Instructions

1. Look at the color. New cast iron skillets are gunmetal gray, but each time they are used, they become darker and darker, eventually appearing black. Also, the inside of the skillet will have a grainy appearance, since it is not coated with Teflon like other skillets.

2. Pick up the skillet. Cast iron cookware are extremely heavy and durable. Depending on the size of the cast iron skillet, they can weight from 3 to 10 lbs.

3. Examine the appearance of the cast iron skillet. Nowadays, many skillets look high-tech, modern or light and shiny. Cast iron skillets are heavy so that they can distribute heat evenly to cook food. This makes them look very old-fashioned, like they should be in an episode of House On the Prairie.

4. Look for any flaky materials on the skillet. When cast iron isn't bonded correctly, the alloy, silicon and iron all start to flake because they aren't cohesive. These large metal flakes are a sign that a skillet is cast iron. The same problem with cracks is prevalent in cast iron.