27 Cast Iron Kitchen Tools You Should Be Keeping An Eye Out For At The Thrift Store

When we head to the thrift store, sometimes we're going on a treasure hunt, and other times we have specific items in mind that we're looking for. Whatever the purpose for your trip to your local resale shop, if you tend to pass over the kitchenware section, you might want to do an about-face and head towards those shelves of abandoned mugs, mismatched dining sets, and bent cutlery. Push those scratched non-stick pans out of the way and see if lying beneath you might find a cast iron skillet. Check the bakeware for heavy duty muffin tins. And look through the utensils section for other items made out of long-lasting cast iron, such as wall-mounted bottle openers.

Cast iron is a material that stands up to the passage of time since even rusty items can be fully restored, and more and more cooks are bringing it back into their kitchens in the forms of griddles and Dutch ovens. Rather than buying popular cast iron skillet sets from shops like Aldi, you might to see if you can score one of these bad boys during a thrifting expedition. And there are other kitchen tools that might be lurking on the shelves of your local resale shop made of the same heavy duty material. Keep your eye out for fun, specialized cookware. Dutch ovens and skillets are known for being multi-use workhorses, but there are some fascinating specialty pans you might find second-hand as well.

If you find a round skillet with circular cups during a thrifting adventure, you might have an aebleskiver pan on your hands. This is a type of cookware used to make fried treats that are a Danish culinary tradition. But don't mix them up with a similar Dutch skillet you'll learn about later in the article called a Poffertjes pan. If your second-hand purchase is looking like it's seen better days, you'll want to learn about options for cleaning it, such as lye, the product that can easily restore cast iron cookware to its former glory.

When sifting through the bins at the thrift store, you might find some smaller cast iron kitchen tools that will puzzle you, such as a wall-mountable bottle opener. These small items are designed to pop bottle caps off of glass bottles. If your passion for this heirloom cookware material goes beyond food prep and spills over into your décor choices, this might be just the thing to affix to your wall.

A bundt pan is a type of ridged, ring mold used to make a large cake. If you spot a cast iron model for purchase second-hand at a good price, you might want to snatch it up. Once the pan is seasoned, it will be stick resistant, allowing your beautiful cake to slide right out without damaging its beautiful shape. Plus the thick metal will allow for even heating, helping you create a perfect baked good.

For thrifters hoping to make a profit from their scores, collectable trademarks are important to look for among this type of cookware. Trademarks such as Griswold and Wagner are considered valuable finds, particularly when the item dates from before 1957. When searching the shelves of your resale store, a wobbly cast iron pan might be worth putting back, but even with an uneven bottom, certain sought-after trademarks can still resell for a decent profit. And reselling isn't everyone's goal – skillets from well-respected brands are still cherished for their high quality in the kitchen.

It's exciting finding specialized, heirloom kitchen tools from resale shops, but some of us prefer multi-use cookware. For those cooks, a combo cooker is the type of thrift item to scout out. A combo cooker will have a large pot combined with a skillet that does double duty as a lid for the pot. Some skillet lids have a long handle while others have short, dual assist handles. To keep your new combo cooker in good shape, make sure you know all the common mistakes to avoid when learning how to care for your cast iron, such as never putting it in the dishwasher.

Did you find a round cast iron skillet with a handle and wedge-shaped partitions while you were thrifting? This is a skillet that you can use on the stovetop or in the oven to make delicious scones, mini pizza slices, or whatever your imagination comes up with. Of course it also makes lovely cornbread, with each wedge having crispy edges to enjoy.

Wedge skillets aren't the only cookware especially made for whipping up corn-based baked goods. There's another piece of cast iron bakeware that will be hard to miss if it's on the shelf of your local resale shop — a cornstick pan designed to make serving-sized loaves of cornbreads that look like small ears of corn, and are the perfect size to dip into a bowl of soup or chili. Plus the pan can serve as part of your kitchen décor.

Not everyone cares for their cast iron kitchen tools properly, which leads to some of them being dropped off at resale shops with damaged seasonings or rust. That's why you might be able to get a great deal on a Dutch oven, that large, lidded pot that can be used to cook stews, braises, or delicious loaves of sourdough breads. Just be ready to restore if its previous life left it worser for the wear.

When looking through the racks of second-hand kitchen goods, don't just look for the telltale black cookwares. Some cast iron is coated in colorful enamel. If you cook a lot of tomato-based soups or stew, enameled coatings are better than uncoated types because the enamel doesn't react with acidic cooking ingredients. See if you can score well-respected brands of enameled cookware like Le Creuset or Straub.

Those fond of digging into historical cooking practices and recipes that have fallen out of fashion today might want to check their thrift stores for cast iron gem pans. These pieces of bakeware, also known as gem irons, were used to make small breads or cakes called gems. There are numerous different styles of gem pans, with cups that are rectangular, oval, swirled, rounded – all of which are shallower than muffin tins.

If you're hoping to make pancakes, fried eggs, or flat breads, a cast iron griddle is the perfect piece of cookware thanks to a shallow lip that makes it easy to slide your spatula under the food. Check the bottom shelves of the thrift store for both round and rectangular griddles – they might be hiding under a stack of scratched non-stick pans. Some rectangular models are reversible, with a grill surface on one side and a smooth griddle on the other.

The names are similar, which can lead to confusion, but a griddle has a flat surface, while a grill pan features raised grates. If you're lucky, you might find both at the thrift store –- or one piece that has both features. Owning a grill pan lets you enjoy beautifully charred meats or vegetables all year long on your stovetop, even when your backyard barbecue is covered with snow. And if you're curious about new ways to clean up after mealtime, you might want to try this unexpected potato hack on your dirty cast iron pan.

