Cast iron cookery

I have acquired cast iron skillets, dutch ovens and a huge cast iron cauldron over the years. With the exception of the cauldron, each is oiled and seasoned so nothing sticks.
My favorite skillet is one my great grandmother used. It had been taken care of properly so nothing sticks. The sides are rounded up instead of coming straight up from the bottom. Great for flipping omelettes or pancakes.
My favorite way to cook steaks with a cast iron is to dry the pan really well with a paper towel and put it on to heat on high. When the pan starts smoking good I'll throw in the steak for about 5 minutes per side depending on how thick it it. Right before it finishes I'll take it off, cut into bite sized pieces and throw it back in to finish off. Then I'll use butter and beer to make the dipping sauce from the skillet.
Do you guys use cast iron? What is your favorite piece? What is your favorite way to use it?

We love our cast iron skillets. Right now they are being used daily to cook down squash and onions due to the excess from the garden.
I do our Saturday night rib-eyes on the grill but we like to sear the 6 sides on a roast before throwing in in a crock-pot.
A deep 10in skillet makes wonderful blackberry cobblers, had a couple of those the last few weeks...yummy.
We also have a thin 8in. avery, very old...It cooks our eggs for breakfast. It is thinner and maybe somewhat warped but cooks up sausage or bacon, then a few over easy eggs perfectly.
Oh yea, fish.  To get that back home taste of fried fish you got to fill that skillet with oil and fry them fish up. Nothing else reminds me of growing up like that.

Dang, Ralph! I made myself hungry, but brother, you made me ravenous! I gotta go get something to eat now

I have a dutch-oven sized cast iron pot that I use for everything. Because it is used for lots of curries, my tomato sauce, etc it's not nonstick by any means like my skillet is, but I literally use it every day. And it also is what I bake my sourdough loaves in (it has an ovenproof glass/metal top)

I have a couple lodge cast iron skillets. I fry eggs in them and sometimes make hamburger helper. Nothing exciting lol!

I have cooked with cast iron ever since I can remember.  I have 4 frying pans (I think you called them skillets in the US) 2 small ones, a largish one and a very large one.  I also have 4 cooking pots (I guess dutch ovens) 1 large one, one smaller one, one oval one and a largish rounded one with a handle that can be hung in the fire place or on an open fire with a cooking tripod.  I guess you would call that a cauldron.

I use them for everything, frying, stewing, baking, roasting, dry toasting, pizza, bread, you name it.  They are so old and so well seasoned that they do not stick at all.  Fried eggs just slide on the plate!!  The oval one is great for pot roasting a bird (chicken, duck, guinea fowl etc...)  A bit too small for a turkey, but then again I don't really do turkey!  For a long time in the UK I also had a cast iron kettle, which unfortunately, seemed to have disappeared in the move to France.

I just love my cast iron pots and pans and I really would not want to cook in anything else.

Olga Booker wrote: For a long time in the UK I also had a cast iron kettle, which unfortunately, seemed to have disappeared in the move to France.

Oh, that's unfortunate. My step son gave me one years ago and I haven't used it yet. Not really sure where it is. He used to be a cast iron nut. I've got square skillets, big round ones, small round ones, I've even got a chicken fryer that's got legs. Someone used it to drain motor oil into so it's sitting outside rusting away. My mother collected them. When she passed my sister and I split them between us. None of the other siblings wanted any so I grabbed what I could. I'm always on the lookout for one that's been abused but can be cleaned up.

None of the other siblings wanted any so I grabbed what I could. I'm always on the lookout for one that's been abused but can be cleaned up.

Clever you!  I did as well. but now, I only have the ones that I need on a day to day basis.  Still, I can't help myself, If I see an abandoned cast iron pan somewhere, I've just got to rescue it!!  

howdy,
My favorite, Non Skid pancakes, w/fresh picked strawberries,