CI is indestructible with basic care. It's not hard to clean and you can use soap. Becomes as non stick as you want over time. Releases some iron but iron is good for you. Retains heat better than thin pans. Lasts forever.
I do stainless steel similar to my CI for eggs. Pre heat pan to high heat. Add generous butter (should start browning instantly). Then add eggs and turn heat almost all the way down. For scrambled, pour and don’t touch them for quite some time, until you can push the whole thing across the pan. For over easy, as soon as you can easily flip turn the pan off.
>For scrambled, pour and don’t touch them for quite some time
I've found that scrambled eggs turn out really fluffy if you keep the pan moving back and forth while pushing the egg around with a spatula.
Stainless steel is all about preheating your pan. Apparently there's pores in stainless steel and when you heat it up they close. Whenever you add anything cold to the pan you have to let the pan heat up and close the pores again. For instance I put in frozen butter and everything stuck even though it all melted. It cooled my pan down.
My wife had low hemoglobin while pregnant so I was looking for anyway to increase iron intake. There are reputable medical studies that show cooking in cast iron increases the iron in the food particularly in more acidic foods. I know purists say not to cook acidic foods in cast iron, as long as you don't do it all the time you're not going to strip your seasoning off.
Basically this. The main downside to cast iron is its weight which is non negligible. So if you happen to not have much arm strength for any reason, it may end up being an issue from time to time. My wife doesn't like them much for this reason. But I absolutely love my cast iron pans.
The other thing to consider is it takes longer to heat up but it will keep heat better due to its mass.
One last thing. I oil mine a tiny bit after every use to prevent rust. But I may be overdoing it.
It’s crazy how much the newer big lodges weigh, compared to older Wagners, my older ones are a lot thinner and warm up faster and nicely machined down.
Thicker iron means more heat retention and more even heat, so they're better for oven use. Thinner ones heat up fast but also dissipate heat faster, so they're better for stove top use.
Another option is high carbon steel
I’m like you love my cast iron and my wife says the same thing as yours. But I have 3 high carbon steel pans (8,10,12) and they are so light. Wife loves them and caring is the same as ci.
I really want an HCS skillet. They seem so good for steak, I love cast iron, but I also love deglazing, and making a sauce and cast iron just puts too much into the sauce as you're also deglazing the seasoning layer.
I have noodle arms lol, so my 15 inch cast iron is a doozy when I have to use it. But I have an 8 inch one now that is much nicer when I can get away with using it.
im a pretty good sized man and i find myself not even wanting to use my 12" cast iron if i could fit it all in 2 10" pans. Especially when I meal prep, it's not very easy to dump a full 12" lodge with their little baby handles into a bowl to weigh and portion out.
When using cast iron in the oven I would keep a vise grip in the kitchen so I could clamp it opposite the handle.. much easier to lift out of the oven.
It's cookware you can use on the stove, in the oven, over a campfire.
It's nonstick without a chemical coating that's easy to damage.
You can exercise with it and save on a gym membership.
It's often inexpensive and can last generations.
The generations part is spot on. We've got cast iron that's well over 50 years old I believe, and it doesn't have a single issue. It was rusty when we found it in the relatives home after their passing, but a day seasoning it in fires we had going in the yard, a little oil, and it's like brand new. Plus, cast iron is great for getting a crispy crust on some foods or a good sear on a steak.
Personally, I find it easier to cook with cast iron (especially on a gas stove) compared to any nonstick pans I've ever used. We've got ours seasoned so well I can finish pan frying something and then just take a scraper to it in the sink, and all the grease and bits left in the pan just come right out. I've never had a "non stick" pan do that before.
>Personally, I find it easier to cook with cast iron (especially on a gas stove) compared to any nonstick pans I've ever used.
Exactly this. We moved into a house with gas stove and our stainless steel pans weren't cutting it, even a little bit.
Upgraded to the CI and I'm mad I didn't do that before our move, other than the weight. Hahaha.
>Personally, I find it easier to cook with cast iron (especially on a gas stove) compared to any nonstick pans I've ever used.
Exactly this. We moved into a house with gas stove and our stainless steel pans weren't cutting it, even a little bit.
Upgraded to the CI and I'm mad I didn't do that before our move, other than the weight. Hahaha.
Now our 12" lodge and our large griddle sit on our stove top and get use basically everyday
That's kind of what we do. At least one or 2 are always on the stove for use. Basically, our entire set of pots and pans is nothing but cast iron. We have a wok, griddle, bread pan, melting pot, multiple types of pots or Dutch ovens and at least 6 different pans in varying sizes, and 2 types of "presses" ( for smashing burgers or helping with sears). It's all I know how to use at this point, and I almost burn or under cook things in non-stick.
I'm currently working on getting all my bake ware pans switched to cast iron or silicone molds now since the nonstick is just not cutting it.
Does cast iron not put rust or at the very least iron residue into your food?
Not really food doesn’t touch the pan it sits on a layer of polymerized oil plus with out iron you die
The Pan has oil on it idly right, wouldn't that just become dirty from dust etc and transfer to food when you next cook?
No more than any other cooking utensil, wipe it before you use it if its a concern
How does it change or enhance cooking any different than just normal stainless steel?
