Here's one for the cooking minimalists among us. Mark Bittman, the original Minimalist and celebrated author of "How to Cook Everything", has witten an eloquent little love story about one of his most prized kitchen possessions. You're probably thinking it's a $5000 Viking Range or one of those shiny $300 All-Clad copper stockpots. Well, think again. It's a $15 cast iron skillet, just like the one Grandma used to make those perfectly browned home-fries of your childhood dreams.

Why does Mark love cast iron so much? Let him count the ways:

"...cast iron has so many benefits. Well seasoned, it is nearly as nonstick as any manufactured nonstick surface and far more so than stainless, aluminum or even copper pans.

Cast iron is as good at browning as any other cookware, and its mass lets it hold a steady temperature so well that it is perfect for deep- or shallow-frying."

It's true that cast-iron requires more maintenance than your nonstick pan. You'll need to learn how to season your pan, an activity which - if done on the stovetop - will send out enough smoke to send smoke signals to your neighbor. Once that's done, though, so are you. You'll have a pan that cooks many things well, cleans up with little effort, and will last until the cows come home, wherever they happen to be.

To read all of Mark Bittman's article, go here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/07/dining/07mini.html

Interested in starting a cast-iron romance of your own, then pick one up here through KGI's online store. For every $15 pan bought through our store, 75 cents goes towards supporting KGI's education and outreach activities. No small potatoes!