In cooking forums and groups all over the internet, everyone always has the same question over and over again: what’s the best nonstick pan for X or overall? And the answer that someone will inevitably give, multiple times over, is: Cast iron! Carbon Steel! If you season them properly, then they will always be perfectly nonstick!

The problem, though, is “seasoning” can seem very bewildering to someone who is not used to this type of cookware. “Seasoning” really means ensuring that the pan always has a nice coat of fat on it to keep it slick. This means that the more you cook with it and have some sort of oil, butter, or animal fat on it, the more “seasoned” the pan will become. I’ve mostly used my big cast iron pan for roasting chicken, but I’ve shied away from using it for everyday cooking out of fear that things will stick. Well, I finally tested its nonstick quality yesterday morning when I made a butternut squash, kale, and goat cheese frittata: I sautéed my aromatics, tossed in my pre-cooked kale and butternut squash, added in the eggs, and baked the frittata in the cast iron pan in the oven for about 10 minutes. When I popped it out to cool and loosened the edges, I was pleasantly surprised to see how easily the frittata released. And when I finally used my flat spatula and pushed it onto my cutting board to serve, I felt so much glee at the frittata easily sliding off the cast iron pan, right onto the cutting board. IT DID NOT RESIST OR STICK AT ALL.

I was so happy about this for at least the next few hours that all I could think was: my cast iron pan is well seasoned! It tolerated the frittata! WHOPPEEE!!!! It seems like such a simple thing, but I suppose that is where it’s important to find joy — in the little things in life like a well-seasoned cast iron pan that allows your frittata to release without problem!