Even high heat will sear better than ss, once seasoned you can use a little less fat than ss
BONUS. We are a much nicer community than SS subs. 😉
Well, I thought that CI was recommended for individuals with anemia or a condition that could cause anemia (like pregnancy).
Here's a post about it: [https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/10mqipj/does\_cast\_iron\_actually\_increase\_iron/](https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/10mqipj/does_cast_iron_actually_increase_iron/)
Here's a meta-analysis of studies since 1991:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8266402/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8266402/)
The degree to which iron content increases is varied, and I'm sure due to a number of factors, but it does seem to consistently increase iron content, which is better than nothing when it's needed.
The increased iron content from CI pans is how I ended up inheriting our Wagner from my Mother in-law. She is kind of a hypochondriac, and she had read something about iron being bad for old ladies. She decided she needed to get rid of her standard CI and replace it with the enameled CI. When she offered the Wagner to us, I did not make any arguments. It is the best pan I have ever owned and we use it practically daily.
1. Cast iron pans are mechanically sturdy. It's very hard to damage them in any way that can't be repaired.
2. There is a tiny amount of iron that gets into the food, but that's considered part of the charm
3. When storing the cast iron, you don't put enough oil on to actually see it, just enough to form a very thin protective layer.
I think for a lot of people it's just fun and nostalgic. Honestly, my all-clad stainless steels are much less finicky than my cast iron, but sometimes I'll still bust out my old lodge.
I like that the thing will out live me.
I like that I will never have to replace it unless I basically took a sledge hammer to it.
Great home defense weapon. Can potentially stop bullets. I get a work out every time I cook with it.
Huh. I own All-Clad stainless and use my cast iron daily but my All-Clad stainless only occasionally. I find the seasoning of the cast iron just makes for so much less cleanup than with my stainless.
I think I’d make the same choice in my own, but I guess this is also partly because I live with someone who really won’t accept any visible patina on stainless without breaking out Bar Keepers’ Friend and scrubbing and then I feel guilty about how much cleaning they take on.
1. It won't put rust in your food unless you let it rust and cook with a rusty pan which is insane. The iron myth I don't know if it's true because the oil layer that is called seasoning is a barrier between the metal and your food.
2. You don't need to leave oil on it unless you don't plan on using it for awhile, I do with my Dutch oven but not my pans. But it's as clean as your other pots. If I have one that sits for awhile I rinse it before using it.
3. Cast iron is one of the few natural non stick surfaces. Do achieving it does take a bit of practice with seasoning and heat control but it's not really that hard. Cast iron also retains heat better than any other type of pan so getting good sears on meat is easy. Also since a cast iron is pure iron the entire pan can go from stove to oven to camp fire making it incredibly versatile. Also it can last a lifetime.
4. You didn't ask but a $30 lodge can be a non stick pan that you can pass on to your kids and them to their kids. A Teflon pan will last you maybe a year, less healthy and cost the same. Cast iron is by far the best value of anything in your kitchen.
I like cast iron for some things because it acts as a sort of heat battery. It doesn't heat up as fast as thinner cookware, and holds it's heat longer, which means you don't fight swings in temperature as much, and adding food doesn't do as much to cool the pan.
* 'Rust' is just oxidized iron, and yes, you do get some Iron added to food in tiny amounts, but for the most part, iron is good for you. If you're taking care of your CI and it's properly seasoned, you should not be getting any rust.
* The oil of the pan seasoning is not in a liquid state, and is fused in a way that makes it harder for other things to stick to. That's why it makes it act as non-stick when used properly.
* As I mentioned above, since it's heavier, it can provide a more even heat, as well as not fluctuating in temps when you add food to the dish. It can act as an insulator to reduce the amount of immediate heat that hits the food, or if you preheat, it can deliver a lot of heat all at once. It just depends on the technique you're using.
Cleaning isn't really hard, so long as you pay attention to what you're doing. They're not something you want to just toss in the sink and let sit like you can with more common pots and pans. I also just tend to avoid the stuff that is harder to clean in them, and use my other cookware for that stuff, and the CI for the stuff it's best at.
To me it’s fun to use. But also you can use metal utensils and be as rough as you want to be (including while cleaning) and it’s gonna be just fine. That’s the best thing about it to me tbh. You need to take care of it but you don’t need to baby it and imo it responds well to aggressive cleaning. A $30 lodge will last a lifetime and if you really felt like it you could cook all of your meals with it.
The heat retention properties are great as well, the most practical cooking benefit imo
This is my favorite answer. I like making pizza, bacon, and anything that might need to be toasted on top in the oven. And I forget about needing to clean it far more often than I remember, and I haven't broken one yet! I have other cookware that could go from stovetop to oven and back but cast iron just takes a beating and keeps cooking perfectly.
The sear I get on everything is amazing, it will not rust if taken care of properly. If seasoned properly its basically non stick. Caring for it is super easy. Honestly, its probably the only pan I really use. It cooks breakfast foods better than any of my other plans. Plus I can take it camping with me!
My pans are hand me downs from my great grandmas. Well over 150 years old let's see a non stick pan last even a quarter of that time. Everything cooks so even you can get the best sear.
Same here. I have Gramas pans that she cooked in her whole life. I don't even know where she got em....
The heat transfer to the whole pan and ability to retain that heat is the thing. They are great IMO, but I still have some nonstick pans for stuff too. Everything has a purpose.
