Oh yeah! I have a 12" skillet, a 10" deep cooker with lid (that can be used as a small skillet), and a Dutch oven. I love them.
Occasionally you'll want/need to reseason them. Not a big deal. I don't use Crisco, but you certainly can! When you season a pan, you want to bake it as hot as you can for at least an hour - this causes polymerization of the oil and the oil turns into an almost plastic or resin like substance that adheres to the skillet. Here's how I do it:
- I use flaxseed oil; it's the food safe version of linseed oil and has a really high smoking point.
- Get the pan nice and clean and dry.
- Coat the entire pan with the flaxseed oil and then use a paper towel to wipe all the oil off, leaving a very, very thin layer of oil in the pan.
- Put the pan upside-down into a preheated oven (475 degrees). I put it in upside down so that if there is any excess oil, it will drip out onto a layer of aluminum foil that I placed in the bottom of the oven. THe smoking point of flaxseed oil is higher than 475 so you can keep it in the hot oven as long as you want without filling your house with smoke.
- Let it "cook" for about 90 minutes and then turn the oven off. I keep it in the oven until it's cool enough to touch and take out with my bare hands.
I stay away from animal fats for seasoning the pan (lard, butter, bacon grease, etc.) as they have a low smoking point and can go rancid (actually, always check whatever oil you use to see if it has gone rancid before using it).
Remember, try to avoid using high acidic foods in it (like tomato sauce) and, for Cthulu's sake, don't put it through the dishwasher!
If it's taken care of, one of your grandkids can easily hand it down to one of their grandkids.
