Ive used this pan for over a decade. I think closer to 20 years.

Despite it looking discoloured on the handle it’s just an illusion. It’s all solid black.

Sometimes the ‘Chipping’ is actually a build up of seasoning that gets removed by aggressive scraping.

I’ll strip and preseason my pan maybe once a year with soap and steel wool.

But mostly, unless you’re not cooking semi daily on it. Cast rarely needs to be cleaned if you preheat the pan properly.

As it cools after cooking, dump your extra tallow or oils in a jar and wipe down with a paper towel. This essentially re-seasons a pan after each cook.