Salt and oil for 3 minutes is more than I spend cleaning a stainless steel pan under worst case. Obviously 3 minutes isn't a big deal, but let's not pretend it is easier to care for cast iron when you're using salt and oil after every use.
I have! I've also eaten a steak cooked in a very host stainless steel skillet with all the oiled metal searing the steak. I don't need the pan to give flavor to my food, that is what prep is for.
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Then you can make a pan sauce by deglazing by adding wine and shallots to the fund, reducing, then a pat of butter to emulsify. Risky move on cast iron, since scraping fond with something acidic like wine might mess up your pan's seasoning.