It offered evenly distributed heat and the ability to transfer from stovetop to oven.
It also offered a physical reminder about cooks and cooking from a generation before.
For many migrating families moving far away from home, the cast-iron skillet had become a treasured family heirloom.
Jerrelle Guy
I only recall Granny losing patience in the kitchen with her biggest fan once.
Granny didn’t say a word.
But I’ll never forget that morning’s glare.
This kitchen incident prompted a serious conversation about the value ofcast-iron skillets.
“Well-seasoned … that means salt and pepper?”
I asked Granny after my skillet lessons began.
“Just one more part to our first skillet lesson,” Granny added that day.
“How do you clean with salt?”
Get Donna Battle Pierce’sCreole Skillet Cornbread recipe.
With the very well-seasoned skillet on my stovetop, I’m never alone in the kitchen.
Most white Southerners turn a thumbs-down for adding sugar.
Northern whites enjoy sweet cornbread.
With few exceptions, Black cooks in the North and South prefer the sweetness of the sugar stir-in.
Coarse salt or table salt for scrubbing?
I’ll recommend sea salt.
Donna Battle Pierce is a journalist and columnist.
Her nonprofitSkillet Projectbridges generations to help elders pass down family recipes.
