The One Essential Kitchen Pan

Eat Well, Eat Cheap has always been a big fan of old cast iron skillets. People abuse them. Thrift shops are full of rusty, grungy old ones. Many kitchen cabinets have unused cast iron pans hidden away. We've written that you should salvage any one you find. It's not that difficult.

Now Joanna Pruess of Fine Cooking magazine has written an ode to this neglected-but-essential and indestructible cooking pan. She says its a great pan for searing and sauteing, baking (including desserts), braising and frying.

"My favorite pan to cook in, by far and with no close runner-up, is my 35-year-old cast-iron skillet. It was my mother’s pan, and just seeing it on the stove conjures memories of her fried chicken, her macaroni and cheese, and her pot roast," she writes.

Her article explains how to use this wonderful old invention and includes many recipes for each of the four types of cooking you can do with it.

For those of you who might be young and just starting your kitchen adventures, this pan is cheap and omnipotent. For those of you who are old hands in the kitchen, your food will taste better in this pan that is the original non-stick skillet.