EDITOR’S LETTER
SOME FAMILIES HAVE TREASURE TROVES OF TIME-TESTED CAST-IRON pans of all shapes and sizes, lovingly used for decades to make and serve countless batches of crunchy cornbread, fried catfish, and even tender doughnuts. With each strip of crunchy bacon or flaky biscuit, these heirlooms not only tell a story, they help preserve Southern culinary heritage. My cast iron collection is limited to a few pieces I use all the time: a 9-inch skillet, a Dutch oven, and a vintage gem pan, to name a few. While developing this issue, I got even more use out of those pieces while I bounced between the Lemon Fried Chicken (page 32), Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes (page 61), and Bourbon-Butter Cake (page 94). I hope you find more than a few enticing dishes to…