We pretty much answered our own question there! Yes, cast iron pans, skillets, and dutch ovens are super strong and sturdy. There's not a lot you can do to truly damage one permanently, as evidenced by the fact that many of us are using skillets inherited from grandparents. But the reasons don't stop there!
• Strong and Sturdy - Cast iron cookware will definitely last a lifetime and then some. Just try and put a dent in one of these things! Seasoned cast iron is impervious to rust and will actually improve during years of use. Even if you let your cast iron get a little rusty, all you have to do is scour off the rust, re-season the pan, and you're off and running.
• Even Cooking - Cast iron is an incredibly dense metal that heats very slowly as compared to metals like copper and aluminum. But once heated, cast iron will hold that heat for a long time. The metal also gives a steady heat that helps foods brown beautifully and cook evenly.
• Nonstick Cooking without Nonstick Coating - The seasoning on a cast iron skillet does more than protect it from corroding, it also gives the surface a naturally nonstick coating. We can cook pancakes, omelets, skillet breads, and a host of other delicate foods without fear that they will stick. A newly seasoned cast iron skillet might still have some sticky spots, but the surface will become more nonstick as the pan is used over time.
• Stove Top to Oven - We also love the versatility of cast iron cookware. We can use it over the highest flame on the stove top, keep it at a medium heat in the oven, or stick it in the coals of a campfire. This kind of flexibility is ideal for recipes that start on a burner and then finish in the oven, like seared steaks or frittatas.
• Multi-Tasking Tool - Cast iron can wear a lot of hats in the kitchen. We've used our big skillet to replace a roasting pan, to make pizza on the stove top, and as a burner plate when simmering something on very low heat. We even once used it to improvise a cooling rack for bread! If you have limited storage space in your kitchen, investing in just a few pieces of cast iron can help cut down on the clutter.
• Inexpensive - With prices on just about everything creeping steadily upwards, it's nice to find an honest-to-goodness real deal out there. You can find a large skillet for around $30, and other products ranging above and below depending on what they are. Check out Lodge Cast Iron Cookware for some good products.
Ok, those are all the reasons we can think of why we love cast iron. What about you?
Related: Home Hacks: How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet
(Image: Flickr member thedabble licensed under Creative Commons)
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The Griswold cast iron pans we have are the non-stickiest pans I've ever used, it's amazing how smooth that surface is, I've never had a problem with anything sticking, and they clean up easy too. I can't imagine ever using a teflon coated pan again.
I agree with Tristanc, the newer lodge skillets have a sand-paper like texture, which makes them almost impossible to season to the point of being non-stick. After struggling with them for years, I spent some time finding griswold and wagner pans at thrift shops, and the difference is amazing. You can find them on ebay, they are well worth the splurge.
hmmm maybe that's why my iron was almost too high to donate blood once. I'll have to keep that in mind.
How would using a cast iron skillet alter cooking times?
If they heat up slowly do you need to get them going for a long time the way you heat up an oven before cooking?
My cast-iron skillet is a prize possession. I use mine for everything-- baking, roasting, frying, etc. I even take it camping (not backpacking, although even the thought of lugging it on my back was only just strong enough to make me leave it behind).
The cheapies take longer to season, but they will get there eventually. It just takes a while. Also, don't look to your skillet as a good source of iron. It isn't a form that is well-absorbed. I cooked almost exclusively in my skillet for five years (it was one of two pots I owned) and still became anemic from time to time.
Cool-that's my picture! You can find me at thedabble.com...which isn't mentioned.
Durability, timelessness, history....
My cast iron carries me back to another time, grandmother's wood stove, that island of comfort on a cold morning.
Holding the past in my hand, if only for a few moments, is worth the additional careful maintenance overhead compared to the more contemporary, dishwasher-safe, chlorofluorocarbon-coated, TV chef-endorsed flashy stuff.
Yea, I'm a little romantic about it.
ps my favorite is Martin Stove and Range Co. of Florence Alabama - their cast iron skillets and dutch ovens are often available on ebay and flea markets.
I heard that cast iron could help anemia. I need to try that.....
As for that picture NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM
Does anyone have use cast iron on a flat top ceramic range? This is what I have and the manual doesn't recommend it unless it's enameled cast iron. I am more interested i the benefits of non-enameled cast iron. I was hoping it was possible to get a pan that is enameled on the bottom but raw on the top, unfortunately this doesn't seem to be possible. Anyone have any personal experience using seasoned cast iron despite the recommendation not to?
Ceramic flat top vs. uncoated cast iron - Marta jest uparta.
I do it all the time and have not had any problems. I don't slide the skillet around or bang it into the ceramic.
where can i find the recipe for the dish photographed?
It's tomato and feta strata: http://thedabble.com/blog/?p=1157
The only drawback of cast iron - when it is hot if you touch it, it burns like a motha. It is literally like touching a branding iron.
I inherited my great-grandmothers cast iron skillet AND her cast iron ductch oven -- they are over 150 years ols and STILL going strong.
I wish I had my grandmother's old cast iron, rest her soul. I look forward to passing mine off one day. I am more than happy with it. Two pieces--a dutch oven and a small skillet that fits on top of it like a lid--were cheap, (but i had no problem seasoning them... just cook some bacon in it!) and will last me forever, and i can use them for so much! I use the dutch oven portion at least twice a week. I plan to find one larger skillet and that's that.
If you get a silicone handle cover for the handle, you dont have to worry about the heat.
After reading this, I went and purchased a cast iron grill pan. I'll see how it turns out.
Possibly so, Trish. It didn't help me much, but I become anemic VERY easily. It's one of the reasons I had to stop being a vegetarian. Iron supplements were not successful for me, either, and I know some people have good results from them and some don't.
I LOVE cast iron; but what is this, the 4th post in the last couple of days on cast iron? Is it Cast Iron Month?
@Charlotte
A lot of people had questions about cast iron skillets, so they're just doing their job in answering them.
I don't have any cast iron pieces, but I am hopeful to own some soon.:)
I tried steel wool and then tried the salt and water paste with nylon brush and still can't get the rust off my dutch oven,sigh.
I have too MUCH iron and have to give blood regularly to reduce it- guess I'd better resist temptation