The Truth About Cast Iron Pans: 10 Facts You Need To Know

10 Facts About Cast Iron Pans You Need To Know. Graphic © herbshealthhappiness.com. Photo – Pixabay (PD)

Here’s a superb report from our friends over at Eat Local Grown. This confirms suspicions that I have had for a long time about the health effects of various cookware…

When I was a kid, we had terrible pots and pans in our house. We just didn’t know any better. There were 20-year-old aluminum pans and an old teflon-coated frying pan. The teflon pan gradually lost its coating over the years until there was none left. It had all flaked off. I’m assuming that we almost certainly ate some of this. Oh, great. Teflon is toxic! Aluminum also is bad news, it has now been implicated in Alzheimer’s as a possible cause. The problem with these pans is that a certain amount is bound to end up in the food.

One other thing I have noticed, and I am sure that many of you have also, is that food tastes different depending on the type of cookware used. Have you noticed this? Heavy stoneware and cast iron seem to make the best food. Another thing I have noticed – the type of heat used influences the taste also. If you have had bread or pizza from a real brick oven, you will know exactly what I mean.

It’s obvious that the taste is not the only thing influenced. The health benefits of the food are influenced also. This principle also applies to food storage as well as cooking! My take on it is this:

Best – Cast iron, stoneware, pyrex / glassware
Pretty Good – stainless steel
Bad – Aluminum, teflon, plastics

Cooks seeking alternatives to toxic non-stick cookware often find themselves in a bind. Stainless steel, which seems to be the healthiest alternative, is expensive, and it does not lend itself well to cooking eggs, pancakes and other dishes that non-stick cookware typically excels at. If you have not yet discovered the benefits of cast iron cooking, here are 10 reasons to buy and use a cast iron skillet.

1. Avoid Toxic Fumes

Replacing a non-stick skillet with a cast iron one allows you to avoid the toxic fumes that accompany most non-stick cookware. Cast iron can also replace aluminum cookware, which may also pose health hazards.

2. Use in oven

Besides the stove, you can use a cast iron skillet in the oven, at any temperature. This comes in handy for making corn bread, frittatas, and flat bread.

3. Nonstick

Surprisingly, a preheated cast iron skillet rivals the qualities of non-stick cookware, as long as it is properly seasoned and cared for. You can quickly move up this short learning curve by talking with employees at your local cookware store or by reading a book or Internet article about cast iron care.

Here’s a great recipe for PANCAKES using only 2 Ingredients

4. Easy Clean up

Cast iron is easy to clean up. Not only does food easily lift off from cast iron cookware, soap is not needed or recommended, since it erodes the seasoning.

5. Health Benefits

You can actually boost your iron intake from eating food cooked in cast iron cookware. This vital mineral is crucial for maintaining energy levels, and it helps strengthen immune systems.

6. Inexpensive

Cooks looking to replace non-stick cookware often investigate stainless steel. However, a high-end, 12-inch stainless skillet runs well over $100, while a similar-sized cast iron one costs less than $30.

7. Food cooks beautifully.

Using a cast iron skillet you can create restaurant-quality, homemade fish sticks, potato pancakes and French toast, complete with golden brown, crispy exteriors. Contrast this with non-stick cookware, which makes browning nearly impossible.

8. Sturdy/Wears well

Since it does not scratch, there is no need to use plastic utensils, and there is no fear of using your silverware to stir or scoop. It lasts for so long that many people still use cast iron cookware inherited from their parents and grandparents.

9. Any heat source can be used

In an emergency, cast iron cookware can be used over any heat source. As such, many disaster planning lists include cast iron as the survival cookware of choice.

10. Proven over years

It has been used for thousands of years. New technologies are often the least healthy, while those used by earlier generations are often more beneficial and more in line with how we are designed. Our cookware choice is no exception.

The Drawbacks of Cast Iron…

Although there are many benefits to cast iron cooking, make sure to understand the drawbacks before you start: cast iron pans are very heavy; they require intentional maintenance in order to keep them rust-free and non-stick; and care is needed if you have a glass-top stove.

With that in mind, they’re still a great choice. Once you take the plunge, you will wonder why it took you so long to start!

Article with permission from Rick D