One of the more unusual items you might find made from this long-lasting material is a gem pan with heart-shaped molds. These make longer-lasting and safer alternatives to similar bakeware made out of non-stick metal. While thrifting, if you're lucky enough to come across a cast iron heart gem pan, or a skillet in the shape of a large heart, you might want to use it to make Valentine's day sweet treats like skillet cookies or mini cakes.

In addition to pots, pans, and bakeware, you might also find cast iron kitchen utensils such as mortars and pestles second-hand. For those trying to do more by hand and less with electric appliances, these tools provide a way to grind spices, nuts, and seeds, and as an added bonus, they don't heat the ingredients the way blenders do. There are many antique mortar and pestles made from this heavy duty material in the resale market, as well as more recently produced sets.

When thrifting, you'll no doubt see a few tarnished or scratched non-stick muffin tins that you'll want to pass up — but don't let one made of cast iron pass you by. These tend to have straight walls rather than sloped, and are also used to make popovers, egg-based pastries. There's another reason that these heavier duty tins are superior to the commonly found nonstick type – cast iron muffin pans tend to have helpful handles on the ends or cut outs to make grabbing easier, so no more accidentally dipping your oven mitt into the batter.

When you find yourself puzzling over a kitchen tool with a toothed wheel on the end, it could just be an old pie crimper. These utensils are used to create a decorative edge on a pie crust while cutting off the excess dough, as well as sealing the edges of a top and bottom crust together. If you happen to find a cast iron pie crimper second-hand, it may be a vintage or antique find, since newer models are typically made of stainless steel.

Although you might have difficulties using an antique model on a stovetop due to their super long handles, you'll get a very pleasant surprise if you stumble upon a pizzelle iron during a thrifting expedition. Pizzelle irons are used to make thin waffle-like Italian cookies, and many of them have stunning designs hidden inside them, ready to press onto a heated batter. They look similar to cast iron waffle makers, but make a thinner confection.

If you're the type of home cook that likes to make pizza from scratch, you'll want to keep your eye out for cast iron pizza pans during your jaunts to the thrift shop. Along with making delicious pizzas with perfectly crispy crusts, you can use this piece of cookware like a baking sheet to bake cookies or biscuits. You can even use it on your stove top as a griddle.

While searching through second-hand treasures, perhaps you found a cast iron skillet with numerous small, rounded cups. And while it's similar to an aebleskiver pan, mentioned above, it's not quite the same. Compared to those pans for making aebleskivers, poffertjes pans have smaller and more numerous cups, and are traditionally used in Dutch cuisine to make small, pancakes. This type of cookware can be used to make other culinary creations as well, such as rounded potato pancakes, brownie bites, or savory Indian paddu.

Most cooks are familiar with cast iron skillets, but saucepans made out of the same material aren't as common in kitchens. While these can be employed on stovetops, they can also be used in the oven for making small casseroles or baking bread. The long handles on saucepans make them ideal for retrieving them from hot ovens, so keep this in mind if you spot one at a thrift shop and aren't sure what you'd do with it.

What's the perfect utensil to go with your favorite Lodge, Griswold, or Wagner skillet? A cast iron spatula of course, so check the shelves of your thrift shop in case one of these is lurking there. These heavy-duty kitchen tools are often repurposed from damaged pans and can be used to flip or stir food, or used as a press to smash burgers. A bit heavier than your average spatula, you might not use it daily, but it certainly makes a statement. 

Cast iron spice grinders tends to be small, and consist of two bowls — an outer one and an inner one with an abrasive bottom — and a cork or wooden lid. You grind spices or dried peppers by nesting the inner bowl into the outer one and crushing the spices, which can then be stored in the inner compartment under the lid. If you find one of these spice grinders at a thrift shop, you might want to add it to your cart, because sold new they are pricey. 

If you find a cast iron tea kettle or teapot in a resale shop, it will likely be either a rustic antique or a highly decorative Japanese tetsubin. Once cleaned up, both types can be used to heat water on electric stoves — but you should only use a tetsubin as a kettle if it doesn't have enamel coatings on the inside. Otherwise, reserve it for use as a teapot.

Did you find a kitchen tool made of two plates connected by a hinge, with a handle to press them together? If so, you're looking at a tortilla press. The weight of the metal helps flatten the dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Cast iron tortilla presses are still being manufactured today, so if you find one at a thrift shop, it isn't necessarily vintage or antique. If you decide to bring one home, put pieces of wax paper on either side of the ball of dough to prevent it from sticking to the press.

Among the shelves of home décor at your local resale shop, you might spot some ornate items made out of this distinctive material. Cast iron trivets are attractive kitchen tools that often feature scroll work – and if you don't plan to use one for its original purpose, you might want to hang it on the wall for decoration. Or consider reselling it if you can get a good deal on the trivet and it has the name of a valuable manufacturer such as Griswold.

Most waffle makers have non-stick coatings which more and more home cooks are trying to avoid in their kitchens. A cast iron waffle iron makes a great alternative, so if you see one available second-hand you might want to grab it. Be aware though that not all types work well on electric stoves. However, some come with special bases that allow them to make excellent waffles on both electric coil and glass top ranges. In addition to the square or round types, you might be able to find one that makes heart-shaped waffles.

If you can't do without your wok, then you probably already have one that you've used to make countless stir fries. But a thrifting trip might give you the opportunity to upgrade to an heirloom cast iron wok that someone else has abandoned. Give it a thought, since it will last longer than a non-stick model. Just make sure the wok type matches your stove set up — only flat bottomed woks will work on electric stoves. And know that if there's rust on your cookware when you bring it home, you can use vinegar to remove it.