When we went to Atlanta to spend Christmas with my son, Jimmie, and his family, I fell in love with his 14-inch cast iron skillet. It was made by Green Egg to go on his grill for baking or cooking. But Jimmie used it inside as well. He could put nearly a whole pound of bacon in the thing and have space between the strips. I have an 8-inch chicken fryer at home that I love, but it is limited because of its smallish size. When I came home, I checked out the prices and a Green Egg 14-inch skillet was a hundred bucks, plus a bunch of freight.
But I found a 15-inch skillet on Amazon for $68 and no freight. I ordered it and it took two Amazon guys to get it up on our porch (not really, but they are heavy.”
I broke it out right away and cooked 6 pieces of fried chicken in one fell swoop and could have squeezed in an extra leg or two.
After each use, I wash and dry it thoroughly and add just a bit of olive oil to keep it well seasoned. The dual handle pan is good for cooking bread, baking pizzas, outdoor cooking on the grill, for camping or stovetop. I love, love, love my huge iron skillet.
There is only one problem. I made room for it beneath the stove cabinets, but it wouldn’t fit. It was too big. I have to keep it in the pantr1y downstairs, but it’s wort a trip up and down the steps when it comes time to fry or bake most anything. Once heated, a cast iron pan holds its heat at a constant temperature, so you don’t have to worry about undercooking or burning. It’s terrific.