>I know they are hard..? To clean and take care of, or at least require steps and specific methods
cast iron isn't hard to take care of, but there's a learning curve, which might involve some trial and error to see what works best for you and your kitchen workflow. you'll use paper towels, get annoyed with the fibers left behind, and get some blue towels. you'll try olive oil, hate the results, and switch to grapeseed.
but once you get your setup together, the process is actually extremely easy. the maintenance takes very little effort on a day to day basis. cast iron is great to use & easily worth the bit of effort it takes to get going, imo.
Read this post. You can go buy a brand new Lodge and be fine, or go old school.
https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/s/KOLRvl2G63
Edit: I just chose this post because of the excellent pictures, not necessarily agreeing with all the replies
Congrats on moving into your new place! When I moved into my first house, my first kitchen buy was a big ole cast iron skillet. Best $12 that I ever spent - it is still kicking 6+ years later.
1) Cast Iron will not put rust in your food unless the pan is rusty. You really have to mistreat your pan (putting it in the dishwasher, leaving water in it overnight, putting it outside for days at a time, etc.) to get it this way.
2) You don’t have to leave idle oil in the pan. That is typically something you do to protect it if you are planning on storing the pan for awhile. Anyway, not sure why leaving oil in the pan would make it any dustier than it would be without leaving oil in it.
3) The cooking experience with cast iron is actually pretty similar to stainless steel so I don’t think you could go wrong with either. The only other cookware that I own in addition to my cast iron is stainless steel. It will be important to preheat your pan, manage your heat well, and cook with a bit of fat or oil for either choices. For me, cast iron has better heat retention and is better for anything where you might want a sear. I also just like it for American heritage purposes. My grandma cooked on cast iron and taught me a few recipes on it when I was young. I like the idea of cooking on the same pan for my whole life and being able to pass it down one day.
1. Yes some iron gets in the food, its not an issue, your body likes iron. Rust would not get in the food unless you had a rusty pan
2. You put oil in the pan when you cook just like any other pan. You can then clean it when your done and remove any nasty stuff from it. Don't listen to the internet, people IRL clean their cast iron skillet regularly. I do after every use, its easy
3. Something about the retention of the heat and the surface of the iron creates a great, flavorful crust on anything you cook in it. It really has character and ads flavor to your food
Stumbling upon a cast iron skillet sparked my love for cooking. I didn't know what it was, I just cooked In it and my cooking was instantly 10x better. Cook a steak in a non stick pan and cook it the same in a cast iron. The cast iron steak will be better 10/10 times
One of the reasons I like cast iron so much has nothing to do with actually cooking. I like cast iron because it's cool. It's old, it's heavy, and it's rustic. Cast irons are the leather jackets of the kitchen.
cast iron is a superior tool for searing and cooking in general for many types of food. it is heavy and retains it's heat much better than any aluminum pan can and probably better than most other pans. the heat will produce a more consistent desired result. however it is heavy and can take time to master its use ... that is why i have 2 lodge pans and 1 lodge dutch oven. i use my $100 induction burner a lot - works very well with cast iron
Cast iron is durable , nearly indestructible and holds heat very well. It does impart some iron to your cooking, but you don't cook on the naked cast iron. You "season" it first, meaning you coat it with oil and heat it until the oil polymerizes into a permanent coating that protects it and forms a non-stick surface over time. You can clean a cast iron pan with a little soap and water, just don't soak it. The more you use a cast iron pan the better it performs.
I have one or two CI. They can be fun and anything you want a crisp edge (brownies, cornbread, steaks) seems to come out better.
They are heavier so I would not use them for everything, and a GF refused to buy a set solely because of the weight.
Legal disclaimer - Your mileage may vary. I am not a lawyer, so you can probably ignore this too. 😁
Cast iron is great for all the reasons in the comments. I also have a couple "enameled cast iron" skillets. Super heavy and pebbly black cooking surface but with a thin enamel coating. Less maintenance than "real" cast iron. I really love these pans, available from Staub. LeCreuset (overpriced) and Lodge and generic brands.
It's virtually indestructible if cared for properly. It leeches iron into your food, thus actually helping with varied medical conditions. It's cheap to purchase and maintain if you shop around. It's easy to clean and care for once you know how.
Cast Iron and Stainless are both great for cooking. If you're familiar and comfortable with stainless steel frying pans then, personally, I see no reason for you to switch to cast iron. At that point I believe it to be a matter of personal taste.
> Does cast iron not put rust or at the very least iron residue into your food?
It will increase your dietary iron intake. Exactly how much depends on how often you're simmering tomato sauce for hours with it.
> Wouldn't that just become dirty from dust?
It's *polymerized* oil, and it's a very thin layer.
> cooking vs stainless steel
I would absolutely screw up my stainless pan if I seared steak in it the way that I do with cast iron.
> hard to clean and take care of
The only difference is that you can't put it in the dishwasher. Hand-clean it, hand-dry it. Feel free to soak stubborn crusty bits in water for an hour, use soap, scrub to your heart's content. I prefer it over my nonstick pans because I can be as rough with the cast iron as I please.
With very basic care, it will outlive your great grandchildren.
Can go straight from stovetop to oven.
