Fun < $20
Cast Iron cookware gets overlooked way too often. It browns nicely like a stainless steal pan, cleans up easy like a non-stick, you can use metal utensails and is dirt cheap!
It takes a little getting used to. Cast Iron is very dense and does not conduct heat very well. This means that it takes a while to heat and does not react very quickly to changes in heat. Once it gets hot, it stays hot. This is good for a lot of things though. It is great for searing stuff because it doesn’t cool right done when you throw something on it.
One of the best things about cast iron is that you can’t break it. Before you use any cast iron cookware you have to season the pan. You do this by coat the pan with oil or fat and baking it for an hour or so. This seals the pan, creating a non-stick surface and prevents rust. Things may stick a little but the won’t become stuck on. To maintain the season you can’t wash the pan with a strong soap, and should recoat it with a bit of oil every now and then. But if something should happen and the pan loses its seasoning or starts to rust, simply give it a good scrubbing and reseason it… viola, good as new!
Lodge is well known manufacturer of cast iron cookware. There website has recipes, a catalog and care insturctions. They have a new line of pans called Pro-Logic, that cost $2 more and look pretty sharp…
Amazon has tons of pans. And you can get free shipping, which is great because the pans can be pretty heavy. I think a 10″ pan is good for cooking for 2. A 12″ might be better for larger groups, but could be pretty heavy.
Final Advice: Buy from Lodge. Buy a pre-seasoned pan, they are ready to use. Buy from the Pro-Logic line of Skillets from Lodge.