I'm a 43 year old white married male from Chesapeake. Here is how I got here.
I got married at 19. My wife is a health nut so when we got married my diet changed dramatically. Nothing fried! Needless to say our cookware reflected this and we had a couple of all use pans.
About 2 years ago I was in a store and saw a Lodge 10" Skillet. I went instantly back to my childhood where my mom cooked nearly everyday in her Cast Iron Skillet. We she even had the decade long bacon grease jar on the back of the stove. I bought the pan hoping to use it on occasion to recapture that nostalgia.
I seasoned the pan based on the instructions. My first try with the pan was horrible. Especially the cleaning. I tried a couple of more times with the same result so the pan stayed in the cupboard up until about 3 months ago. I was searching online for some recipes to prepare during the coming week. I found one for a Chicken and Shrimp Frittata that looked great and was made in an Iron Skillet. I was reluctant to try, but the recipe referenced a properly seasoned pan. I did a google search and read up on seasoning a pan.
I decided to start over, so I washed my pan with Dawn and seasoned it the oven, then on the stove-top about 6 times. Needless to say the recipe turned out great. Now I use the pan whenever I can and I've fallen in love with it. Yes a $15 new Lodge Pan. I've found that one size doesn't fit all and I started looking. As I read I became aware of the dislike for "New" Iron and became interested in trying to hunt down some classics and restore them.
That's why I'm here. I'm hoping this turns into a lifetime of collecting as I've never really collected anything before and this feels practical and an homage to my childhood.
Now I just need to talk my mom out of her skillet that is at least 40 years old. I've no idea yet what brand or condition it's in.
I got married at 19. My wife is a health nut so when we got married my diet changed dramatically. Nothing fried! Needless to say our cookware reflected this and we had a couple of all use pans.
About 2 years ago I was in a store and saw a Lodge 10" Skillet. I went instantly back to my childhood where my mom cooked nearly everyday in her Cast Iron Skillet. We she even had the decade long bacon grease jar on the back of the stove. I bought the pan hoping to use it on occasion to recapture that nostalgia.
I seasoned the pan based on the instructions. My first try with the pan was horrible. Especially the cleaning. I tried a couple of more times with the same result so the pan stayed in the cupboard up until about 3 months ago. I was searching online for some recipes to prepare during the coming week. I found one for a Chicken and Shrimp Frittata that looked great and was made in an Iron Skillet. I was reluctant to try, but the recipe referenced a properly seasoned pan. I did a google search and read up on seasoning a pan.
I decided to start over, so I washed my pan with Dawn and seasoned it the oven, then on the stove-top about 6 times. Needless to say the recipe turned out great. Now I use the pan whenever I can and I've fallen in love with it. Yes a $15 new Lodge Pan. I've found that one size doesn't fit all and I started looking. As I read I became aware of the dislike for "New" Iron and became interested in trying to hunt down some classics and restore them.
That's why I'm here. I'm hoping this turns into a lifetime of collecting as I've never really collected anything before and this feels practical and an homage to my childhood.
Now I just need to talk my mom out of her skillet that is at least 40 years old. I've no idea yet what brand or condition it's in.