Much ink been used up in the debate about which pan is right for daily use. It seems like every year, a start up releases the pan that’s meant to be the final word on the matter, but, still, the argument rages on. There’s the sheer number of options: Do you go ceramic? Stainless steel? Copper? For me, the answer is easy: cast iron. My own preferred pan is made by Lodge, which has been around for more than a hundred years. They’re relatively affordable, excellent quality, and all made in the United States.
Surely, there will be naysayers: “How could you use cast iron daily? Do you know how heavy they are? How long they take to warm up? And that’s before we even get to the regular maintenance.” I’ve heard it all, and I’m happy to respond with a quote from Anthony Bourdain’s masterpiece, Kitchen Confidential:
“A proper sauté pan, for instance, should cause serious head injury if brought down hard against someone’s skull. If you have any doubts about which will dent—the victim’s head or your pan—then throw that pan right in the trash.”
There are, however, other advantages to the cast iron, aside from its ability to injure. It doesn’t peel or burn; olive oil seeps in just right, and I can stick it into the oven while making shakshouka. What’s more, my daily relationship with the pan—the heating, cleaning, tending—is a reminder that cooking is a practice of quiet improvement. There is a reward to be found in slowly simmering garlic and olive oil.
My quest to find the perfect pan started a few years ago, when I was sharing a dormitory kitchen with students who would routinely use my small, non-stick, very scratched up aluminum pan. When it disappeared for a full week, I realized I’d found the perfect opportunity for an upgrade. I did my research by walking down the aisles of the local Williams Sonoma. Though I was previously intimidated by the weight of cast-iron, the very helpful sales associate educated me on their merits: They’re almost unbreakable; they last forever, and the cleaning is really not so bad. All you need is a stiff brush (this option from Amazon is elegant and useful) with a bit of warm water and soap.
Now let’s talk aesthetics. There are a lot of beautiful pans on the market, but, a cast iron has a uniquely homey quality. It may not transport you to the French countryside like copper or fit perfectly into a minimalist high rise, but it feels cozy and sturdy. It’s a reminder that I am a home chef, and that is a valiant thing.
For me, though, what’s best about this pan, why I am in fact, obsessed with it, is the size. It’s tiny, (I hesitate to call something so useful ‘adorable’), and in that way, it’s the best possible utensil for cooking one fried egg. You can scoop and flip without any awkward jostling or fear that everything will separate. I use mine every morning and have for almost two years now. I know that, for years to come, it will keep my breakfast sunny side up.
Dorothy Scarborough (she/her) is the assistant to the Editor in Chief of Town & Country and Elle Decor.
