Sometimes an old pan is the best new pan

My newest purchase for the kitchen is a heavy-duty cast-iron skillet. It's made of tough stock, just like my hardy German ancestors.

I spotted the old-style pan as I browsed through the household items at a consignment store in Sarasota.

Weighing 6.5 pounds, it's so heavy it hurt my wrist to lift it with one hand. The pan's rich patina proved its long use and extensive seasoning. It reminded me of the one my mother used to own, and for $8 I had to have it. That's a bargain under any circumstances.

With its deep sides, the skillet is suitable for frying, sauteing, baking or transferring food from stove top to oven. Its black surface draws heat and browns food beautifully and allows speedy cooking on its large surface. I always wondered what I might be missing by not having this high-performing cookware. Now I know.

I used the pan recently to make my friend Lynn Stephen's German recipe for rouladen. While living in Heilbronn, Germany, Lynn developed a strong fondness for German food. I thought the thinly rolled meat with pickle, bacon and onion at its center would brown nicely and seemed perfectly suited for my new iron skillet.

First, I gave the pan a good cleaning with a scouring pad and mild soap. There weren't any signs of rust, so using steel wool wasn't necessary.

Then I seasoned it. While the oven preheated to 350 degrees, I warmed the pan gently over low heat on top of the stove. Then using a paper towel, I spread a tablespoon or so of corn oil in the pan. Once heated, I put the pan in the oven for about an hour, letting it cool off before I removed it.

Ready for action, I set the pan on the burner. A shudder ran through me. I could almost go back to my mother's kitchen, looking at the black surface, I thought about skillet-cooked beef liver, redolent with caramelized onions. That's all I can remember her making in her old Griswold pan.

Yuck. Decades later, I still can't eat the stuff. My sister is now keeper of Mom's skillet, and she told me liver and onions haven't danced in her pan since, either.

My new American-made Wagner's 1891 original pan, opens the door to a world of other possibilities: pineapple upside down cake, cornbread, hash browns, juicy steaks or robust chicken breasts with garlic, herbs and vinegar.

Lynn's recipe for rouladen, which was given to her by a German friend almost 20 years ago, came out handsomely in its creamy, lightly flavored sauce. She suggested serving it with spaetzle or mashed potatoes.

RINDERROULADEN

2 1/2 pounds round or sirloin steak, thinly sliced as for veal scallopini (about 1/4-inch thick)

6 slices bacon

1 large onion, minced

3 dill pickles, cut into halves

1 10 1/2-ounce can beef broth

3/4 cup whipping cream

Take each meat slice and coat with stone-ground mustard, sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spread about 2 tablespoons of minced onion evenly on each slice.

Take one strip of bacon - partially cooked, if desired - and place it in the center of the meat slice. Place a slice of dill pickle and begin rolling up the meat with the pickle in the middle. Secure with toothpicks. Dredge in flour.

In a skillet, add a little oil and heat until hot. Brown each roll on all sides. Turn stove to simmer, add can of beef broth, and then cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

Remove beef rolls to a plate. Add whipping cream to the sauce in the pan, season with salt and pepper and reduce, until slightly thickened.

Pour sauce over beef rolls. Serve with spaetzle or mashed potatoes.