In the NY Times today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/07/dining/07mini.html

Ever So Humble, Cast Iron Outshines the Fancy Pans
By MARK BITTMAN - the New York Times
December 7, 2005

AS cookware becomes more expensive and the kinds available become more
varied, it's increasingly clear to me that most "new" pots and pans are
about marketing. For most tasks, old-style cookware is best. So these
days when I'm asked for a recommendation, I reply with an old-fashioned
answer: cast iron.

My personal return to cast iron began less than a year ago when I began
to heed the warnings against preheating chemically treated pans and
putting them in hot ovens, which could create potentially harmful
fumes.

As most experienced cooks know, you can't brown food unless you preheat
your skillet, and I frequently transfer food from stove top to oven.

So cast iron is a logical choice, especially in skillets, unless you
require gorgeous stainless to make a style point or you can afford
copper - which is ideal for sautéing because its heat distribution is
incomparable - and the time to care for it. The only disadvantages are
that cast iron is heavy (look for skillets with handles on both sides)
and it requires a bit of care to keep it seasoned and looking nice.

But cast iron has so many benefits. Well seasoned, it is nearly as
nonstick as any manufactured nonstick surface and far more so than
stainless, aluminum or even copper pans.

Cast iron is practically free compared with other high-quality pots and
pans ($20, say, for a skillet). In addition, it lasts nearly forever:
the huge skillet I bought around 1970 for $10 is still going strong.

(end excerpt --printed under fair use laws - don't sic your Times
lawyers on me!)

Etc. etc. Isn't Mark Bittman sensible? I've been devoted to my cast
iron skillets for years. I want a big one with a glass lid but I don't
really need it, since I've got a big Le Creuset. If you're afraid to
season it, the pre-seasoned is only a few dollars more.

I stir fry in my cast iron skillet (all the more reason to get a big
one); fry eggs, make sauces, sautee veggies or onions. They're great
for toasting nuts, caramelizing sugar or onions, and all kinds of
browning. Of course we make pancakes, french toast and omelets in it,
and it's lovely for a frittata (although I use the Le Creuset too, just
because it's bigger).

Leila