Grandma’s Apple Pie recipe in a Griswold #8 Cast Iron Skillet with matching lid. Cornbread sticks for Thanksgiving baked in a 1920s Wagner Ware Krusty Korn Kobs Pan.
A smokin’ hot Chili with Hatch Peppers extravaganza on a frigid afternoon with a Lodge No. 10 Dutch Oven. Eggs and bacon sizzling on an 1890s Erie #14 Bailed Griddle, the same way they made them over a wood stove to feed a nation.
Birmingham Stove and Range or Martin Stove and Range for the pride of Alabama, to whip up skillet steaks after a Crimson Tide victory or a collectible stew pot for buttery collard greens.
Fall and cast iron pans just go hand-in-hand, as you’ll see in these 10 examples of must-have kitchen essentials. Cast iron is for all seasons, make no mistake, but there’s just something about the feel of colder weather than makes us reach for those heavyweights in the cabinet or on the stove. You start thinking of family recipes that have been handed down for generations, and remember how much you loved it then and still do.
Why Cast Iron Cookware is so Popular Again
Cast iron cookware is timeless Americana that has been enjoyed over open fires on the Oregon Trail and Civil War camps, feeding the Wright Brothers’ appetites as close neighbors of some of the most famous foundries, passed down in kitchens everywhere through the 20th century, and now reaching Instagram and Tiktok chefs who like the whole nontoxin and sustainable thing.
Yes, there were a lot of people who ditched Grandma’s stuff and jumped on the Teflon train in the 1900s. But the DuPont chemical scandal exposed massive health problems with that lighter and easy-cleanup stuff, and people have tossed that junk and gone back to cast iron.
Antique cast iron pots and pans retain heat better than any other cookware, and they also retain their value and keep appreciating. They are nonstick after a few uses and they are easy to clean, because the old fears about cooking with dish soap have all faded into history. They are good for at least another century, as sustainable as it gets. Demand is high for cast iron antique skillets and lids, especially this time of year.
10 Must-Have Cast Iron Pans We Need This Fall and Winter
It’s the vintage stuff we love, restored and re-homed by many including yours truly as owner of Cast Iron Country. I scour the nation for rusty and crusty cast iron pans, whatever I can find. The typical process involves a lye bath to remove carbon crud buildup, then an electrolysis tank (or “etank”) to remove rust and clean to bare metal. Then I scrub with SOS pads and Dawn, dry thoroughly including a minute over medium stove heat, and season with grapeseed oil.
That seasoning process entails oiling the pan and then wiping it with shop towels as if you are trying to remove all that oil, then putting the pans in the oven for an hour at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and then repeating the process two more times.
Lodge Cast Iron in South Pittsburg, Tenn., which pre-seasons all of its pans, is the only remaining turn-of-the-century foundry still cranking out cast iron from its molds. But you can easily tell the difference between their mass production cookware, with sparkly and rough finishes, as opposed to the satin-surface and lightweight pans made most notably by the Griswold Manufacturing Co., in Erie, Penn., starting in the 1880s.
Griswold is the Ferrari of vintage cast iron, known everywhere for its iconic cross logo on the bottom. They cost more than others because they are worth it. You can find them on Facebook Marketplace and estate sales, but Etsy and Ebay are the easiest places for treasured pieces. Now’s the time to add some to your cast iron collection, because the holidays are coming and there are so many cold-weather days that were just made for cast iron cooking.
Here are 10 examples of authentic cast iron bakeware and cookware that you should look for now to enjoy your own cast iron cooking:
1. Do-It-All Dutch Oven Tradition
Cooler weather means hearty soups and stews that keep you warm last for days as leftovers, or as a science lab for your new sourdough bread passion. A cast iron Dutch oven or baster most commonly ranges in size from #7 to #10, and the #8 is the most popular version with 4 1/2 quart capacity. That is more than sufficient if you normally feed a family of four, so a larger family might want to size up to a #9 or #10, or just make extra batches.
Versatility has always been the key to Dutch oven popularity. It can go from stove to table or in the oven, or over an open fire or grill out back for chili. The most high-end models will have a fully lettered lid, such as the Griswold Tite-Top Dutch Oven or Wagner Drip-Drop version, with matching base and lid. These lids have concentric circles on the underside that steadily drop liquid for a continuous moisture cycle. Dutch ovens are heavy, especially when filled, so they must have a metal bail for carrying that swings back and forth fluidly.
2. And Don’t Forget the Trivet
Look for the matching size cast iron trivet that inserts into your Dutch oven. The trivet was always included when they made these a century ago, featuring three little nubs that would face down and allow the trivet to elevate from the cooking surface. That keeps meat from scorching on the bottom and it also lets juices drip to the bottom. A $275 Griswold #8 Dutch Oven should come with the trivet, for example, and by itself a #8 trivet costs about $70. It’s not a necessity for cooking, but it is if you collect cast iron.
3. A-Maize-Ing Cornbread Pans and Corn Stick Pans
Corn has just been harvested and is a staple of every autumn, including that Thanksgiving plate. Go into the average antique shop and there’s a good chance you will find at least one vintage cast iron cornbread pan of some kind. The classic example is the long rectangular pan with molds that look like actual corn cobs. Oil the pan and fill the cobs with your favorite cornbread mix, and you’ll follow a tradition of Americana that goes back over a century.
