I’m moderately fussy about my kitchen things. At least as fussy as my modest budget allows. Which is why I’d like to sing the praises of one of my kitchen’s most frugal and most useful items: my cast-iron skillet.

How useful is it? There’s no better way to make a steak or a burger in your kitchen. It’s probably the best piece of cookware for a pork tenderloin roast, too. And for blackening chicken. And baking cornbread. Beer-boiled bratwursts can be lovely–even indoors–when browned thoroughly on the cast-iron. It’s the best for heating tortillas. And if there’s a better way to make a grilled cheese sandwich, I don’t know it.

In fact, it’s so useful for so many things that my 12″ cast-iron skillet almost never leaves my cooktop. It’s a kitchen essential. Like a non-stick skillet, a good 7″ chef’s knife or a Dutch oven. I wouldn’t think of not having one.

And it can be bought new for around $20.

It can sometimes be a chore to care for, though. You don’t want to simmer acidic dishes in it, like those containing tomato sauces. And you never want to use any kind of dish detergent to clean it. Sometimes I scrub mine out with hot water. Lately I’ve been heating it on the burner and then scrubbing it out with a few tablespoons of kosher salt and some paper towel. If there’s anything really tough that doesn’t come up, I toss a half cup of water into it and let it deglaze the stuck bits right off. Obviously you never want to leave it wet. A minute or two on the burner will dry it through evaporation.

In spite of all the special care, I think it’s eminently worth it. Nothing heats as evenly, holds up to the highest oven temperatures, or browns food quite as well as good ol’ cast-iron.

It’s taken me over three months, but my cookware adventures are winding down. Really. But I just thought I would document my little collection for the three people in the universe who might care. I started out with the premise that I was going to get rid of every piece of cookware that I didn’t like and replace them all with ones I did. I also resolved not to go broke doing it.

Cuisinart Chef’s Classic stainless. I chose this line because it’s great cookware at half the price of the Calphalon or All-clad brands. They have aluminum sandwiched inside the base for even heating, but not up the sides of the pans, which apparently makes it cost twice as much. But they’re gorgeous, solid, and can go directly into the oven at up to 550.

• 10″ open skillet. For sauteing vegetables or a main dish for one.
• 12″ everyday pan with dome cover. For making one-skillet meals for a few people.
• 2 qt saucepan with cover. For heating up a can of soup or refried beans.
• 5.5 qt multi-purpose pot with glass cover. For making soup, chili or a big load of pasta.

Lodge Logic pre-seasoned cast iron. A no-brainer, really. Everyone should have some cast iron in their kitchen. They’re very useful and very cheap and very long-lasting.

• 12″ skillet. For steaks
• 5 qt dutch oven For stews and braised meat dishes as well as baking bread.

Nonstick. The stir-fry pan is pre-existing and the only cookware I’m actually keeping and not replacing. It’s lonely, though, and needs at least one more piece. I’m sticking with the Cuisinart line just for consistency.

• 12″ stir-fry pan with glass cover. Sometimes I don’t want to go out but I don’t feel like really cooking, either. For those occasions I’ve become partial to those frozen one-pan entrees one finds in the grocery store. This pan is absolutely perfect for them.
• 10″ open skillet. For frying eggs mostly. (I have not actually bought this piece yet.)

I was thinking about picking up a good baking sheet and maybe a small set of Pyrex bakeware. You know, a lasagna pan, a loaf pan and a pie pan? That stuff is really cheap, too. Other than odds and ends like prep bowls, measuring cups and utensils, I think that about covers it for kitchen stuff. Except food. And the kitchen sink.