Over the past 50-plus years I have done a lot of cooking.

An only child growing up and living at home, I never took much interest in it.

So, when I got married, I had a lot to learn.

My husband is Italian so the first thing I learned was how to boil water to cook pasta.

I purchased a red and white plaid covered Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. All 500 pages of cooking ideas from soup to nuts. Even now it has its place among my collection of cookbooks.

Today on the market there are a variety of different appliances to purchase for all your frying and cooking needs. Electric frying pan, deep fat fryers, sous vide machine (cooks in water bath), Instant Pot, slow cookers and air fryers just to name a few to make our cooking faster and easier.

My “go to” has and still is my old standby Griswald, a black, cast iron skillet. A cast iron skillet is one of the most versatile pans you can get. It heats and cooks evenly. One of the best things about cast iron is the ability to get better with time.

This one has been passed down to me from my mom. The set of three skillets - small number 4, medium number 8 and large number 12 - were a wedding present to my parents in 1946.

One summer on our yearly vacation to South Dakota my mom decided she was going to be doing a lot less cooking and needed to downsize her kitchen. So, I inherited the frying pans. They were all pre-seasoned perfectly over the years.

When we were on the farm my mom did her cooking and baking on a wood fueled stove in the kitchen. During summertime I would wake with the smell of bread and rolls because she would always bake before the kitchen got too hot from the sun.

Thinking back I can remember her frying the best fried chicken in that Griswold that hangs in my pantry today. The aroma of fresh country air mingled with those delicious cooking smells will stay with me always. I remember the sizzling sound of the floured chicken pieces as she would put them in the pan. It makes my mouth water just thinking of how good it tasted. I will admit, no matter how hard I have tried over the years to make fried chicken in these skillets it never tasted as good as hers did.

She made pancakes, bacon, fried potatoes, and eggs in those frying pans and never once used a griddle. My mom didn’t have shelves of different appliances. She didn’t need them; she had her three “black beauty” skillets as they are referred to sometimes.

In later years on the farm, the wood burning cooking stove was replaced with a new General Electric one with an oven and the cast iron cookware continued to work perfectly.

Today I cook with them on a smooth top range. As you know cast iron is heavy and is one of the drawbacks of using one. So, I take special care not to drop one on my smooth top as that could lead to a very expensive “oops.” Also, the handles on these can get very hot so keep in mind you will need potholders or special insulated handle covers.

Also, I stay away from using cast iron when cooking any tomato sauces or citrus marinated meats. Neither is good for cast iron or for health reasons as it could increase the iron content of the food.

Take care to never let the skillet soak in water and the dishwasher is a no-no. Use a nylon scraper and running water to clean them and to be sure to always dry it.

Cast iron skillets can last a lifetime if cared for properly. Between my mom and I, these will be lasting through almost two lifetimes already.

I like to think that my cast iron skillets are like me and fine wine, just keep on getting better with time.