Griswold

The temperature was in the high 40's this morning and it rained all weekend. It's still raining. This rarely happens (the rain, not the cool weather) in Colorado. I spent much of the weekend reading but today I needed to get out so we went to the dairy for milk and hit the antique shops along the way.

I scored not one, but TWO Griswold cast iron skillets that are probably older than my grandparents and possibly much older. Griswold shut its doors in the 50's but made legendary cast iron cookware for generations. So excited was I to use them that I made breakfast for dinner tonight: scratch buttermilk biscuits, uncured bacon from a local farm and yard eggs over easy with a hint of bacon grease. Also, tall glasses of sweet milk just hours from the cow, and plenty of home-churned butter, crabapple jelly and peach preserves that I canned last fall. No better non-stick surface has yet been devised by the hand of man than a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Even the best modern cookware can't hold a candle to it, especially Griswold. People collect Griswold, and it isn't uncommon for the rarer pieces to sell for hundreds of dollars. I found one on eBay today going for over $800. I didn't pay that much for mine, which were a couple of the more common skillets. Cast iron, besides being supremely non-stick, also give off no toxins, were made in the USA, and will easily last long enough to pass on to your great grandchildren. Some high-end non-stick Calphalon pieces I bought just three years ago are already useless. Junk! Don't waste your time, your money or your health on fancy pots and pans - no matter who makes them or how impressive their revolutionary infused anodized non-stick technology propaganda sounds. It's all garbage! Go drop a couple hundred bucks (easily half what you'd pay for the Calphalon) on a few Griswold skillets in an antique shop or flea market. Clean them up, re-season if necessary, and relax knowing you've bought the last set of cookware you'll ever need.