Bringing an old cast-iron pan back to life
Three euros at a flea market, red with rust. Six hours later, the best pan in my kitchen.
At a flea market last spring I found a cast-iron frying pan under a pile of old saucepans. It was red with rust, heavy as a brick, and cost three euros. The woman selling it told me to throw it away and buy a new one. Six hours of work later, it was the best pan in my kitchen. This is how I brought it back.
Why cast iron is worth saving
Cast iron is almost impossible to destroy. Rust looks terrible, but it only sits on the surface; underneath, the iron is fine. ((The only real way to ruin a cast-iron pan is to crack it, usually by pouring cold water into it when it is very hot. Even I have not managed that, though I came close once.)) A pan that has been well used for decades has a smooth black surface, called seasoning, that food does not stick to. That surface can always be rebuilt.
