Sabatier Rust Resistant Dutch Oven, 5.5-Quart

I am a vintage cook with a hit or miss relationship with cast iron. I have screwed up some nice pans in the past. I was ready for the challenge of a new pan. I did over 3 hours of research before getting the pan out of the box. Here is what I have learned. First it is a lovely pan, solid black and shiny with excellent weight. A kitchen black beauty. No soap, no paper towels! no sos pads no dishwasher. no no.I heated the pan until was hot, lifted it to the sink with two hot pads and rinsed in hot tap water. That is going to be my cleaning strategy. I bought a piece of steel chain for cleaning.I heard that the first three meals should be bacon and potatoes to help season the pan.My first meal I preheated the iron on medium for 8 minutes, I have a glass top stove. The pan needs 8 mins at medium high to heatcorrectly. I suggest you use a timer until you know how long it takes to preheat.The bacon sizzled and the potatoes took a little longer than my nylon pan, I needed to cook on medium high not medium. The egg got a little gee and sizzled and rolled lovely. As I ate breakfast I kept the iron on low, then heated it, it had stuck egg and potatoes. When it was hot, rinsed under hot tap water and used the chain mail, instant clean iron. I dried it with heat and used a scant amount of avocado oil and and old bandanna to dry and oil.Total time for first breakfast, from pan out to pan back in storage 30 mins. about double my usual cooking time, ( I did not preheat the iron long enough).For lunch I made a BLT, iron hot in 8 mins, bacon cooked perfectly in three mins, clean up 3 mins. Hot water, steam, dry and oil with bandanna.The reason my previous irons failed was, soap, paper towels, ( they build up on the iron) sos pads and failure to understand the iron. Only use hot water on a hot iron to clean. no cold iron cold water. if you use cold water on a hot iron ,it may crack!If anyone can find a silicone handle that will fit this over sized handle, please post.This pan is made in china, and for a pre -seasoned iron it is very smooth.next meals went even better, perfect grilled chicken breast, and asparagus mushrooms omelet.