Picked my grandma's old skillet over a fancy nonstick pan

My mom gave me two options for a housewarming gift last year: her cast iron skillet that's been in the family since 1962 or a brand new set of nonstick pans from Target. I went with the skillet even though it was rusty and heavy. Took me three weekends with vinegar and steel wool to clean it up, but now I use it almost every day for frying eggs and searing steaks. Has anyone else had to rescue an old family pan from rust and actually make it work better than new stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

kim.stella28d ago

Took me two hours to scrub the rust off my dad's old axe head that had been sitting in the shed for 15 years. Not a pan but same idea. The handle was all cracked and splintery so I had to make a new one from a piece of oak. Now it's sharper than any new axe I've ever bought and it's got this perfect weight to it. Old tools just feel different, like they were built to last forever instead of falling apart after a couple years. I bet your grandma's skillet will outlive all those nonstick pans your mom was pushing.

nelson.gavin28d ago

Found an old hand plane from the 1920s at a garage sale, cleaned it up, and it shaves wood smoother than my electric one ever did.