To me, someone who celebrates a bit more of the spectrum than most: Metal hot. Make food hot.
Non-stick means easier cleanup, but my wife seems to think cast-iron is necessary for certain things (searing a prime rib roast, for example.).
After I figure those out, then I gotta figure out gas vs. electric vs. induction vs infrared…
A good quality stainless set is far superior imho, you can actually keep it clean and dont have to mess around with seasoning it. Also, if you drop it, it won’t break your foot and/or flooring. Cast iron is a fad that frankly is already dying out.
I’m literally going to be bequeathing my cast iron pans to my children in my will.
I don’t know what you consider good quality stainless but my 5 layer stainless pans are almost as heavy as my cast iron
I’m using a revereware pan that’s been with my family for 35 years, lightweight and works very well for my uses. Sure, a heavier one would hold more heat but I’ve never found myself wanting a different pan. I also have a larger, newer one, a cuisinart pan that is a heavier due to size but nothing compared to cast iron.
I guess after a few hundred years it’s time to move on from cast iron
Speak for yourself: I don’t intend to keep mine nearly as long. “Buy it for life” is not usually multiple centuries
“some say this house is haunted. I’ve lived here 450 years and have never seen a ghost.”
My big question with older cast iron is had they been used to melt lead down to make bullets? I know it’s at least an occasional concern - another reason along with the cleaning issues and having them always smoke up kitchens to happily avoid them. I would refuse one as a gift, even.
More likely to make fishing weights I would think. That concern is why I don’t have any old cast iron.