What does one do with a "cast iron skillet"?

[NwMtGardener]

I think teflon was oneof those things that benefited from good marketing. It was new, hyped up on TV all the time...everyone thought it was the new great thing.

I have burned my hands on my cast iron too, now i am in the habit of always grabbing it with a hot pad, every time, evenbefore i use it!

 

[journey11]

So I've had this cast-iron skillet for a month now, and I have to ask...why did everyone switch to teflon? I always thought it was because they were non-stick, but my skillet never has anything stuck to it. Plus it cooks better.

My only complaint is that I've never had any pot or pan of any sort that had a handle which heated up same as the bottom. YOUCH!!

One of my pans came with a pot-holder-like handle cover, so I use it on all of them. It slips right onto the handle and stays on and I don't have to remember to grab a pot holder.

 

[so lucky]

Has anyone tried the ceramic non-stick skillets? I have a small one I love, but my big one is warping, despite my best efforts to be gentle with the heating/cooling process.
The big cast iron ones would be too much weight for me to lug around. I have to use two hands to carry a big light weight skillet that is full of food.

 

[AMKuska]

One of my pans came with a pot-holder-like handle cover, so I use it on all of them. It slips right onto the handle and stays on and I don't have to remember to grab a pot holder.

Someone offered me one of these when I was a kid and I thought it was sort of weird. Now I know what they are for lol!

 

[canesisters]

AMKuska, I have several of those rubber pot holder things that fit over the handle of the pan. You can get them at ANY kitchen speciality store.

 

[Smart Red]

I use my small and bigger cast iron pans a lot. As I rushed out to get some things for DH last week, my car diverted itself and stalled right in front of my favorite store. I decided to go in while my car rested and looked at some cast iron Dutch ovens. Sheesh! I could barely lift the smaller one. The sales man told me they had lighter ones. Sure, but they weren't LODGE, were they?

I managed to get out of the store with only one purchase -- a shiny 9" frying pan from ALL-CLAD. That's #2 in my meager collection of THE GOOD STUFF. By that time, the car was ready to continue DH's errand picking up some 'necessities' the ambulance drivers wouldn't stop for.