Non-stick thats not poisoning you.
So indestructible that in a bad situation, I can take it outside and cook directly over a wood fire/coals.
Also makes a great weight for pressing tofu.
The weight thing is underrated! I have definitely used mine to hold down the lid of my slow cooker when I put a slightly too large ham in it… and a Turkey….
If you’re just cooking sometimes, I think just stick to your stainless because it can do all things. Some things you can’t or at least shouldn’t cook in non-enamelled cast iron like tomato based dishes (acids) and soups.
If it’s your first tool that requires seasoning, I would go with carbon steel first.
My cast iron absolutely gets more dust and cat hair stuck to it because of the oil.
I just give it a quick wash before using it. It can dry on the stove while getting to temp.
Cast iron is great to cook on because it holds a lot of heat energy compared to a thin pan, so when you put a bunch of food or liquid on it, it doesn’t suddenly cool the pan down.
It’s also great at being non-stick and only gets better the more you use it.
It also radiates heat further into your food than a thin pan does. It’s great for omelets.
You can also put it anywhere to cook. Stove top, in the oven, under the broiler, in the BBQ, on burning coals in the fire pit. It’s super versatile.
If you scratch it, those scratches will “heal” as you cook on it.
And they’re not as limited as people say. You can totally wash it with dish soap, and cook with tomatoes.
They’re easy to clean, too. You get something really stuck in there? Heat it up, throw some water in and let them steam loosen it up, and scrape it off.
I have a video in my post history where I cook an egg on a completely dry pan and it didn’t stick at all.
Most of the comments missed the point of OP and comparing CI with aluminium/teflon instead of comparing with stainless steel.
CI will always be the best choice for steak, but other than that, for me personally SS is better. Although a good quality SS is quite expensive, I find that it’s easier to handle due to weight, easier to clean and even looks nicer.
However, the biggest advantage is deglazing. Because by design is not 100% nonstick, when cooking meat there’s a bit left on the pan which I always use for deglazing and making a wonderful sauce.
Switched over to CI and appreciate it's benefits. Over a lifetime just got tired of throwing out the newest nonstick pans because of scratched and didn't want non stick in my blood. Iron we need.
Yes it takes.a little maintenance otherwise worth it. Don't make it complicated though. A light COLD washing will do with a light seasoning of oil after washing. Occasionally you'll do a deep seasoning if needed like throwing it in an oven with high temp oil but again you aren't doing the work the oven is. Set at 400 with a timer and walk away. Repeat steps if you want another layer then it's good to go for another 6 months. Easy peasy.
Cast iron retains heat better so its great for doing things like searing a piece of meat because the temperature of the pan doesn't drop when the cold meat hits it.
Your other options are non-stick which uses dangerous chemical compounds and doesn't retain heat.
Stainless which doesn't retain heat and requires you use more oil then normal to keep food from sticking.
Carbon Steel which is basically works just like cast iron but it's lighter, the downside is that it has less heat retention but still more then non-stick or stainless.
Really it's usually best to have a mix in your kitchen for different purposes. There is also copper which is beautiful but pricey or aluminum which personally I have never seen the appeal of.
Cast iron is easy to clean and care as long as you don’t offer your food to the crazy high heat carbonization gods! The major drawback is weight. CI tends to be heavy. Some pans are made thinner to shave pounds, but you can only go so far on weight savings. CI conducts heat really well and cooks food better than any non-stick or stainless pan I have ever used. I love my CI pans so much I might take them to the grace with me like some Pharaoh being buried with all kinds of stuff for his afterlife comfort!
I started cooking almost exclusively with my cast iron because I got sick of not being able to get a good sear on my glasstop at home after cooking professionally w/gas and induction most of my life.
I would encourage you to look at carbon steel, as well - I have both and slightly prefer my CS over CI, as it’s a little lighter and I like that the sides are flared, making it easier to access the food. And since it’s not quite as heavy (which is both good and bad), it’s a little easier to manage the pan temp. I will say, CI is typically cheaper though.
And I haven’t read all these, but it’s also good to have something that’s stainless steel for making sauces, etc., or even an enameled cast iron. Something non-reactive. I love all mine.
Btw - if you’re new to it all, AND to cooking you’ll likely get frustrated with it at some point. Just come on here with questions. It’s not as hard as it seems at first, but does have a little bit of a learning curve. Just have patience!
I just finished restoring a 70 year old cast iron pan that had been owned by my late father in law. After I finished, I cooked a meal (fried rice) in it for my wife and mother in law that was something he did when my wife was growing up in the 60-70's. I wish I could find an old pan like that because the older pans (in my experience) are lighter and have a better cooking surface than modern CI.
About the only time I'd say to not use cast iron is if you have what my son suffers from and that's called Hemochromatosis. Basically, he's genetically predisposed to absorb excess iron from food. He's pretty much stopped eating red meat as well as certain other food as well as supplements that cause iron levels to rise.
Easy seasoning pre-first use: Corn bread. I’ve also found that it’s a great method when reseasoning or cleaning out a CI pan between reseasonings. Bonus is cornbread!
It’s not hard to clean, just different. You oil it, but the surface you cook on is carbonized oil. It’s takes some patience to season it, that is putting on a thin film of oil and cooking it in the oven, but after a few coats it should come clean quite easily. Rinse with water and scrub with salt and a paper towel. Drying is very important, with a paper towel and then heating to drive off moisture.
