The American-based company Lodge has been fine-tuning its construction of rugged, cast-iron cookware for more than a century. No other metal is as long-lasting and works as well for spreading and retaining heat evenly during cooking. Lodge's Logic line of cookware comes factory pre-seasoned with the company's vegetable oil formula, and is ready to use right out of the box.

This professional-size cast-iron grill/griddle combo from the Lodge Logic series measures 20 by 10-1/2 inches (with an actual cooking surface of 19-1/4 by 8-1/2 inches), serious enough to straddle either a campfire or two burners on your stovetop. The reversible feature of this crowd-pleasing cooker means you can use the smooth side for cooking flapjacks, eggs, and grilled cheese sandwiches, and the ridged grill side for hamburgers, steaks, and sausages. A slight slope drains fat into a generous grease gutter, and the two loop-style handles provide safe transport. After the meal is done, simply scrub the cast iron with a stiff brush and hot water, no soap, and dry immediately. Lodge covers the sturdy griddle with a lifetime limited warranty against defects. This pan is guaranteed to pass down from one generation to the next. --Ann Bieri