Cooking & Baking

I'd seen lots of videos to cook with it, curing it to make it non-stick. I had an 8-inch skillet on my birthday list. My friend bought me the larger one. She paid $119 for it--brand was Made In. I have babied it and gone through all kinds of inconvenience to keep it clean and cured. It's....ok. Definitely not as easy as a non-stick coated skillet and it's a stretch to say it's non-stick, even though it's been properly cured and maintained. I wouldn't buy it again.

A couple weeks after I got it I was at an estate sale and spotted 2 Kitchen-aid stainless steel skillets with very heavy bottoms and good insulated, heat resistant handles. Built similar to my All-Clad skillets, but with a much heavier bottom. Two bucks apiece.

I took them home and started cooking. They are a dream to cook in! Someone must have taken good care of them because I didn't even have to cure them. They are beautifully non-stick and I use them everyday. I don't believe they make that particular model anymore, but there are still some Kitchen-aid stainless steel skillets to be had on Amazon.

Purchasing those skillets reinforced my preference to buy used items when they're available. This habit has saved me thousands of dollars over the years and allowed me to purchase much higher quality goods for my home than I would otherwise be able to afford.