My grandmother would cover her skillet with dish towel. Yep, she sure did. it kept the splatters and grease out of the air. She didn't have a vent hood. She made sure the cloth wasn't hanging down close to the burner. She used wooden clothespins to hold the cloth taut so it wouldn't sag. The cloth never got hot or even singed but did get greasy. She used the large cast iron skillets for her frying and for most of her baking. I never saw a cookie sheet, muffin, or round cake/pie pans in her house. She did have a large square angel food cake pan. That thing was magic to me with its big square hole in the pan and a tunnel that went in it. LOL I have it now and use it.