One of the local Boy Scout mothers was thrilled to pick up a Dutch Oven and a set of cast iron skillets. She dreamed and talked about cooking with these fabulous hand-me-downs. The last we heard, she was getting information online about her cast iron and was busy learning all about her new cooking toys. A couple of months later, she donated the worse-for-wear pots to the Scout group. Fortunately, the pieces were easily salvaged and are good as new (or old).

Many great cooks grow up using cast iron and can’t imagine not having a jet black skillet sitting on the back burner or a cast iron muffin pan in the cabinet. In fact, it’s not unusual for family members to put in the word early that the cast iron pieces are coveted as remembrances of an older cook when a relative passes and property is divided.

Generation after generation, new cooks turn to cast iron. Some remember a grandmother or elderly aunt using the pots and pans. Others happen across a good cast iron skillet at a secondhand shop. Once converted, most cast iron owners are hooked for life.