Cast iron cookware has been used for thousands of years. Chances are you may even have pieces of cast iron cookware that your grandmother owned. If it’s just setting in your cabinet collecting dust, get it out and use it. There are so many benefits of cooking with cast iron. Whether it’s the non-stick surface or the addition of iron to your diet, you really should consider this type of cookware.
Benefits of Cooking with Cast Iron
Inexpensive
Cast iron cookware can be very inexpensive. In fact, you can usually find pieces at yard sales or thrift stores. You can also find inexpensive pieces in most discount department stores. If your store doesn’t have any cast iron in the cooking section, check the camping section.
Seasoned Cast Iron Cookware Is Naturally Non-Stick
Once you season your cast iron cookware, you don’t have to worry about your food sticking. This also means that you don’t have to add additional fat or use unhealthy cooking sprays. If you’re not sure how to season cookware, or it seems like too much trouble, you can buy cookware that comes pre-seasoned.
Cast Iron Cookware Cooks Foods Evenly
Most cast iron cookware is the same thickness throughout. This means that your food is going to cook evenly. You don’t have to worry about the edges of your pan not getting hot enough or the center of your pan being too hot. Cast iron also holds heat beautifully. This means that foods will stay warm once you take them off the heat.
Naturally Adds Iron to Your Diet
If you have an iron deficiency, cooking with cast iron cookware is the way to go. As your food cooks, it picks up iron from the pan. It’s such an easy way to get more iron into your diet. The more you cook with cast iron, the more iron you’ll add to your diet.
Avoid Toxic Fumes
Many brands of non-stick cookware are made with chemicals that can emit toxic fumes when heated. In fact, the fumes are strong enough to kill pet birds. While the fumes may not be strong enough to affect us as drastically, you have to wonder what you’re cooking your food on and how it will affect your health long term. Cast iron cookware does not have this problem.
Oven Safe
Last, but not least, cast iron cookware is perfect for starting something on the cook top and moving it to the oven. For example, brown your steaks on the stove top and then move to the oven to continue cooking. Cast iron cookware can even be used over a direct flame and nestled into the coals of your campfire when camping.
Cast iron is a great option for those that have iron deficiency, but it’s also great for anyone who wants a healthier cooking option. It can be a bit daunting to figure out how to clean. Check out my post on How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet and you’ll be a pro in no time!
And if you still need a cast iron skillet, you can get one here.
Have you made the switch to cooking with cast iron yet?
