Antique cast iron pans put modern cookware (including new cast iron) to shame. In this article, you’ll discover:
- how to find the best antique cast iron cookware for prices you won’t believe;
- how to restore, maintain, and cook in cast iron pans; and
- myth vs reality of using cast iron in your kitchen.
This article is a collaboration with our dear friend, Eliza Holcombe. Eliza, who we affectionately call “encyclopedia head,” is a fount of knowledge about antique cast iron cookware — and an avid collector.
The first thing she’ll tell you: you don’t have to have deep pockets to have a swoon-worthy antique cast iron cookware collection. In fact, armed with a bit of knowledge (which she happily provides to anyone who will listen), you can have a kitchen full of antique cast iron cookware for far less than it would cost you to buy cheap modern cookware.
Why is antique cast iron cookware better than the rest?
Years back, Eliza gifted us a beautiful set of cast iron pans she’d found at a flea market and restored to perfect condition. (Yes, that’s what you call a good friend!)
The Tyrant and I do a lot of cooking and consider ourselves fairly adept at using various types of cookware. At the time of Eliza’s gift, we had enameled cookware, new cast iron, stainless steel, and more in our kitchen…
The first thing we noticed about the antique cast iron pans Eliza gave us were the smooth surfaces of the pan bottoms. “That’s how you can immediately tell they’re antiques,” Eliza informed us. (You’ll learn why below!)
Some of the antique cast iron pans that Eliza gifted us years ago.
After using our “new” antique cast iron pans for a few weeks, we quickly fell in love. Now we rarely use anything else. Exceptions: we still use stainless steel sauce pans for boiling water, soups, and high acid sauces (yes, you’ll find out why in this article), plus we use a wok for Asian stir fry dishes.
Continue Reading
No Comments