For a paltry sum, you can buy Lodge’s indestructible cast-iron skillet, which will turn out perfectly seared steaks, crispy potatoes and browned pancakes for decades.

When he was a little boy growing up in Sewanee, Tennessee, Kris Stubblefield would sit on a stool and stir pots full of simmering food for his mom. By the time he was in middle school, he had a ritual ...