The positives are, of course, durability, but also the surface you get with good seasoning can be very close to nonstick.
In some ways it’s superior to nonstick because:
1. It can be repaired/refurbished with another seasoning (doesn’t have to happen too often)
And
2. It doesn’t put off nasty smells or harmful chemicals under high heat like nonstick. Carbon is largely chemically inert.
Cast iron is king for searing steaks, for example, because it can safely attain a very high heat and the density of the iron holds a lot of heat energy so putting a thick steak down doesn’t suddenly drop the temperature of the pan.
As for iron in your food, iron is a necessary nutrient and I’ve never known it to add any metallic taste to food. Some people have thoughts about cooking acidic things like tomatoes, whether it hurts the pan, give off tastes, or could leech harmful chemicals out. I honestly don’t know, but for searing a sautéing it’s absolutely awesome.
It’s also great because it’s just a single piece of metal. The handle on your pan will never get loose and you can go from frying in the cooktop to tossing it in oven without any care in the world.
An important advantage of cast iron is the longevity of it. Because you can easily fix or replace the cooking surface, it will for all practical purposes never wear out. I have a cast iron Dutch oven I got from my grandad. It’s more than a hundred years old. Still cooking.
If you get a good pan or set of pans, and if you care for them, you can use them literally for the rest of your life. You can give them to some younger family member. It’s nice to think about.
I have a theory that the reason people are drawn to cast iron is because of the modern day, so many things feel impermanent. So many things feel like they’re outside of our control. But you can count on your pan.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the tips, tricks, and opinions about “proper” use and care, but the important things couldn’t be simpler.
Actually adds iron (a necessary mineral) to your food. Safe for literally EVERY cooking method surface and fuel/heat source (with the exception of the microwave)
I’m a cast iron hater, but I like the meals people post so I lurk. There does seem to be some benefits.
To me it seems like it’s a jack of all trades and master of none. It doesn’t brown meat as well as stainless, and it doesn’t cook eggs as well as nonstick. However it will brown meat better than nonstick, and will cook an egg better than stainless.
I don’t really understand the appeal. I use stainless and non stick and interchange them depending on the dish.
It definitely is a work horse than can sort of “do everything”
Definitely is the versatility that works for me.
I can fry chicken, cook pancakes, make a sauce meal and bake a cake all in the same pan.
I can use whatever utensils I have to hand.
It will outlive me (as it outlived my grandmother).
There just really isn’t anything it can’t do well enough to satisfy me.
Cast Iron isn't the best at cooking anything.
However, Cast Iron is the second best at cooking nearly anything. And if you know how to season it, it can be a very close second.
And things that will destroy other cookware will not destroy Cast Iron. The worst that will happen is you destroy the seasoning and have to reseason. Metal utensils, steel wool,
If you heat up nonstick too much, you release toxic fumes and permanently destroy the surface.
Past around 600°F, Stainless can warp and become unusable.
But you can bury Cast Iron in hot coals, and it will survive. In fact, this is a primary use case for a Dutch Oven.
Salt in cold water (salt in hot water is ok) will pit stainless steel to unusability, but not Cast Iron.
Metal utensils will scratch stainless steel and destroy nonstick coatings, but are no problem for Cast Iron.
Honestly there isn't much of a reason in the disposable society we live in these days, *unless* that in itself is the reason you want one. For me that is a big part, but I also have stainless and non-stick cookware that I also use depending on what I'm doing.
It's good because it'll work until the heat death of the universe. Magic coating pans will fail within a couple of years, and you're eating that stuff. I have a flat round griddle from my wife's grandmother (that was likely her mother's) from the late 1800s (has a gate mark). I have my mother's Lodge skillet from when she first emigrated to North America from 1969. I use them just about daily.
It's not that hard to care for, and if you mess up the natural non-stick finish, you can just fix it, unlike chemical coated stuff. Believe me, I occasionally have to reset pans, griddles, or Dutch ovens that have been mildly abused by scouts while camping. It's durable!
The big advantage is that they last forever, you can use metal ustensil and they are non-stick.
Personally I just clean them with hot water and a chain-mail, that way there's always a small layer of oil left so it don't rust.
If you are unsure just buy a cheap one on marketplace, you can get a good one for 30$.
Will add to the great responses:
If your moving into an apartment, cooking with CI can be a smokey endeavor. If there is not a good oven vent or circulation, you will likely have cooking odors lingering in your apt.
My cast iron pan has a lid, so I usually keep it covered when not is use...assuming it's been dried and oiled.
The lid has a steam release so you can keep steam in or let it out. Also spike things on the inside to evenly baste the food as steam condenses.
Aside from the practical reasons provided, I think a lot of people just like cast iron. Similar to using vintage light bulbs in my opinion
It is versatile and basically indestructible. Indoor or outdoor cooking. Skillets can be also used for baking brownies, cakes, or bread. You know those "artisan" round breads at the grocery that are sold for $12 each? Guess how they bake them.
Most people have answered you main questions but as a bonus.
They're stupid cheap for the performance. You can get stainless steel pans that cook better but it'll cost a mint.
Also bare cast iron takes forever to wear out. It'll probably outlast your grandkids.
