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Cast iron cookware is pretty easy to find. You can buy it new directly from the manufacturer or from retailers that carry that line of cookware. Hardware stores and recreational stores also sell cast-iron cookware (but their lines are usually limited to the outdoor supplies). If you're interested in used cast iron, you can find it at garage and rummage sales, farm auctions, or antique shops. You can even hit up Aunt Edna for her cast iron (but don't be surprised if she won't give it to you). You can also order cast iron from the Internet.
After you locate your cast-iron supplier, you need to do a little examination of the quality. Whether you're looking for cast iron that came straight from the foundry or has spent a few years (or several decades) in someone else's kitchen, you need to pay attention to the quality of the pan that you're buying.
Evaluating quality
 | Whether new or used, cast-iron pans are made from iron and steel formed in sand casts (or molds), hence the name, cast iron. The process itself and the materials used give cast iron the texture it has. If you're used to shiny, smooth aluminum or stainless steel, you may not realize that new cast iron is supposed to feel rough and be a dull, gray color like, well, metal. |
When it comes to cast-iron quality, first off, it matters. The quality of the pan directly impacts how well it takes seasoning (a curing process that helps prevents rust), how efficiently it heats, how long it lasts, and how safe it is to use. The quality of the material used, the mixture of the different metals (the metallurgy), and the quality of the mold determines the overall quality of the pan. When you shop for cast iron, look at the following:
- Surface texture: The cast iron should be uniformly rough (like a cat's tongue) and even. It shouldn't be jagged, pitted, chipped, cracked, or obviously scratched. Nor should you find areas that look "odd"— that is, not like the rest of the surface. When you run your hand along the interior, you shouldn't feel waves or dips.
Finer-grained cast iron is easier to cure or season. Poorly made cast iron has a coarser grain that's hard to season and that requires more attention and care after it's seasoned.
- Width of sides: To be an efficient and even conductor of heat (and thus avoid hot spots and warping), the thickness of the sides of the cast iron should be the same all the way around. Uneven sides also make the pan more prone to breaking. So if the sides seem thinner in some areas than in others, don't buy the pan unless you only want it for decoration in your kitchen.
- Metallurgy:The mixture of the metals matters.Much goes into the metallurgy of a cast-iron pan, and much of this, like the quality of the iron and steel used or the temperature at which it's heated, you can't judge just by looking. The metallurgy is as important to even heat conduction as is the mold tolerances that create a pan with uniform thicknesses. Either one can create hot spots or uneven heating — the bane of cooks everywhere. Occasionally, however, you may notice something is obviously wrong, like discolorations or blotchiness in the metal.
 | Steer clear of cast iron that has these flaws. Cast iron that has discolorations or blotchiness can be brittle and easy to break. Also, stay away from cast iron that has other odd spots — areas that just don't look like the rest of the pan. If the material wasn't heated at a high enough temperature, you can have uneven distribution of the various metals (more steel in one place or more iron in another, for example), and that creates hot spots. |
- Where it's made: American manufacturers have to meet government-mandated safety requirements regarding the product itself (and the materials that go into it) and the manufacturing process. These safeguards protect both consumers and employees. Manufacturers in other countries may or may not have to abide by similar requirements.
 | Although imported cast iron is often less expensive, make sure that your cast iron is made domestically, for both quality and safety reasons. |
Buying used cast iron
To find old cast iron, you can go to all sorts of places: estate sales, farm auctions, antique malls, rummage sales, and so on. The cost of used cast iron is generally quite a bit less than what you'd spend for new (which itself is relatively inexpensive). And, if the piece is still in cooking condition, the work (seasoning) has already been done for you.
 | Used cast iron — especially when it comes free from Grandma and includes a bunch of recipes — is great. In fact, if you have a choice between a new cast-iron pan and an old one that's been well used and cared for, go for an old one. |
You still need to evaluate the quality of the cast iron. When you buy used, pay attention to the following:
- How well it's been cared for: Although you can refurbish many abused pieces of cast iron, some pieces aren't worth salvaging. Avoid pieces that are warped, cracked, pitted, or have been chipped. Although fine for hanging as a wall decoration, these pans aren't suitable for cooking any more.
- How much work restoring the piece will take: Some old cast iron is ready to use as soon as you get it, provided of course, that you don't mind that the patina is the result of someone else's — a stranger's — cooking. (Absorbing the oil and fat of the foods that are cooked in the cast iron is the way that the cast iron is seasoned.) If you do mind, restoring the pan is fairly simple: You simply burn off the seasoning that's on it and re-season. Some old pans, however, require much work because of rust, crusted on food, and other gunk that you have to remove. These pans can be reclaimed, but it'll take more work.
- If the item has any paint spots on it. Dishonest dealers often repair holes and cracks with epoxy resin (an adhesive that hobbyists use in abundance when they build model airplanes and cars) and then paint over the repair to hide it.
| Cast iron that looks as if it's been used as a paint bucket isn't the issue; you can sand-blast the paint off. The issue is black paint deliberately used on a black pan. Sure, black paint on a black pan may be as innocent as the bright yellow paint splashes and drips on another pan, but you can't be sure until you remove the black paint. If it's epoxy, you don't want to use the pan. Epoxy resin is a great adhesive: strong, durable, long-lasting . . . but it's also poisonous if swallowed, can damage skin on contact, can irritate eyes, and needs to be used in a well-ventilated area. |
| If you stumble across a cast-iron pan with the Griswold logo on it, and it's going for a couple of bucks, snatch it up. Griswold cast-iron cookware is a collector's item. Many pieces fetch upwards of several hundred dollars. |
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