The upgrade that changes the marks more than the barbecue does · review
A 15 × 12 in perforated cast iron topper that sits on your existing grate, for food that falls through.
What we would actually buy Not a replacement grate at all — a perforated plate that sits on top of the one you have, so shrimp and vegetables cannot fall through. Pre-seasoned with vegetable oil, made in the USA, and the only listing here that defines what seasoning is.
Every other product on this shelf replaces the cooking grate in a named grill — a Charbroil, a Nexgrill, a Weber Spirit, a Dyna-Glo, a Broil King Baron.
This one sits on top of the grate you already own.
It is a 15 × 12 inch perforated cast iron plate with two handles and raised sides. The teardrop perforations let smoke and heat through from below, so the food still tastes grilled, while the plate stops anything falling into the fire.
Which means the thing it has over everything else here: no fitment match required. No model number, no measuring, no “fits 463432215 but not Genesis Silver A”. It works on a kettle, a gas grill, a flat top, a fire pit.
Shrimp. Asparagus. Sliced peppers. Scallops. A fish fillet that will fall apart the moment you try to turn it on bars.
Lodge’s own phrase is the right one: turn your grill into a short-order kitchen.
The raised sides matter as much as the holes — on a flat plate, sliced onions escape over the edge the first time you push them around.
“Seasoning is simply oil baked into the iron, giving it a natural, easy-release finish and helps prevent your pan from rusting.”
That is correct, and it is worth having in writing because another listing here gets it wrong.
Seasoning is polymerized oil bonded to bare iron. It is not a factory coating. Lodge uses 100 per cent natural vegetable oil, with no synthetic coatings, and the piece is PFOA and PTFE free.
Compare the Aura grate on this shelf, which claims both “porcelain enamel coating” and a “pre-seasoned surface”. Those are alternatives: enamel is glass fused to the iron, and oil has nothing to bond to on glass — nor any need, since enamel is already slippery. One of Aura’s two claims must be wrong.
Bare seasoned iron rusts. The routine is the usual one, and Lodge states part of it: hand wash with warm soapy water and a nylon brush, then dry immediately and put a thin film of oil back on.
COGRICHBF on this shelf puts a number on the risk that applies here too: never leave standing water on cast iron for more than 10 to 15 minutes.
The compensation is that seasoning improves with use — the more you use Lodge the better the seasoning will get — where a porcelain coating only ever degrades.
Mid-shelf, and a fair price for a piece of American-made cast iron that fits every grill.
No weight published, so the casting thickness cannot be compared with the grates here — which run from 10.0 to 18.1 grams per square inch.
On sale at around $24 on the American Amazon store at the time of checking.
Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 4 October 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.
| Type | A grill TOPPER — it sits on top of your existing grate, it does not replace it |
|---|---|
| Size | 15 × 12 in |
| Perforations | Lodge’s signature teardrop design, to let the grill flavor through |
| What it is for | Shrimp, vegetables, fish — anything that falls through a grate |
| Seasoning | Pre-seasoned with 100 per cent natural vegetable oil, no synthetic coatings or chemicals |
| Handles | Dual handle design, for manoeuvring while cooking |
| Sides | Large, easy-access sides that keep food contained |
| Interior finish | A smoother cast iron finish, stated suitable for sautéing and fish |
| Washing | Hand wash with warm soapy water and a nylon brush, recommended by the maker |
| Origin | Made in the USA; the Lodge family founded the company in 1896 and still owns it |
| Materials | Non-toxic, PFOA and PTFE free |
| Cost per square inch | $0.133 |
| Dimensions | 370 × 322 × 22 mm (14.6 × 12.7 × 0.87 in) |
| Fitment | Universal — it needs no model match, unlike every other grate here |
| Weight | Not published by the maker |
| Amazon reference | B0971NXQNM |
| EAN | 0075536345390 |
No, and it is the first thing to be clear about. Every other product on this shelf replaces the cooking grate in a specific grill — Charbroil, Nexgrill, Weber Spirit, Dyna-Glo, Broil King Baron. This one sits on top of the grate you already have. Lodge describes it as a "grill topper" with a "grid design [that] protects food from falling through the grate", perforated in the company’s teardrop pattern so smoke and grill flavor still reach the food from below. At 15 × 12 inches it covers part of a grill, not all of it. The practical consequence is a good one: it needs no fitment match, where everything else here lives or dies by a model number. It works on a kettle, a gas grill, a flat-top, anything.
