Three Mighty Pans

364 days ago, I wrote a love note to the cast iron skillet entitled One Mighty Pan.
10 days ago, I announced a giveaway so you could win one of your very own.

After tabulating all the entries, assigning all of the entries a number, and running the random number generator from random.org three times, we have our three winners.  They have all been notified directly, but I thought you all would like to know who walked away with the prizes.

Granted, this giveaway brought in a whole bunch of new faces to the FUSSYlittleBLOG.  I am pleased that they came, and I hope that they stay.  Otherwise, I think I’m just going to feel dirty.

Anyhow, new readers Schmidty and carmen in addition to regular commenter maltnsmoke all got lucky and have received their $20 credit to CSN Stores that I hope they will put towards the cast iron skillet for which it was intended.  Congratulations the them all.

Let’s look back on what the winners said in their entry comments.

Schmidty said:
I’m with you, Daniel. A good cast iron pan is invaluable. I’ve had mine for thirty years and it’s perfect! Shiny and black and I use it very often.

carmen said:
Oh, I need another cast iron skillet so that would be great. And I’ve used EmerilWare before and it really does work great. Please count me in for the giveaway. Thanks!!

maltnsmoke said:
No one who really cares about cooking will have to be sold on the merits of cast iron. Properly cared for models are among the most functional heirlooms imaginable. My collection includes a Griswold (a name well known to collectors) that is reserved for seafood. I use a more contemporary Wagner (~1995) for just about everything else. I also have a few of the ribbed style pans that are designed to leave “grill” marks. Frankly, I find that they are a bit of a pain to clean and since I grill outdoors year around, these get very little use. I am also a big fan of enameled cast iron, but then who isn’t?
I applaud your efforts to spread the word to the uninitiated.

Even though he and I don’t always see eye-to-eye, I love this guy.

My large cast iron pan got a workout last night.  We used up the sugar snap peas and the bok choy from my CSA in a stir-fry with tofu and oyster sauce.  It was delicious served atop a mound of brown rice.  The vegetables were so flavorful and delicate that I regretted the squirt of Sriracha.  That never happens.

So I urge you again.  Even if you didn’t win this contest, get one of these pans.  They perform great, last a lifetime, and cost very little.  They sear, they become virtually nonstick over time, and they are oven-safe.  They love it when you fill them with oil for a good fry.  You can even put them on the grill, now that it is summer and all.  I use mine all the time, and they truly do keep on getting better with age.

Just never ever put one in the dishwasher.  Or the microwave.  Avoid using it with acidic foods like tomatoes and vinegar.  And keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on seasonin’ it.