Wrote off my mom's 40 year old cast iron as too much work, then she made cornbread in it
I always figured seasoned cast iron was just something older folks brag about, so I kept baking my cornbread in a $22 aluminum pan from Target. My mom pulled out her skillet from 1984 at her place in Boise and the crust on that thing was unreal, no sticking at all, and cleanup took maybe 30 seconds under warm water. Now I'm hunting thrift stores for my own and I've struck out at four so far. Do you strip and reseason a used one or just scrub it and hope for the best?
I was the same way about the cast iron hype, figured it was just nostalgia talking. Then I watched my mom fry eggs in her grandmother's skillet and nothing stuck, not even a little. The "scrub it and hope" plan usually works if the pan was cared for, but if it looks rusty or the seasoning is flaking off, strip it down to bare metal and start over. Thrift store finds are hit or miss, so check for cracks and wobble before you buy. A good used one is worth the hunt though.