Pan second-handling
Going to the flea markets? You can pick up a deal on solid cast iron that you’ll hand down to your descendants.
First, caress the interior of the pan. If it feels smooth as stainless, that’s a keeper.
Next, turn it over and look for the maker.
Perry and Rosalind Wells swear by their old Griswold and Wagner pans because of their mirror-smooth interior finish, a product of machining the inside of the pan and a step that most cast-iron makers now feel is too costly. Some of their old pans also are nickel-plated, giving them a beautiful, matte silver outside that fades gradually to black where the nickel wore away. “Pan Man” David G. Smith also advises keeping an eye out for the following brands:
Lodge. “Some of the early Lodge pieces have as fine a finish as you’re going to find.”
Favorite. A product of the Favorite Stove Works in Piqua, Ohio.
Vollrath. The foundry in Sheboygan, Wis., was a pioneer in porcelainizing cast iron. “They tend to be heavy,” Smith says of Vollrath pans, but the interior finish is fine.
