Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron Cookware is one of the many new cast iron manufacturer out there. With my research I found absolutely no information about the company. The only presence that this company has is with amazon. This leads me to believe that this is just one of the many importers on Amazon. These importer would find products in China and relabel the product with their own brand name. Sometimes with little to no difference. looking at the general construction, there does not seem anything special about it. Regardless, we will take a closer look at its overall construction and design. We will see whether their cookware is actually any good.

Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron Skillet Review Quick Summary

Categories	Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron Skillet
Performance	Good
Colors	Black
Brand Awareness	America
Handle	Metal
Pouring Lip	Has Spouts
Thoughts	While its a good skillet, Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron looks like a copy of Lodge Skillet. The price isnt even that much different and theirs is made in the USA. For my money, I would rather go with lodge considering the legacy that lodge has.
Reviewed Cookware	Utopia Kitchen Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet – 12.5 Inch – Multipurpose Use for Home Kitchen or Restaurant

Why use Cast Iron Cookware?

Cast iron itself has been in uses for centuries. The metal itself is not anything special. It is a poor conductor of heat which take a long time to heat up. When cooking, it also develops a lot of heat spots.

Why they are so popular is because they offer a replacement to the nonstick cookware. Recently there has been a lot of fear surrounding nonstick cookware. And since cast iron cookware is cheap and offers a nonstick alternative the popularity has been growing.

One of the major complaint about cast iron is the weight. However, for actual cooking, this is actually beneficial. Heavy cookware can actually hold heat better than a light pan. For light pans, once you throw in a lot of food, lots of the heat is drawn out. With cast iron, they can maintain a steady heat regardless. This means that your food will brown better and it will taste better.

Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron Skillet Design

This section will discuss the various aspect of Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron skillet design. We will go through different aspect such as the handle, shape and overall performance. I will say this, it looks to be an exact copy of Lodge’s Skillet…

Handle

The handle is short and with a helper handle. For a heavy pan, you really do not want a handle that is too long. All it does is increase its leverage on you. Since its so small and close to the pot, it gets screaming pot. It is always recommended to use a glove. The all metal construction also means that its oven safe and pretty much indestructible.

Shape

The overall shape resembles that of Lodge Skillet. The general design is more of a saute pan than a skillet. These type of cookware is more suited for braising than frying. The tall sidewall will condense and pool liquid, causing food to steam. To get around this, you should avoid crowding food. You need to cook it in multiple batches.

Another issue with a tall sidewall is that its difficult to flip food. The wall makes it difficult to reach under with a spatula. In other type of skillet, you can usually flip the food with your wrist. But because of its weight, you are going to have a really difficult time doing so.

Factory Seasoning

What exactly is seasoning? Seasoning is the layer of fat that has been polymerized onto the pan. This fat makes the pan nonstick. Some believe the seasoning is flavor, its not.

Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron Skillet comes pre seasoned with a soy base oil from the factory. This means that you should be able to cook out of it without any effort from you. It has a pebbly texture to help it hold onto it.

Some artisinal cast iron manufacturer will offer a completely smooth finish. However, those type of cookware do not hold the seasoning as well. The reason why they offer product in those style is because some consumer thinks it makes the pan more nonstick. But if you think about it, it is the seasoning that makes it nonstick, not the finish.

Rust from the Pan?

If you manage to strip the seasoning of stick it in the dishwasher. More than likely, the pan will start rusting. You can sand the rust off the pan and re-season it with oil. The seasoning actually coats and protect the metal so its better if you avoid doing that.

Some ways you can protect your pan is by hand washing and drying it afterward. Coat it with oil after you wash it and heat it up. Once you see smoke close the heat. Let it cool then wipe off the excess oil. This should help you prolong the life of the pan.

Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron Skillet Thoughts

Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron skillet looks like a blatant rip off of Lodge Skillet. The Price is not that much different either. Why not just get lodge? Its made in America and they have a long standing history. However, if you do want Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron skillet, its a very good copy and it does what it should do. There is a reason why lodge has been around for over a hundred year. They have a good skillet and Utopia Kitchen choose a good brand to copy.

If you would like to see more articles like this Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron Cookware review, please visit our Pots and Pans Review page.