Along with the double boiler, I inherited a cast iron skillet from my grandmother. Recently I noticed that someone had vigorously cleaned it, thus exposing it to the beginnings of rust. Before we left on vacation, I slathered it with oil and let it season again. Now it has returned to its nonstick surface acquired after years of use.
The pan is rather pedestrian looking, and one day I wandered into a high end kitchen store and saw some lovely enamel clad cast iron frying pans. I eyed them for a while, then asked the salesperson if there was any advantage, besides looks, for the very expensive items. She assured me that the old pans worked just as well, better in my case since mine had been seasoned for three generations. I suspect she won’t last long in sales with this candid offering of advice!
Cast iron cookware suffers in the marketplace from its inexpensive price and its ability to last forever. This makes it an unlikely candidate for our society’s emphatic stance that newer is always better. Just the same, I will continue to stand by my pan, especially now that I have confirmed that the new ones are no better. It has a nonstick surface(unless heartily scrubbed), retains its heat well, and is said to impart a little iron to the food it cooks. And every time I use it I smile remembering its history.
Saved By Words 
Cast iron skillets are very popular these days and I love using mine. How nice to have inherited your grandmother’s. 😊
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I have cooked small frozen pizzas in a cast iron skillet
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There’s beauty in your skillet. And “skillet” is a new word for me. Elizabeth, I think your blog posts have a deeply satisfying format. Focused, lean, and just the right length.
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Thank you so much. After years of having my prose called terse, I much appreciate your adjectives.
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I appreciate plain English and trained people to use it for years.
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Me too.
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We are old enough to know that ‘non-stick’ is nothing new, if you know how to season a pan. Good ideas never change, they only become ‘trendy’. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Bang to rights, Pete!
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I see that cast iron is “in” again around here with special cook books even.
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I have used Le Creuset casserole dishes since the 1970s. The same ones! 🙂
I just soak them before washing them up, and they are still prefect.
https://www.lecreuset.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkYajl4zM5AIVV-DtCh2y5gbsEAAYASAAEgKE7PD_BwE
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My lasagna pan is one such. A gift from 1975 in fact.
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Tammy Wynette missed a trick when she wrote that song.
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That made me smile. Stand by your pan!
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Growing up, I did not realize there were other options. From cornbread to fried chicken to popcorn to pineapple upside down cake, we used them for everything. Between hubby and I we have 5 that we use frequently.
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We have a 10″, a 12″, a griddle, a cornstick, and a Dutch oven. Glad to know we share a love of them.
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Wonderful old item!
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I have one too and I love it (except for how heavy it is).
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Hence all those cartoons about bonking people unconscious with them!
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Even in appliances, sometimes the old models are better. You probably can cook a yummy paella there.
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I can cook just about anything in it.
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It can give you more years in the kitchen.
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I would love to use a skillet like yours but my wife is really the cook of the family, and is sold on non-stick pans. We do have one though, and I think I’ll try seasoning it or ask my wife to and see what she says. Very informative post, thanks Elizabeth.
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Thanks. My husband sticks to his non-stick one but he has to replace his every few years. My just keeps on keeping on.
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Another lovely heirloom, Elizabeth. I also have a pan from my mom like this one.
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Be sure to hang onto it.
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I have a strong affection for cast iron skillets. I think it is because when I was a child, our skillet was used for cooking just about every [hot] meal our family ate. We didn’t have a selection of frying pans in all shapes and sizes, then.
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I know. In my house there were this frying pan, a couple of saucepans and a pressure cooker.
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Exactly!
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