Lodge L8GP3 Grillpfanne Gusseisen Ø 26 cm

What the Lodge L8GP3 is, and what it is not

Lodge lists the pan as the “Round Cast Iron Grill Pan” in the 10.25 inch size, item number L8GP3. It is round, made of cast iron, pre-seasoned at the factory and has raised grill ribs on the cooking surface. The product page calls it “Made in the USA” and suitable for any hob including induction, as well as for oven, grill and campfire. It still does not replace a grate: it is a vessel with a rim, through which nothing falls.

On the ribs, Amazon writes that they create grill stripes on steaks, burgers, fish and vegetables. Structurally that makes sense: the food touches the hot iron only at the ridges and hangs free between the ribs.

In our grill accessories category, it sits next to its smooth sister, the Lodge L8SK3, and the Dutch ovens. On the “Round Cast Iron Grill Pan” product page, Lodge lists two sizes, 6.5 inch (L3GP) and 10.25 inch (L8GP3); the dual-handle pans with two loop handles are a separate line. This review is about the larger one.

According to the company, Joseph Lodge founded the Blacklock Foundry in South Pittsburg, Tennessee in 1896; today Lodge operates two foundries in the same place. By its own account, Lodge was the first manufacturer to introduce factory seasoning, in 2002.

This text is based on the English-language pages of lodgecastiron.com with dimensions in inches and weight in pounds, plus the Amazon catalogue. The conversions are ours. We have not handled the pan or cooked anything in it.

Dimensions, weight and handles

For the L8GP3, Lodge gives a length of 16.12 inches with the handle (40.94 cm) and a width of 10.68 inches (around 27 cm). Lodge specifies the cooking surface as 10.25 by 10.31 inches, so around 26 by 26 centimetres; in the dimensioned drawing both lines extend to the edge of the pan, and the ribbed area in the middle is visibly smaller in the drawing and the photo. The 26 by 26 centimetres are therefore not suitable as a measure of the rib area. The height of the pan is 2.0 inches (5.08 cm).

The overall width is a good 0.9 cm more than the width of the cooking surface; in the photo, the pour spouts stand out beyond the rim. Underneath the pan is a flat base of 8 inches (20.32 cm) in width, so the body stands narrower than it is at the top.

On weight, the sources differ. Lodge states 6.13 pounds, which is 2.78 kg; the Amazon catalogue has 3.15 pounds (approx. 1.43 kg). We go with Lodge; a difference of nearly 1.4 kg is no detail for a pan you lift by the handle.

If you grill with the lid closed, take a folding rule in hand before buying: the gap between grate and lid must accommodate the height of the pan including the food, and the handle must not lift the lid.

The pan comes with a long handle, a loop-shaped helper handle opposite and two pour spouts; that is how Lodge describes it in the image caption on the product page. At the end of the handle, the photo shows an elongated, open loop. For every pan on a burner or embers, the handles get hot too, so keep a grill glove within reach. What to look for in gloves is covered in our guide Grill accessories essentials.

Does the L8GP3 have a grease drainage channel?

Lodge does not list one for this model. The feature list of the L8GP3 mentions raised grill ribs; only the image caption mentions the two pour spouts. The fat stays in the pan, which has a continuous rim.

Lodge advertises a “grease channel” on other models in its grill pan collection, including the Pro-Grid Reversible (LPGI3), the Chef Collection Reversible (LCDRG) and the Chef Collection Single-Sided Grill/Griddle; it does not appear in the feature list of the L8GP3. In its catalogue bullets, Amazon writes that the raised ribs allow excess fat to drain off. Our inference from the shape: the fat collects in the grooves between the ribs and below them in the base of the pan. It is presumably poured off via the two pour spouts.

In return, nothing drips onto the burner or embers, unlike with a grate. But it also means that after a fatty cut, hot fat sits in the iron, on a grill that is still burning. As a basic rule, you never put out burning fat with water. For an emergency, there is the guide Grease fires on the grill: preventing, recognising, extinguishing.

