My Cast Iron Skillet

I spent about 12 dollars on my first cast iron skillet. I bought it the year I was married, 1994. My husband verified my intentions more than once; he grew up with flimsy Teflon coated pans. What was I doing buying items for the kitchen from the camping store? I knew I wanted a cast iron skillet, I grew up using one.

Now, I knew even then that you weren’t “supposed” to use soap on cast iron. You also aren’t supposed to soak them because they can become rusty. Many times I had watched my grandmother use only a dry paper towel on hers before she returned it to the oven where she stored it. However, I was raised a semi-occasional vegetarian and the first time I cooked bacon in my skillet, not just meat but pork, I wondered if it would be contaminated forever. I held my breath and plunged the entire thing into a sink filled with frothy suds. The pan sizzled in the water and the acrid smell of burning soap made me question my actions.

You know what? Nothing happened. Except I had peace of mind next time I fried pancakes. I can cook fish curry with stinky feet sauce (as my family affectionately refers to Thai fish sauce) in the evening and serve sourdough French toast the next morning from the very same pan. Food rarely sticks to the smooth black surface. Other than being heavy when full of food, I cannot imagine a more durable, perfect utensil in my kitchen.

So here’s to 14+ years of getting it wrong and doing it anyway!