I like this fellow over at the NYTimes anyway – his columns generally deal with very straightforward topics and solutions. Today’s piece is about equipping your own kitchen and now I know I really like him — he advocates for cast iron pans! (requires free registration). I love my old cast iron skillets and my much newer cast iron dutch oven. Nothing beats them for browning and yet non-stick qualities. Nothing beats them for heat distribution and retention.
My recommendation would not be to buy a new cast iron skillet but to go to a second hand or even an antique store and look at them. Don’t pay a lot of money for one. Look for a nice smooth finish on the inside and no apparent structural problems. Ask if they’ve done anything to them to put them in the decorative-only category. Take it home, wash it and season it. Then try it out!
That smooth finish priceless – and comes with years of use. Modern, new ones are still good but all come with a pebbly finish. My dutch oven has that and is perfectly ok. But the old skillets? Like using good non-stick stuff, even for scrambled eggs!