In detail: cast iron on a gas grill, charcoal and stove

Cast iron conducts heat worse than aluminium, but stores a lot of it. With this mass, that means the pan needs time to heat up and then releases the heat for a long time. That is our assessment based on material and weight. Lodge writes that cast iron keeps absorbing heat after preheating, so the heat may need to be reduced slightly.

On the stove, according to Lodge, cast iron should preheat for 3 to 5 minutes on medium to low heat, which prevents thermal shock. On high heat, food is more likely to burn and stick, so: start low and increase if needed. A manufacturer’s guide on preventing sticking gives 4 to 5 minutes of preheating before the food goes in. The oil should be hot and shimmering; if it smokes, it is too hot. According to Lodge, fatty ingredients such as chicken thighs need less oil.

On a gas grill, Lodge recommends cast iron for small or delicate ingredients that are difficult to cook directly on the grate: fish, vegetables, pizza and smash burgers. The recommendation mentions pan and griddle, among others; we transfer it to the grill pan. Preheat to medium-high, 5 to 10 minutes depending on the grill, faster with the lid closed. According to Lodge, the centre and rear area are usually the hottest, the edges weaker.

On a charcoal grill, according to Lodge, the coals should be lit for about 10 minutes until they are glowing through and grey, after which the air supply is adjusted. Some space for airflow should be left around the cookware. The oil needs a high smoke point; vegetable and rapeseed oil are named, otherwise it will burn and taste unpleasant.

Larger cookware on a smaller heat source creates hot spots, and uneven heat can warp or even crack cast iron. Lodge advises matching cookware and burner size. We would therefore choose a burner or cooking zone that matches the size of the pan and not just its narrower base.

Seasoning, cleaning and rust

Lodge applies a layer of oil at the factory and bakes it in at high temperature. After a short wash, the pan can go on the stove; Lodge does not consider seasoning at home necessary. According to Lodge, the seasoning oil is a kosher-certified soy-based oil; the product page speaks of 100% natural vegetable oil, the seasoning page of 100% natural soybean oil. According to Lodge, the manufacturing process itself is not kosher certified. If you need to avoid soy, you should know this. According to Lodge, the pan is also free of PFAS.

The surface is initially rough because of the sand casting and, according to Lodge, becomes smoother with use. Because Lodge oils the goods at the factory on an overhead line, a small spot or blister may sit on the rim or handle. According to Lodge, this is not rust but oil that has not fully carbonised; the spot disappears with use.

Cleaning in three steps

The product page summarises care as “Hand wash, dry, oil”; the care page describes it like this:

1. Wash with warm soapy water and a stiff brush or scouring sponge.
2. Dry completely, with a paper towel or lint-free cloth.
3. Oil thinly and spread the oil with a paper towel.

After cooking, the pan should first cool down. Lodge rules out soaking (risk of rust), as well as the dishwasher, which it says strips the seasoning and probably causes rust, and the microwave, which the warranty text explicitly prohibits. Lodge does not recommend steel wool or metal scouring pads for daily cleaning; they are meant only for removing rust. For stuck-on residue, do this: simmer water in the pan for 3 to 5 minutes and, after it has cooled, scrape with a pan scraper.

Rust and re-seasoning

According to Lodge, rust forms when cast iron sits in water, has been in the dishwasher, air-dries or is stored damp. Against rust, Lodge advises: remove the rust with the Rust Eraser on the cool, dry pan, then wash, dry and oil thinly. Without a Rust Eraser, according to Lodge, you can use warm soapy water and a metal scouring sponge, then rinse and dry thoroughly. For small amounts of rust, according to Lodge, no re-seasoning is needed. If the rust is extensive and a lot of seasoning has been removed, you re-season: preheat the oven to 450 to 500 °F (approx. 232 to 260 °C), rub the pan inside and out with a thin, even layer of cooking oil (not too much, otherwise it becomes sticky according to Lodge), place it upside down on the top rack, put aluminium foil on the bottom rack to catch dripping oil, bake for one hour and let it cool in the oven.

