Lodge 10.5-Inch Cast Iron Griddle (L9OG3) Review: Flat-Out Versatile for $25
Lodge's pre-seasoned 10.5-inch round cast iron griddle is the flat-top counterpart to the skillets and grill pans that have made the brand famous. If you regularly cook tortillas, pancakes, or flatbreads — and you're tired of food curling up the walls of a standard skillet — this $25 slab of iron makes a specific and compelling case for itself.
Product Overview
The L9OG3 is Lodge's 10.5-inch round cast iron griddle — flat on the cooking surface, with a single long handle and a small eyelet ring opposite for hanging. There are no ridges, no non-stick coating, and no enamel. Just seasoned cast iron. Lodge sells an 8-inch version (L8OG3), but the 10.5-inch is the far more popular size for US home cooks, fitting most tortillas flat and holding two or three pancakes simultaneously.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cooking surface | 10.5" diameter |
| Total length | 15.87" (with handle) |
| Width | 10.62" |
| Height / Rim | 1.5" |
| Weight | 4.65 lbs |
| Material | Pre-seasoned cast iron |
| Compatible surfaces | Gas, electric, induction, oven, grill, campfire |
| PFAS / coatings | None |
| Origin | Made in the USA |
| Price | ~$24.90 |
The griddle ships with Lodge's standard vegetable-oil factory seasoning and is ready to cook on immediately, though it will improve significantly over the first several uses. There is one color (matte black) and no meaningful variants — what you see is what you get.
Performance & Real-World Use
The flat surface is the whole reason to buy this over a skillet. Tortillas, flatbreads, dosas, crêpes, and quesadillas all have a tendency to curl up or slide into the curved walls of a conventional skillet — on this griddle, they lie flat and brown evenly. Pancakes behave better too: the wider expanse lets you flip without catching the edge of the pan.
Heat retention is exactly what you'd expect from cast iron: exceptional. Once properly preheated — 5 to 7 minutes over medium — the griddle holds temperature through several batches without the dramatic dips you'd get from aluminum or thin stainless. That stability is genuinely useful when cooking for more than two people at once.
Heat evenness is a different story, and a common complaint in the reviews. The center of the griddle heats faster than the outer edge, and the spot directly above the burner can run noticeably hotter than the perimeter. The fix is the same as for any Lodge product: a slow preheat over medium heat, or a short pass through a moderate oven first. Cooks who rush this step report sticking and uneven browning as a result.
The factory seasoning is functional but not non-stick on day one. Most users report that it takes a few cooking sessions with fat-rich foods — bacon, butter-laden pancakes, oiled tortillas — before eggs release cleanly. The pebbled surface texture that Lodge uses (visible in good light as a slightly rough, dimpled finish) is also a real factor. It's coarser than the smooth-ground surfaces on higher-end brands like Stargazer or Field, and the peaks in the texture give food more contact points to grab.
One quirk specific to flat griddles: the shallow 1.5-inch rim means any liquid that drains from food — runny eggs, burgers with juices, fruit-filled pancake batter — can reach the edge quickly. You want a spatula nearby and you need to keep an eye on it.
- Flat surface delivers even browning for tortillas, flatbreads, and crêpes in a way that a skillet's curved walls cannot
- Excellent heat retention sustains temperature across multiple batches without dramatic drops
- Works on every cooktop — gas, electric, induction, coil — plus oven, grill, and open campfire
- No PFAS, no coatings that peel or off-gas; safe with metal utensils
- Made in the USA at a $25 price point with lifetime durability
- Eyelet on handle allows easy wall or pot-rack storage when not in use
- Handle heats up significantly during cooking — an oven mitt or Lodge silicone handle holder is essential, not optional
- Center-to-edge temperature gradient means the first few pancakes may brown unevenly without adequate preheating
- Rough pebbled surface (standard Lodge finish) requires a longer break-in period than smooth-ground cast iron
- At 4.65 lbs, noticeably heavier than aluminum or carbon steel flat griddles
- Shallow 1.5-inch rim means liquid-y foods approach the edge quickly, requiring attentiveness
- Heat continues rising for 1–2 minutes after the burner is turned off, which can lead to overcooking delicate items if you're not paying attention
- Factory seasoning is not truly non-stick out of the box; eggs will stick without adequate seasoning build-up
The Lodge L9OG3 earns its 45,000+ reviews by being reliably useful for a specific set of cooking tasks at a price that makes it essentially risk-free to try. It's not the most refined piece of cast iron you can buy — the rough surface and hot handle are genuine trade-offs, not minor quibbles — but for tortillas, pancakes, and flatbreads, the flat cooking surface justifies its drawer space. Pair it with a silicone handle holder, give it three or four cooking sessions to build up seasoning, and it will repay the investment many times over.
Sources
- Lodge L9OG3 Product Page — Amazon
- Round Cast Iron Griddle — Lodge Cast Iron Official Site
- Lodge L9OG3 Cast Iron Griddle Review — Cast Iron Addiction
- Lodge L9OG3 Review Analysis — The Review Index
- Lodge 10.5" Round Cast Iron Griddle Specs — Scheels
- Lodge Cast Iron Griddle Review | The Jack Of All Trades Kitchen Tool — Tom's Kitchen, YouTube