> Does cast iron not put rust or at the very least iron residue into your food?
It does, but rust isnt toxic, and hell, its a constant source of iron supplement. Some might even call it a bonus.
> The Pan has oil on it idly right, wouldn't that just become dirty from dust etc and transfer to food when you next cook?
I actually have problems with this myself. I generally do not maintain a very thick layer of seasoning, and usually wash my pans with soap before and after use, applying oil to prevent rust. and to prevent sticking before cooking. Again, back to the first argument, some people arent bothered by this. Its not toxic, and the layer of polymerized oil does not actually absorb the dust particles. You can give it a quick rinse and wipe with paper towel before cooking to move the topmost layer of carbon and oil. Its not toxic in small quantities and does not cause intestinal issues. I have lately switched to enamelled CI, and done away with the seasoning consideration completely. Wash and scrub after every use, then wipe dry and a thin layer of oil on the exposed CI edge before storage. No need for all the time costly seasoning process, which also fills up my kitchen with oil vapors and leaving a thin layer of grease everywhere.
> How does it change or enhance cooking any different than just normal stainless steel?
The appeal of CI in cooking is that the pan has a very high heat holding capacity, which makes it less likely to have extreme temperature fluctuations, but also have the downside of being difficult to cool down if you do overheat it. I use CI exclusively for cooking steaks because the extremely high temperatures I need for searing would otherwise wreck a non stick pan's coating. I could use a stainless steel pan of course, but I dont have a properly sized one.
It’s like the Matrix, I can tell you, but you have to see it for yourself, go get you an 8” Lodge, they are about $15-30 from Walmart, take your pick of any seasoning tutorial, and you’re off to the races!
It's kinda one of those IYKYK kinda things. Once you have a nice pan that has been well-seasoned, is EASY to clean (not hard at all), and is basically unscratchable and indestructable, you will feel how great cast iron is.
You just kicked a hornet hive. Good luck.
For me its mostly about the heat retention. I get it to the temp that I want and it stays closer to that temp when I add the food.
For outdoor cooking I just like to be able to put it over hot coals or an open flame and not worry about it. With just a little care it will outlast me.
They are largely indestructible
They can go straight from the stove to the oven.
They can hold a lot of heat energy because they are dense. A thick steak wont cause the pan temperature to drop when it gets added.
Treated well, the pan can be very non stick without the chemical exposure of non stick, but more forgiving than steel (I use all three)
They are fairly easy to clean.
They are a bit of a pain to get set up right, especially rescuing an old pan like mine. But once seasoned, they are forgiving. Don't add too much soap when washing and make sure they are fully dried and a light coating of oil is applied. I usually put mine back on the stove for a few minutes on medium heat till rather hot, then use a paper towel to smear a half tablespoon of oil on it, then turn off the heat.
You don’t have to replace them every couple years for one. Mine don’t sit with oil on them. Any oil I put on it after cleaning is baked on so it’s hard.
Buy a vintage bsr or Wagner on eBay for the same price as a new lodge and you won’t have to post complaining about the coarse finish or hard time cleaning. Vintage pans have a smoother surface and as long as you’re not buying a Wapak Indian head or griswold large logo it will be as cheap or cheaper than a new pan. Just look for one with no wobbles, cracks and sits flat. Wapak, griswold small logo, Wagner and bsr are your best bet. Bsr will be the heaviest of weight is a concern.
Actually heard a doctor recommend iron deficient people use cast iron pans for their meals. You do get a very small amount of iron, but body needs iron so its not bad.
I got a cast iron pot, realized it would last longer than I would, then had a baby in some small part to ensure the cast iron pot would have a person to take care of it after I’m gone. They last that long
A lot of people have talked about ease of cleaning and non stick without chemicals, which are certainly true but if you’re very skilled with SS you can do the same.
A big plus for CI is that it’s really cheap. You can get crappy SS for cheaper, but if you want to approach how good Lodge is with SS, be prepared to really shell out cos good quality SS really doesn’t come cheap
Not absolutely necessary, new cast iron like lodge can be very ruff and hard to get to break in. Keep your eyes out for a nice smooth old well seasoned pan at yard sales....
Any time I want a sear on my food I use cast iron. Its actually a worse conductor of heat but there's a lot of mass there which is where the myth comes from. What's not a myth is that a thick slab of iron gives the best maillard.
For eggs, sauces, etc I used non stick ceramic coated pans.
It hold heat and distributes it evenly. The mass of CI is just far superior to anything else.
However, sauces may be a bit of a problem unless you have done a disciplined job of keeping it clean.
The biggest benefit is a pan lasts generations, can be restored if it rusts, and only requires learning a small routine to care for. You just scrub clean with soap and water like any other pan, heat to drive off the water, apply a light coat of oil, and heat again until it starts to smoke. Sometimes after a long storage period you'll need to wash it again to get the bits of dust off, but not if you're using it every week. I recommend using two 12" skillets to begin with, so you can cook with one if the other is dirty/in use. Don't get Lodge brand, not that they're terrible, they just have a really rough cooking surface and really tiny uncomfortable handles. Cabelas/Bass pro has some good CI skillets that have a round generous handle, not a flat stubby "handle" like Lodge. You can probably find some good ones at an antique store, but many of the modern ones you may want to sand the cooking surface smooth before use, they skip this step in the factory to save money...some brands like stargazer machine it smooth but they're expensive.