This is a wide category of cornbread cast iron pans that includes Corn Stick pans with 11 rows to make bread sticks, French Roll pans, and the high-end Griswold #10 Muffin Pan. I just restored and sold an 1856 “gem pan” that was made in the Waterman tradition around Boston and used through the Civil War and up to now. Cornbread is always in fashion, and you can also just pour your batter into a regular cast iron skillet and make the perfect wedges.
4. Cast Iron Skillets: As American as Steaks and Apple Pie
You’re going to want cast iron skillets in various sizes, just like they did in the old days to match the different sizes of “eyes” on a typical Appalachian wood stove. I recommend three sizes: a #8 with a bottom that’s about the size of a standard stove’s large burner, the most popular model for everyday use; a #11 or larger for family-size meals at home or over open fire; and a #5 on small burners for sauces and sides, eggs or potatoes.
There’s nothing quite like a steak in a skillet after a day of peeping autumn leaves or shoveling the first snowfall in December. I recommend a hard to find Wagner #8 with Arc Logo and Heat Ring, made between 1891-1905 in Sidney, Ohio. It’s indestructible if you take care of it.
5. Never Pass Up a Cast Iron Lid
Ideally you want a matching #8 lid for certain recipes, but these aren’t always easy to find and they’re not very cheap. Many Americans donated their cast iron lids during World War II to help metal drives that made ammo, because that made more sense than donating the actual pans that made their food. You’ll need the lid if you want to follow this Grandma’s Iron Skillet Apple Pie recipe, and you might want to try this Two Ingredient Apple Pie version as well.
There’s a saying in the cast iron restoration businesses: “Never pass up a cast iron lid.” If you see a vintage lid, buy it. They’re rare and they will be rarer with each passing year. We still need them to cook.
6. Griddles That Work As Holiday Party Standouts
You can enjoy a Griswold #9 Large Block Logo Round Griddle like this one from the 1920s every day to make eggs, bacon, crepes, grilled cheese and more. But if you really want to have fun now that the weather has cooled, turn this into a lovely charcuterie board! Take it to your next holiday party in December and load it up with your favorite cheeses, meats and olives.
7. Boo! We’ve Got Cauldrons & Camp Ovens Galore
This is the best time of year to own a cast iron cauldron, cast iron bulge pot, Lodge Camp Oven, Griswold Yankee Bowl, Martin Dutch Oven, Wagner Cast Iron Pot or any of these large vessels that have made it through more than a century. That’s not only because they are handy for soups and stews in cool weather, but also because of Halloween! Sales usually go up for this vintage cast iron around October, because they are perfect for holding candy and completing your front-porch witchy vibe as the little trick-or-treaters come calling on October 31.
8. Waffle Irons for the Whole Crew
Nothing beats waking up on a cold morning and getting together with the kids to make a fun batch of homemade waffles. If you’re familiar with the motel versions where the family gets to add batter and then flip the waffles themselves, this is 100 times better. Cast iron waffle irons are also a thing of beauty worthy of full-time display. The first models with paddle handles came out around the turn of the century, and the ball joint became the popular version.
I recently drove across the state of Florida to buy a Griswold #11 Square High Base Waffle Iron, considered the “king of waffle irons,” and then restored it with lye bath, rust removal, heavy scrubbing and three rounds of grapeseed oil seasoning . . . and then re-homed it for $575. This couple had rescued it from behind a dumpster while camping up in Michigan, but it was a bit bulky for their fifth wheel camper. That one or a regular #8 low base waffle iron with a bail will make the perfect golden, crispy waffle every time. Moms love to buy these to involve kids in meals, and they usually don’t last more than a few days on our Etsy shop.
9. Chicken Fryers for a Versatile Cooker
There’s never a bad time to fry up a mess of chicken, and the standard Chicken Fryer has always been the way to go. This is deeper than the average skillet, with enough volume for cooking oil and a high count of chicken pieces. I just restored and re-homed a Griswold Hinged Skillet and Cover set that was especially good for this, because the lid stays in place as you cook.
Birmingham Stove & Range (BSR) has legions of fans in Alabama who have relied on chicken fryers for a century, and you might want to keep in mind that those are especially weighty and not for someone fighting arthritis. I found an Original Cracker Barrel version from Lodge at an antique shop, and the patina is so cool I have held onto it. It has a deep skillet with a shallower skillet that goes on top as a chicken fryer combo or to use as two skillets.
10. Enameled Cast Iron for Colorful and Durable Alternative
Those chicken fryers above are also worthy for casseroles, as long as you keep them covered with a temperature never exceeding medium. But even better, just move over to the Enameled category if you’re into casseroles. Le Creuset and Lodge have beautifully colored models that fill every casserole need, like that Harvest Chicken Casserole. A year ago, I stopped in at the Lodge Cast Iron foundry showroom in South Pittsburg and the biggest home run in my shopping cart was a Lodge 3.6 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven Covered Casserole that we evaluated in a popular post right here.
We could go on because there are so many different types of cast iron. But these are some of the staples, and now is the best time of the year to enjoy them. Break out Grandma’s recipes and you are transported back to a simpler time, but also forward to the next generations that are never going to stop enjoying the quintessentially American art and love of cast iron.
