I love cooking with cast iron. Most of my collection has been found at local second hand stores. Usually they need a little TLC to start. If you get one that needs to seasoned or re-seasoned don’t worry. I recommend bacon grease if you eat meat as it season well and adds great taste. Rub it all over the pan and bake at a lower temp until it turns dark. It should keep seasoning its self as you use it.
Never use soap on your cast iron. Never let it soak in the sink. Always dry it after you wash it out with hot water. Use a scouring pad or steal wool to clean if need be.
I highly recommend a grill skillet, a dutch oven and a couple different sized skillets.
We use our Dutch Oven for just about everything we can. I second the recommendation. Just season by cooking bacon — you get a seasoned skillet, plus, y’know, bacon.
Love this blog I’ll be back when I have more time.
Another great tip with Cast Iron. If you pick up a piece that is in really horrible shape…run it through the self clean cycle on your oven. It will totally burn off everything. Then you just reseason as if new.