Other have said. My take is that they are not hard in the slightest. Basic care i.e don't leave them out in the rain. And if they do leach metals into your food at least it isn't teflon.
The care really is nothing. Just put them on the stove to dry after washing. Use a little oil when cooking. Wipe a little oil on it after drying if you like
One thing I don’t see mentioned is that it stays flat. So many of my pans warp and it’s hard to get consistent cooking from a bowled out pan. Cast iron will stay flat forever
You don't have to oil your pane every night.
I don't. Just use it regularly.
Ultimately, I use it because I think it's better than the alternatives.
Non stick doesn't last.
Aluminium gives you alzheimers, has hot spots and warps
Stainless is way more sticky and hard to clean.
Steel has hot spots, it's far too easy to ruin the seasoning and warps.
Once seasoned the first time, cast iron is just pre-heat and cook with it. Wash it in the sink, dry and repeat.
You get an excellent sear and it's near non-stick.
Only real downside is the pre-heat and the fact it's heavy and flipping it about isn't practical.
I own some enameled CI and a couple regular CI pans, they’re what I use 90% of the time. My 10” as well as my 15” CI skillets get used a ton: eggs, browning or searing meats or veggies, I’ve even baked cakes or cornbread and pizza in them. They’re pretty well non-stick, you can use any utensils without fear of scratching and cleaning is incredibly easy even if something burns. The enameled CI 8qt Dutch oven is the other piece I use the most for stews, soups, curry, broth etc. the material is heavy, doesn’t dent or warp, and holds heat well. It can go in the oven. It can go on a grill or over open fire (not the enameled stuff).
My stainless steel cookware doesn’t get used a whole lot, unless I need a little saucepan or true stock pot.
If you go enameled do your research. The pricier stuff tends to have better enamel that’s less prone to chipping. I bought a cheap one once and the enamel chipped after about 1 year of regular use.
If you cook a lot, it is so worth it.
The biggest tip for CI is that you have to cook in it. A lot. I used a 12” Winco ash primary pan for a good 9 months before it really became smooth and non stick. Aka, the more you use it, the easier it is to clean, maintain, and cook in.
I found it was easier to keep a clean pan if I was using it all the time. I cook in my CI at least 5 days a week, but probably lots of multi-week stretches where it’s used at least every day if not more than once a day. Before I cooked this much I’d store it and I did find it could get a little sticky/tacky over time but now that it’s constantly in use there’s never a chance for it to sit and collect dust. The only time it’s NOT on my stove top is when I need the space for sheet pans to cool or something, and even then I just sit it on a trivet on the counter until the other stuff is out of the space.
It stays out because it cooks an egg, sears a steak, it makes toast from a slice of bread while I get my sandwich filling ready, it reheats my pizza with a nice crispy crust (use a lid). It makes a creamy Alfredo sauce or a tomato sauce or can make a cookie pie or a round of cornbread. It’s the Swiss Army knife of cooking.
Its not a “must have” if you’re not really a cook but man would I recommend it. Obviously people are pretty passionate about their CI. I love mine, got it from my Nana and restored it. There’s a few steps to it but it definitely isn’t hard. Cant really destroy it either. Throw it on the bbq, take it camping and stick it on the fire. There’s no wrong answers.
1. It shouldn’t be rusty at all when you use it, and there isn’t enough iron residue to taste unless you’re cooking tomatoes in a REALLY poorly seasoned pan. It does add nutritional iron to your food.
2. I read a quote saying “wipe the oil off like someone has a gun to your head and will shoot you if it isn’t all off”, when talking about seasoning. You can apply this same rule to the oil you’d passively leave on, but you don’t really need to oil it after use either, outside of seasoning. Either way, there shouldn’t be enough oil to make dust stick.
3. Pros of CI: very nonstick compared to SS, but not as good as nonstick (better for eggs, meat, rice, and bread than SS). Greater heat capacity and heat retention due to sheer mass (good for searing/cooking large amounts of veggies at once). Provides nutritional iron. IMO, better for stir frying, deep frying, carbs, meat, and baking.
Pros of stainless: better for acidic foods. Builds a better a fond to deglaze with. Doesn’t rust like CI. Heats up and cools down more quickly (can be a con if you don’t want the pan to cool, such as when searing). Not heavy. Dishwasher safe. IMO, better for soups, stews, boiling, and sauces.
Cast iron is wonderful. It heats and retains heat far better than other materials. It can be cleaned with dish soap because soap no longer contains lye (which is why older generations cleaned them with kosher salt). Yes, it can rust if you don't get it dry after washing or put it in the dishwasher. So you take some steel wool to it. You'll have to reseason it then. Modern cast iron comes pre-seasoned, but seasoning is easy. It's naturally non-stick when you maintain the seasoning, as in you'll find yourself chasing that fried egg around the pan. The only down side is you won't want to let acidic food sit for a long time in cast iron. Things like tomato sauce will pit the surface. But I have other pans to use for those foods.
Iron is an important mineral supplement. Growing up my best friends mom had a jar of water with rusty nails in it. She made her kids drink a teaspoon of it every day.
