I’ve been using my cast iron cookware for more than twenty years, and I love it! When I bought it, all those years ago, I was a little intimidated and unsure of how it can be used, cared for and maintained. So with cautious optimism I began my journey.
I found that cast iron can withstand extremely high heat settings. You can use it on top of the stove, in the oven, on barbeque grills and directly over a fire! (great for camping). It holds the heat longer than any other type of cookware and the heat is evenly distributed throughout. It’s great for casseroles too. You can saute your base ingredients on top of the stove in a cast iron casserole dish, then add your remaining ingredients and put the dish directly into the oven. Serve it on the table in the same casserole dish (careful it’s hot) and it will stay hot longer while it's on the table.
I always use my ‘grilling skillet’ when making steaks, chicken and seafood. First get the skillet really hot then place the steak in. It will cook perfectly and you will get grill marks so it looks like it’s been on a barbeque grill.
I’ve actually baked a pie in my cast iron skillet!
Then there is the added benefit of getting iron cooked right into your food!
photos by Candy Dorsey except Amazon products
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You're so right Tolovaj about the pros and cons. The heaviness of cast iron can be a problem for someone with arthritis for instance.
Cast iron has pros and cons. Among cons it's seasoning, which is really not a problem, if you know what and how to do it. The other problem is heaviness of cast iron cookware, what makes it a bit easy to manipulate, especially when cleaning.
I think pros definitely outweigh cons. You have already mentioned it lasts forevr and this is true. I have a pan more than fifty years old and it works like a clock. I also have a wok with quarter of century mileage and especially at wok i can mention the other important reason for using cast iron - it gives very specific aroma to your food, similar to outdoor grill.
Good apetite!
Yes jptanabe, you do have to be careful of the handles!
I used to have a cast iron pot, not sure what happened to it along the way. But I do remember the handle got hot!
I especially remember my mother making fried chicken and fried potatoes in cast iron skillets.
I hope it wasn't a painful lesson, blackspanielgallery.
The first lesson I learned was to not grab the handle of a hot pan, heat travels in iron.