Simply Wicked - this skillet worked so much better than i thought it would. i have of course heard all the wonderful things about cast iron but seeing is believing, and i do indeed believe. i thought there was going to be a little bit of a learning curve involved with getting the great results i was expecting(i mean really, it does look like things would just stick to it), there was not. learning included 1, wait until it is hot before putting food in it, and 2, the handle is hot - luckily i realized thing before i started and got myself a silicnone handle cover, which i suggest. once you realize that brown tastes good, you need cast iron, and as skillets go this one seems pretty wicked to me. and, to me anyway, it is beautiful in its own way, not like the le creuset, but still beautiful; its beauty is what it can do for your food, and if you love food that is really all you need.