The Southern Heritage of Cast-Iron Cookware

Kassady here. Growing up in South Carolina, the almighty cast-iron skillet was less a staple and more a way of life. It’s what my family cooked in, fried in, baked in, and reheated in. For us, reading the words “nonstick pan” in a cookbook meant grabbing the best-seasoned skillet we had and adding a touch more grease to it than usual.

The range of cast iron my family kept was vast. A 3½-inch Lodge, a Wagner biscuit pan, and what felt like every iteration of a skillet that Griswold made hung above our kitchen island. Seasoned well, often, and beautifully, they all served their purpose, whether that was a perfect fried egg, a corn-shaped corn bread, or simply dinner made with a no. 9 skillet.