then apply a thin amount of oil. This was also harder. I think it will get better with practice. In any case, the results were worth it.

I will be trying burgers and pork chops soon, so stay tuned!

Update: I cooked pork chops tonight on this grill, and they are the best pork chops I have ever had in my life. I let the pan heat up, and usually also have the electric burner on high heat when adding the meat. I then turn it down a bit. The cast iron doesn't cool off, and it sears the juices in. I have found that a metal cover over the grill works well to keep in splatters and heat. Another thing that is helpful is a temperature fork, which told me tonight that the chops were at 180 degrees, otherwise I would have overcooked them.

This is by far the best money that I have spent on cooking equipment, and it will definitely save a lot of $$$ because I will treat myself to excellent home-cooked meals more often.


Excellent for indoor grilling!   January 14, 2004
 45 out of 45 found this review helpful

This is a great size for 4 burgers or two large steaks. Great for grilling any meat. I had a Calphalon grill pan and the cleanup was horrible, this one is a breeze & it will last forever. I highly recommend it and all Lodge cookware.


Great pan for a couple of people   September 3, 2005
 15 out of 15 found this review helpful

I love this pan. As for cooking: This pan does a great job on steaks, burgers, chicken, whatever. Leaves really nice grill marks. The only thing you will need to do is have a cover or splatter shield for it. I use a 16" round cover from a much bigger pan just to avoid some of the little drops of grease spattering out on my range. This seems to work just find for me.

As for Cleaning: I let it cool a little after cooking and pour some water (no soap!) into the bottom of the pan while it is just hot enough for the water to boil a little, and using a wooden spatula (only use wood in this pan), I scrape all the fond away (burnt tasty bits stuck to the pan) and pour into the sink. I repeat this once or twice and put the pan back on the heat and wipe it down with a paper towel. I then use some supermarket brand canola oil spray and lightly coat the inside while the pan is still warm. Takes about 2 minutes to do this. I store this pan in my oven since it tends to have a light coat of oil on it all the time. This pan is so well worth the hand cleaning to have especially since I live in an apartment and don't have access to a grill.


Great for Cooking Steaks   February 26, 2008
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I got this pan in order to cook steaks indoors during the winter, when I can't use my outdoor grill. It has worked beautifully. Basically just put a little Canola oil in the pan, sear each side over medium high heat for 2 minutes, then transfer the entire skillet to a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 8-9 minutes (not a minute more). Let the steaks rest in the pan under a tent of aluminum foil for 5 minutes prior to serving. The result is a steak that will rival those cooked on your charcoal grill in the heat of summer.

Also, make sure to let your steaks sit out 1-2 hours prior to cooking, to bring them to room temperature. And only use a tongs to turn the steak once.

Others have stated that there is excess smoke when cooking w/ this pan. I have not found that to be the case at all in my experience.

I was worried about cleanability since the instructions said NOT to use soap in the cleanup process. I have found that using a vegetbable/fruit cleaning brush works perfectly for cleaning the pan each time. It gets right down into the ridges nicely. Even caked-on macaroni and cheese came off without too much work.

I absolutely love cooking with this pan - it just feels like this is truly how meals ought to be cooked, the way the were ages ago.