Kajikit wrote:
> I went to Ross looking for a new frypan yesterday and they had a small
> cast iron skillet for eight bucks... when I went into Anna's Linens
> looking for something else, an apparantly identical skillet was $24! I
> couldn't go past a bargain like that so I ducked into Ross after
> church today to get it... I got another nice deal while I was there -
> a deep rectangular stoneware baking dish with a non-stick coating
> inside.
>
> I made meatloaf for dinner tonight in the baking dish and it slid
> right out onto the plate with all its crusty goodness intact... and I
> rubbed the skillet with bacon grease and put it into the oven while
> the dinner cooked. Hopefully that'll give it a good start on its
> finish! And now I can try my hand at frying in cast iron... any
> tricks, hints or tips for me before I start frying?

Yeah, don't let your spouse or the kids wash that pan! :-)

I go to Ross to look for pans every once in a while. These days, most of
the pans are no longer made with a sandwich of a jacketed copper or
aluminum core which is what I need. Have manufacturers abandoned this
type of construction?

They have some great anodized spun-aluminum frypans but those warp too
easily in my hands. Anodized pans BTW, have a cooking surface very much
like perfectly seasoned cast iron and they heat up faster. Too bad they
can't take the heat and the bottom gets all rolly-polly after a while.
:-)