Revisiting Cast Iron

Last week I cooked breakfast at my MIL's home.  The skillet used for frying eggs is a non-stick skillet.  A very old non-stick pan at that.  Its surface was compromised with flaking and scratches.  I was so hungry and went ahead and used it.  All the while dreaming of my cast iron skillets back home (sigh;(  There are so many controversies about using non-stick pans that I ditched my old ones a few years ago and replaced them with a nice set of non-coated-stainless-steel ones.  These are in addition to my (3) cast iron skillets, griddle, grill pan and Dutch oven.  When properly seasoned, they are non-stick.  Some studies report that using cast iron for cooking can help impart iron to your diet.

My mid size skillet was in need of being re-seasoned.  It had developed quite a lot of build up on the inside surface.  This skillet was purchased used (at a yard sale) about 13 years ago ... and it's the first time I've super cleaned the surface (scraped/scoured/wiped down/oiled/heated to smoking point 3x's).  The grease rag is stored in a plastic coffee can under my sink and used as a bon fire starter when no longer usable.  (click photos to enlarge view)

Photos:  Top ... cast iron skillet in need of a good scrub, tools of the trade used to clean pan surface, debris removed from skillet, bottom ... re-seasoned skillet with grease rag ... ready to use.