This is my “new” Griswold cast-iron skillet and it’s changed the way I think about cast iron altogether. I’ve had a 12-inch Lodge skillet forever, and it’s great for searing meat or for big stir-fries, but it’s really heavy, and the skillet surface is sort of pebbly. This new skillet (which I got in an antique store) is smaller, 8 inches, and lighter, and has a smooth surface.
This is the best pan I own. I love this pan. Because it was old it was pretty much seasoned, and with a swipe of olive oil after each use, it’s non-stick enough that I can make my favorite egg thing in the mornings. Last night I cooked a couple of pork chops, and made a lovely pan sauce from the sticky bits afterwards. This is the skillet that makes me understand the wonders of cast iron — it heats beautifully, has a mostly nonstick surface, and doesn’t weigh 20 pounds. And it cost me 15 bucks.
So, word to the wise, keep your eyes out for Griswold cast iron, I don’t think they make them new anymore, but there are a lot of them out there in antique stores and on eBay.
I just turned over my three, beloved, oft-used cast iron skillets. Only one of them says Griswold (and it also says “Erie”) but I learned that all three have sizes: my Griswold is a 5. My two larger, unnamed skillets, are a 7 and an 8. I would part with everything else in my kitchen before I parted with my cast irons. Which I may now start calling my Griswolds. Just stumbled across your blog via Garden Rant. Isn’t Livingston, MT, where Tom McGuane hangs out? Also maybe Jim Harrison? Writerly neighbors of yours perhaps?