American-Made
All in a Day's Work(wear)

All in a Day’s Work(wear)

“Clothes make the man” –Mark Twain, American writer If Mark Twain was correct, then the high school version of me—donned in a mandatory cheap polyester apron, polo shirt and shapeless pants—knew my place. And it wasn’t at the top of the fashion food chain. I was working for a major bagel store (back when bagels...
A Culinary Legacy: Cast Iron’s Revival

A Culinary Legacy: Cast Iron’s Revival

There are some foods—scallops, a steak, pork chops—that cry out for a solid, gorgeous, homogeneous sear on the outside. Sure, you can get browning from a regular sauté pan. But let me speak plainly: Nothing cooks like cast iron. Cast iron, you say? That heavy, slightly dirty-looking skillet your grandmother used? The skillets the pioneers...
Domestic Manufacturing Makes a Comeback

Domestic Manufacturing Makes a Comeback

In a testament to good old-fashioned ingenuity, record numbers of American are engaging in entrepreneurship these days. A lot of folks tired of waiting around for an economic upturn have decided to create their own jobs. It’s called “necessity entrepreneurship,” and according to a study by the University of Missouri published last year, the percentage...
Cast Iron: Follow-up

Cast Iron: Follow-up

As a follow-up to our last post on cast iron, today we are highlighting the true legends of the cast iron industry, and providing some tips on how to identify them. The two main gold standards of antique cast iron cookware are Wagner and Griswold. The Griswold company, originally Selden & Griswold, was the first...