Warranty and where to buy

On Seasoned Cast Iron, Lodge gives the “Made Right Limited Lifetime Warranty”, a limited lifetime warranty. The warrantor is the Lodge Manufacturing Company in South Pittsburg, Tennessee (USA). It applies to the original private buyer or gift recipient and covers defects in materials and workmanship at the time of purchase; it does not apply to commercial use. Lodge provides replacement at its own discretion.

Replaced are cast iron with cracks or warping in normal household use and goods that arrive damaged in the shipping carton. This includes casting defects: excessive grinding or chatter marks that impair performance, holes in the casting, metallic protrusions and other casting defects. According to Lodge, the following are not covered:

• Damage from use in commercial establishments, accidents, drops, misuse, abuse, neglect, overheating or any use contrary to the enclosed instructions
• Damage from melted objects or other external influences, as well as residues of abrasives or polishes on the surfaces
• Minor cosmetic flaws that belong to sand casting and hand finishing and do not impair function
• Rust, pitting, roughness, sticky seasoning, flaking and odours

Three actions void the warranty: the dishwasher, soaking in water and the microwave.

When buying, amazon.de showed Amazon US (Amazon Global Store) as shipper and seller on 6 October 2026. The item costs €45.41 there, plus estimated import fees of €3.57, together €48.98. Our reference figure is approx. €49 (as of 6 October 2026). Amazon notes on the listing that manufacturer warranties cannot be guaranteed, and the offer may vary depending on location and time.

What Lodge does not state

On these points, we found no information on the Lodge pages we read or in the Amazon catalogue:

• Dimensions and area of the ribbed zone, rib height, groove width and groove depth
• Collection area or drainage channel of the L8GP3 and the destination of the drained fat
• Capacity of the pan
• Wall thickness and alloy of the cast iron; the casting process appears only generally as sand casting
• A maximum temperature specifically for the L8GP3, including for oven and grill
• Heat-up time of this pan
• Material of the handle and helper handle and the purpose of the loop at the end of the handle, for example as a hanger
• Safety notes on hot handles, gloves and grease fires
• An instruction manual as a PDF or a data sheet; Lodge explains use and care only on web pages
• A German-language manufacturer page; lodgecastiron.com/de returns a 404 error, lodgecastiron.eu is a Greek shop
• Scope of delivery beyond the pan
• A food-contact approval mark such as LFGB (the German food contact standard); only freedom from PFAS is stated
• Year of market launch; the Amazon date 15.06.2015 is a catalogue date
• Spare parts; for the Grill Pan Scrapers, only the US page gives a price, and we have not checked a source in Germany
• Suitability for metal utensils: the German A+ manufacturer text on amazon.de mentions it, but it does not appear on the Lodge pages we read, so the claim is less well supported than the rest
• Warranty terms for goods from the Amazon Global Store in Germany

What else is worth considering?

The prices are reference figures from our individual reviews, not all checked on the same day for every row, and not daily prices. The Lodge figure comes from the Amazon check on 6 October 2026. The rating is our editorial assessment, not a measured result.

When the L8GP3, when another?

First, the question of what goes in the pan. We would use the L8GP3 for small pieces of grilled food that should get stripes and must not fall through the grate, such as fish fillets or vegetable pieces. In our assessment, large steaks and chops still belong on the grate, because the cooking surface measures 26 cm and the ribbed zone within it is smaller.

Then the kitchen routine. According to our price box, the smooth L8SK3 costs approx. €39.95, so a good €9 less, and has no ribs and therefore no grooves. If you mainly make eggs, fried potatoes or pancakes, you pay for something you do not use.

For braised dishes, an open grill pan is the wrong design. The Petromax ft6 is a Dutch oven: it costs approx. €75, which is €26 more than the L8GP3, and with its lid weighs a good three times as much. At approx. €57, the Arebos Plancha is €8 above the Lodge pan. Its Amazon catalogue text calls it dishwasher suitable, which Lodge rules out for its pan. Two Petromax Dutch ovens, the smooth Lodge pan and further grill accessories are in our ranking Grill accessories compared.

The L8GP3 is wrong for anyone who wants to put their cookware in the dishwasher or store it damp.