Rust is fine, cracks are not

Cracks and warping are the only real dealbreakers.

Everything else — rust, cruddy seasoning, even a little pitting — you can fix. A cracked pan is junk. A warped pan won’t sit flat on your stove, which means uneven heat and a wobbling mess.

Bring a small ruler or just your eyeballs. Look for hairline cracks especially around the handle and the rim. Then set the pan on a flat surface (the counter, your phone laid flat) and give it a gentle spin. If it rocks, pass.

Don’t worry about the seasoning. That’s old oil. It can be stripped with oven cleaner or a lye bath and reseasoned. Don’t worry about surface rust — that wipes off with steel wool. A little pitting on the cooking surface is cosmetic unless it’s deep enough to catch food.

What you do want: a smooth interior, no wobble, and a brand you recognize (Griswold, Wagner, Lodge, Birmingham Stove & Range are common). But even a no-name pan with good bones is better than a cracked collectible.

Ignore the “patina” hype. You’re buying iron, not romance.