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{Today, please welcome Amy Thedinga to Delicious Obsessions! She will be one of our regular contributors and she’s kicking off March with 5 reasons to start cooking with cast iron. Cast iron is a favorite in my kitchen and I’m excited to have Amy share her knowledge with you! ~Jessica}
One of the best things you can do for your health is to stop eating out and start cooking at home. However, the prospect of cooking meals from scratch intimidates many people.
As with any task, having the right tools boosts confidence and greatly increases your chances of success in the kitchen. The good news is you don’t have to spend a bunch of money or have a ton of fancy gadgets.
If asked what is the number one tool a kitchen shouldn’t be without, I would answer “cast iron” for these five reasons.
If you are looking for cast iron, check your local thrift stores, garage sales, etc. Cast iron is very durable and is often passed down from generation to generation. If you would prefer to buy some new, then most big box stores will carry some, or you can look on Amazon for a wider selection.
Reason 1: Cast Iron is Non-Stick
There’s nothing worse than having your meal-time creation burn and stick to the pan. If cast iron is seasoned properly, food doesn’t stick to it.
Don’t be scared off by the seasoning process. It couldn’t be simpler. Just rub a thin layer of coconut oil, avocado, or other healthy, heat stable, neutral oil on the pan and bake at 350 for 90 minutes. That’s it. This process will yield a beautiful non-stick finish.
The cleaning process is easy too. Simply rinse the pan out, scrub the stuck on bits with a non-metal mesh sponge or course sea salt if necessary, dry and add another thin layer of oil before storing. If you damage your finish with tools or by scrubbing, simply repeat the seasoning process.
Reason 2: Cast Iron is Non-Toxic
True, there are plenty of pots and pans out there with non-stick finish. But, the chemical treatments that make them non-stick are also toxic. Pans treated with non-stick coatings (most often Teflon) emit toxic fumes when heated to high temperatures and may also leach harmful chemicals into food.
In addition, the material most cookware is made of is aluminum. Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders. Anodized aluminum is not a good solution either since it has been chemically treated to make the metal harder and prevent reaction with acidic substances.
Cast iron is made of, well, iron. While aluminum is toxic to the human body, iron is something the body needs. Cooking with cast iron may leach trace amounts of iron into the food for consumption. It is rare that using cast iron will give you too much iron though.
Reason 3: Cast Iron is Versatile
Because of space constraints, I’m always looking for ways to do more with less in the kitchen. I have two cast iron skillets which I use for about 90% of my cooking. They can get hot enough to sear or “grill” meat indoors on the stove. I also use them for everything from pancakes, to deep frying chicken nuggets, to quick vegetable sautés, and everything in between. Cast iron can also go right from the stove top to oven, so it’s perfect for dishes that need to be finished off under the broiler. But that’s not all! Cast iron makes a lovely baking pan for quiches or quick breads as well. We also take our cast iron skillets camping and cook with them under over the campfire.
Reason 4: Cast Iron is Inexpensive
A brand new cast iron skillet is not expensive, but you can save even more by checking your local thrift stores or garage sales. I got both of mine at garage sales for a dollar each if memory serves. And they will last 100+ years because cast iron pans are virtually indestructible. The worst that can happen to them is that you damage the finish. In that case, simply re-season your cast iron pan and it will be good as new. If you expose them to water and don’t dry them off, they will rust. But, even the rust can be cleaned off and the pan re-seasoned. With a little bit of effort, cast iron may be the only pan you buy in an entire lifetime.
Reason 5: Cast Iron Provides Even Cooking
There’s nothing worse than having a “hot spot” in a pan where parts of your food get burned, while the remainder of the dish remains uncooked. Cast iron is a great heat conductor so it makes for even temperatures throughout the entire cooking surface. Plus, cast iron can get really hot which makes it perfect for tortillas, indoor grilling, or anything you need high heat for.
So what are you waiting for? Grab one of Jessica’s delicious recipes and get cooking with cast iron today!
About Amy
Amy Thedinga is on a mission to help busy people discover the healing power of whole foods and a non-toxic lifestyle. After a series of catastrophic health events served as her wake up call, Amy was desperate to learn what it took to be healthy, vibrant, happy, and well. Through study, research, and lots of trial and error, Amy was able to heal her body and now teaches others to do the same. She blogs about her journey on her site, and you can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
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How do you get off rust? My mom had a big cast iron skillet she used and it got so rusty and she didn’t know what to do, so gave it away. Are the ones that pre-seasoned a good one to buy?
Hi Nancy – If the pan is really rusted, you may need to do a pretty tough scrub on it. I had one pan that was pretty rusted and I had to use steel wool and some soap to get the rust off. I then had to go through the seasoning process a few times to get the coating built back up, but after a little time, the pan was just fine. The new cast iron pans will all come pre-seasoned and they are perfectly fine. You could also try looking at thrift stores and garage sales.
Thank you for this! I have been thinking about getting one of these pans. Our stainless steel pans get so burnt but I hate using nonstick due to the chemicals. And I love the idea of being able to stick it in the oven! I thought I once heard you could get too much iron ingestion from these? I would love to hear any reassurance on that!
Hi Jan – I love cast iron! I use my pans regularly in my home. Some people say you can get too much iron and other say you can’t. I personally don’t think you can, but that said, we are all different. If you are concerned about it, I’d recommend just keeping an eye on your iron levels whenever you get your annual blood work done. Also, it’s important to remember that when it comes to high iron levels, there are many other things that it could be other than your frying pans. 🙂
WHAT ABOUT USING THEM ON THE GLASS TOP STOVES? IS IT SAFE? DO THEY GET TOO HOT?
Hi Pam – I have used them on glass top stoves for many years (as have many people I know) and have never had any issues.
thanks for the info. Have several and have wondered if it was safe.
You’re welcome!
Great article, but just wanted to mention — “checking your local thrift stores or garage sales” — I just read something recently where they warned against buying used cast iron cookware for cooking, because many old cast iron skillets and pots get used in people’s garages and yards to store things like pesticides, fertilizers, used motor oil, etc., and all that toxic stuff apparently soaks into the allegedly porous iron and then leaches out when you cook in it. Not sure how much truth there is to that, but it does seem like it is definitely a good idea to only use cookware if you are sure of what it has been previously used for.
Very interesting Jana! I would have never thought of that. Those are some good points. I guess it’s important to think about. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
To dry cast iron, do you just dry it off with a towel? We were told to dry by putting it back on a hot stove top.
Kelli – Either way would be fine. I typically stick mine on the burner to dry it off, or if the oven is still hot, I toss it back in there. You just want to make sure it’s dried after being washed.
Cast Iron also helps conserve energy… I don’t cook with as high of temps with my cast iron as with my stainless steel AND I turn OFF the heat before I am done cooking as the cast iron holds the needed heat.. therefore saving energy.. How cool is that!!!
Awesome, Dina! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I am unsure about how to store cast iron In my cabinet , it seems oily to me and I hate putting it in The drawer , How do u store ?
Hi Becky – I have a huge stainless steel shelving unit in my kitchen, so I have hooks hanging on the ends for all my frying pans. I used to store them in the oven before I got this new shelving unit.