Bought a cheap cast iron pan at a thrift store and it cooks circles around my fancy nonstick

So I was in Goodwill last week looking for a lamp for my desk (you know how it is) and I saw this rusty old cast iron skillet marked $8. I figured why not, threw it in the cart next to my lamp. Got it home, scrubbed it with salt and oil for like 2 hours, and seasoned it in the oven. Cooked an egg in it this morning and it slid right off like it was on ice. My $60 nonstick pan from Target can't even do that anymore after 6 months. I mean the nonstick coating is already flaking off and I hand wash it every time. Has anyone else tried switching to vintage cast iron for regular cooking? I'm curious if the old stuff is actually better or if I just got lucky.

3 comments

3 Comments

cameronn6223d ago

My friend Jake found a beat up Lodge skillet at a garage sale for like five bucks last summer. He spent a whole weekend stripping it down and reseasoning it because it looked like someone left it out in the rain for years. Now he swears by it for everything from searing steaks to making cornbread. He says his old nonstick pans just sit in the cabinet collecting dust because the cast iron works way better and you can use metal spatulas on it without worrying. I think you just stumbled onto something real, old cast iron is built different than the new stuff for sure.

patriciah5123d ago

My grandmother swore by her old Wagner skillet and I never got it till now lol.

diana_black23d ago

@cameronn62 you talking about metal spatulas on cast iron got me thinking - do your friend's old nonstick pans just not get used at all anymore, or does he still pull them out for stuff like eggs or fish that stick real bad? Because I've had cast iron that claimed to be "nonstick" after seasoning but scrambled eggs still became a nightmare to clean up. Like is the trade off worth it for everything, or is he just really good at managing heat and oil to make it work?

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