Comments on: What Is All The Hype Of Cast Iron Cookware?

By: Lyn H

Lyn H — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:10:48 +0000

If you don’t mind a big HEAVY skillet, cast iron cookware is great. Once you properly season your skillet, you almost never have to worry about the food sticking. Also, as you cook, you release a little of the iron into your food and supplement your intake of iron in your diet. I have cooked everything in my skillets from fried foods to spaghetti sauces. As long as the seasoning holds up, nothing sticks. If you spot a little rust forming anywhere, just season your skillet again & your food won’t stick anymore.
I have cooked with cast iron skillets & dutch ovens for years. Unfortunately, I have weak wrists and stopped using them because of that. However, I won’t use aluminum because I don’t think it’s a healthy metal. At one point I had heard it might have been associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. I could be wrong, but why take chances?

By: Thereza

Thereza — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:10:48 +0000

easier to clean thats all

By: lynnrd

lynnrd — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:10:48 +0000

I absolutely love my cast iron cookware. My fiance, who is not a cook, routinely uses metal utensils on non-stick cookware. This damages the surface and makes food stick. So, along comes my cast iron, and it is nearly indestructable! I love making cream soups in it, which sounds like they would turn out dark. But, creams cook nice and slow and NEVER STICK. I haven’t run across any type of food I can’t cook in it.

By: born again

born again — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:10:47 +0000

You have to season the cast iron skillet if you want it to cook right & not stick
Coat the skillet
Use a paper towel to spread a generous coating of vegetable oil [I have used shortening ]over the entire skillet.
Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C)
Place the skillet on the center rack upside down in the oven, you may want to place a cookie sheet on the bottom rack to catch any oil drippings.
Bake for 1 hour at 350 F (180 C)
Using oven mits, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and rub with a clean paper towel to evenly re-distribute the oil.
Bake the skillet for another hour at F (180 C) To season the iron skilett
After cooking, do not use detergent or scouring pads to clean a cast iron pan since this will destroy the seasoning
wipe the skillet with paper towels to remove the grease & food.
Too much scrubbing and hot water will remove the curing, and the pan will require a re-seasoning,
It is normal for your pan to require a re-seasoning occasionally
I love my cast iron skillets and you will too once you get the hang of how to take care of them.

By: tiggerjn

tiggerjn — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:10:47 +0000

No one type of cookware should be used for everything. Sure, all cookware can be used for everything, but you will get better results if you play to their advantages.
See attached link for differences.http://www.kitchenemporium.com/info/cook...

By: chefj

chefj — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:10:47 +0000

the reason that cast iron is good for cooking is that the metal is thick and although take time to pre heat when food is added there isn’t as much recovery time i.e. the pan doesn’t lose heat also the thickness and heavyness of the metal offers more even heat through out the pan eliminating hot spots in the pan you are right however that acidic foods such as tomatoes lemon juice wine and vinegar does strip some of the seasoning off of the pan but the french chef’s of old used there pans so much that the seasoning was so thick that the little bit lost during cooking items like coq au vin didn’t strip the seasoning from the pan completly

By: SANCHA

SANCHA — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:10:47 +0000

When you cook with aluminum, it gets into the blood stream. Iron does not.
Aluminum is deadly to the human system.
Perhaps this is the reason for ‘pushing’ cast iron.

By: artycraf

artycraf — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:10:47 +0000

I do a lot of Indian (Asian) cooking, so I have come to depend a lot on my cast iron pan and skillet. Over time, with proper care it is easy for your cast iron cookware to acquire a shiny non-stick patina. So that I can cook at higher temperatures without the smell of teflon burning.
To toss and stir fry, you would need a light weight wok, but for everything else, cast iron is more stable and the nonstick coating is more durable. Also you can restore its coating should something mar its surface.

By: Free Smartphone Software

Free Smartphone Software — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:10:47 +0000

You need cast iron to bake proper corn bread in. Absolutely nothing else creates the lovely wonderfully crisp deep brown crust.

By: kia

kia — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:10:47 +0000

With a properly seasoned cast iron pan you can cook anything. I have made pies, cakes, chicken, soup, rouxs and cream sauces, quiches, chili, oatmeal and more in the pans I have.
Most important: cooking in iron transfers iron to the food.
Iron is a necessary trace mineral that prevents anemia and is vital for strength, red oxygen-rich blood, and more. Most young people, especially women, do not get the necessary iron in their diets. Iron increases muscle flexibility by increasing the oxygen in the muscle itself. Older people should not take iron supplements (unless MD says so).
Any cast iron pot or pan (without any kind of plastic, vinyl or ceramic handle) can go in the oven. You can use cast iron on the grill though it does get very hot.
When I was a child everyone used cast iron cookware for everything.
Maybe your pan isn’t seasoned properly. Wash and dry the pan, cover the surface with a thin coat of corn oil, then put it in the oven at about 350 degrees for an hour. Turn off the oven, let the pan cool in the oven. You’re done. The surface will get smoother over time and with use. Once you get this done, it’s the best.