Lodge gives the only correct definition on this shelf, and yes, you do. "Seasoning is simply oil baked into the iron, giving it a natural, easy-release finish and helps prevent your pan from rusting. Lodge pre-seasons all cast iron cookware with 100% natural vegetable oil: no synthetic coatings or chemicals." That is accurate — seasoning is polymerized oil bonded to bare iron, not a coating applied in a factory press. It also means this piece can rust, and the maintenance is the usual cast iron routine: hand wash with warm soapy water and a nylon brush, as the listing says, then dry it immediately and put a thin film of oil back on. COGRICHBF on this shelf puts a number on the risk: never leave standing water on cast iron for more than 10 to 15 minutes.
Lodge describes its finish correctly and Aura describes two finishes that exclude each other. This is bare cast iron, pre-seasoned with vegetable oil — oil polymerized onto raw metal. The Aura grate on this shelf says both "Non-stick cast iron with porcelain enamel coating" and "Food does not stick to the pre-seasoned surface". Those are alternatives, not a combination: porcelain enamel is glass fused to the iron, and there is nothing for oil to bond to on glass — nor any need, since enamel is already slippery. One of Aura’s two claims must be wrong. Lodge’s single claim is consistent, and its listing is the one that defines the term it uses.
Close prices, same category: comparable cookware and knives. We keep only the specifications all of them publish, because a column with gaps compares nothing.
| Model | Price | Size | Cost per square inch | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lodge L15RCGT | $24 | 15 × 12 in | $0.133 | Not published by the maker |
| Broil King 11241 Grid-Baron | $21 | 17.5 × 6.17 in — about 108 sq in | $0.194 | 1814 g (64 oz) |
| Direct Store DC121 | $32 | 16-7/8 × 9-5/16 in each; 16-7/8 × 27-15/16 in total — about 472 sq in | $0.068 — the lowest on this shelf | Not published by the maker |
| COGRICHBF G13 | $36 | 17 × 13-1/4 in each; 17 × 26-1/2 in total — about 450 sq in | $0.080 | Not published by the maker |
Shrimp, asparagus, sliced peppers and fish fillets — food a grate loses
Amazon reports what buyers took in the month before this page was last checked: at least 100.
The figure is a floor, rounded by Amazon, and read through Keepa — it says what buyers picked, not what a maker claims.
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for cookware and kitchen knives and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
A 21.5 in round cast iron cooking grate 0.5 in deep for 22 in kettle grills, with a porcelain enamel coating, for Weber Kettle, RecTeq Bullseye and barrel grills
A 21.5 in round cast iron grate for a 22-inch kettle, at 3629 g (128 oz) — the lightest casting here.
Best for: A 22-inch Weber kettle, if you want one solid casting rather than two half-moons
≈ $80
One porcelain-coated cast iron cooking grid, 17.5 × 6.17 in, reversible with a pointed side for searing marks and a concave side to channel juices, for Baron 300/400/500 (2013+) and Crown 300/400/500 (2012+)
A reversible porcelain-coated grid — pointed for sear marks, concave to vaporize the juices.
Best for: A Broil King Baron or Crown, where the reversible faces are worth buying several of
≈ $21
A 2-pack of matte cast iron cooking grates, 17 × 13-1/4 in each and 17 × 26-1/2 in in total, for Nexgrill, Charbroil, Expert Grill, Cuisinart, Kenmore, Members Mark, Uberhaus, Uniflame and K-Mart grills
Two matte bare cast iron grates totaling 450 square inches, with a published standing-water limit.
Best for: A Nexgrill or Expert Grill, for anyone willing to oil the grates after every cook
≈ $36
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
