Hey /ck/! So, I'm moving into my own place pretty soon, and I'm really interested in doing a lot more cooking for myself (because it's a lot cheaper and healthier than just eating microwave shit and fast food all the time). I've got some basics already- some year-old pots and pans my mom's giving me, a decent knife set, etc. What I'm mainly interested in is cast iron pans. I've heard that they're tricky to maintain (more so than just "Rinse it and throw it in the dishwasher" like the regular skillets and pots I'll have), but a LOT more useful.

So, first off: Is there a specific brand that's really good I should look for, or specific brands to avoid? I've seen some Lodge-branded ones really cheap around town, but I don't know if 14 dollars for a cast iron skillet means it's trash.

Second: how big of a skillet should I get? Is it better to have one huge one and one smaller one, or is there a "one size fits most" size that'll pull a lot of duty?

Third: What's the best way to take care of it? I hear a lot of conflicting stuff, but I understand the basics are "Season it at least once really well before you use it, never let it soak, and re-season it and dry it after every use".