Thick-bottomed cast-iron pans evolved for use in charcoal embers and on wood stoves, when maximizing limited heat was the priority. For all these reasons, even cooks without a tradition of cooking in cast iron now want to start one. The nonstick surface of a cast-iron pan is achieved with natural ingredients like flaxseed oil, lard and time, not with synthetic coatings like Teflon or Thermolon. Mr. Whitehead said a customer had recently come in to buy a Finex skillet after his first son was born. In Appalachia, cast iron survived when many modern cooks switched to lighter pans, which heat up quickly on gas and electric stoves, Ms. Lundy said.

Source: New York Times June 28, 2016 19:30 UTC