Cast iron skillet made a very loud cracking sound!!

[withm]

Can anybody recommend a good cast iron skillet brand? I'm in the market but because of the "made overseas" stuff, I just don't know what is decent.

Le Creuset. Hands down my favorite. I bought a set of the stuff on Ebay 12 years ago for a ridiculous price, and it's fabulous! Over the years I've bought more pieces. I use this stuff several times a week. It's occasionally on sale at Sur La Table.

And there is a lifetime warranty. I actually burned a chunk of the interior enamel (about 1" square) off one of my pots, and they replaced it for either no charge, or maybe just a shipping charge. Either way, it was a very good deal.