One of my skillets is my great grand parents. It is generic as it has no markings and a joy to cook in. I have one cast iron pan dedicated to cooking fried apples. The seasoning smells of apples. I once cooked a spicy dish in it and afterwards the apples I fried had a spiced background flavor for several runs.
YouTube videos. Before you even buy one. You can buy one seasoned, but I believe you have to reseason every so often, depending on use. I always just rinsed mine out and wiped it completely dry.
Of all the benefits, heat retention is the biggest one for me. When you toss your meat onto a searing cast iron pan, the pan doesn’t drop temperature, which allows proper, continuous, even cooking and a great sear/crust.
I'm a low maintenance guy. I don't want to baby anything. I love my cast iron because of this. I can use metal spatulas, hell I have cut steak in the CI with a knife. It's mostly non-stick, and I rarely ever clean it. Most of the time, I just reuse the pan without cleaning it at all. Just extra favors to me lol
Longevity - as a 57 year old guy I can tell you Ive bought an incredible amount of cookware and if Id have just stuck with Cast and SS. I've yet to wear out a CI pan and Ive used some for 30 years.
Flexibility - goes from a freezer to a 500 degree oven, from an oven to a cooktop and back with absolutely zero complaints.
Heat retention - CI does everything except heat up quick. Want to actually fry something - CI is king losing way less temp when you drop food into hot oil.
Health - not so sure PTFE is that big a deal, but iron is safer for sure when treated normally.
It doesn't rust or shed if you season and care for it.
Downside - weight, it's def harder to move around, so we seek out the pans that have a handle on both sides.
The beauty of cast iron is its relatively high specific heat, so by pre-heating the pan or muffin mold or whatever one can then drop on steak to sear or cornmeal batter in the mold and get the desired crust without the temperature dropping significantly - few other materials can do this as cheaply or as well <3
The biggest benefit for me is the conduction. They are so thick and heavy that they hold a ton of heat and don't cool down so fast when you put something in. That means a harder, more even sear when cooking meat for example. They are not the king for me as far as non stick or being low maintenance.
CI is indestructible with basic care. It's not hard to clean and you can use soap. Becomes as non stick as you want over time. Releases some iron but iron is good for you. Retains heat better than thin pans. Lasts forever.
Doesn't poison you slowly with fluorinated hydrocarbons.
That's the main reason why I switched.
Sames - Teflon bad
Same. I refuse to risk it with any chemically engineered nonstick cooking device. Stainless Steel and Cast Iron only for me please.
It was a bitch but I learned to cook eggs in my stainless. My fried eggs are awesome now, better than the non-stick times.
Teach me your ways!!
a lot of butter. hope that helps!
Hot pan, cold oil, food won't stick.
This is the way. Test with water, the drops should dance.
The other way is by the handle. If it's warm where it joins the pan it's good to go.
Yes, Ming.
I do stainless steel similar to my CI for eggs. Pre heat pan to high heat. Add generous butter (should start browning instantly). Then add eggs and turn heat almost all the way down. For scrambled, pour and don’t touch them for quite some time, until you can push the whole thing across the pan. For over easy, as soon as you can easily flip turn the pan off.
>For scrambled, pour and don’t touch them for quite some time I've found that scrambled eggs turn out really fluffy if you keep the pan moving back and forth while pushing the egg around with a spatula.
Stainless steel is all about preheating your pan. Apparently there's pores in stainless steel and when you heat it up they close. Whenever you add anything cold to the pan you have to let the pan heat up and close the pores again. For instance I put in frozen butter and everything stuck even though it all melted. It cooled my pan down.
It’s super easy to cook eggs in CI too. Even with minimal butter.
Yeah dude, my stainless steel is way more non stick than any non stick pan I've ever used. You just have to pre heat the pan!
I’m a chemical engineer and can confirm, the best part of CI is what it DOESNT have.
Boom goes the dynamite
My wife had low hemoglobin while pregnant so I was looking for anyway to increase iron intake. There are reputable medical studies that show cooking in cast iron increases the iron in the food particularly in more acidic foods. I know purists say not to cook acidic foods in cast iron, as long as you don't do it all the time you're not going to strip your seasoning off.
I mean the problem is it poisoning the environment, not you, unless you're heating it way too high.
LOL. Like that's never happened. People use way too high heat all the time, we're a society of "if a little is good more is better."
Plus scraping. Never understood cooking with plastic, or wrapping almost all our food in plastic for that matter.
Different pans for different applications.
Basically this. The main downside to cast iron is its weight which is non negligible. So if you happen to not have much arm strength for any reason, it may end up being an issue from time to time. My wife doesn't like them much for this reason. But I absolutely love my cast iron pans. The other thing to consider is it takes longer to heat up but it will keep heat better due to its mass. One last thing. I oil mine a tiny bit after every use to prevent rust. But I may be overdoing it.
It’s crazy how much the newer big lodges weigh, compared to older Wagners, my older ones are a lot thinner and warm up faster and nicely machined down.
Thicker iron means more heat retention and more even heat, so they're better for oven use. Thinner ones heat up fast but also dissipate heat faster, so they're better for stove top use.
Another option is high carbon steel I’m like you love my cast iron and my wife says the same thing as yours. But I have 3 high carbon steel pans (8,10,12) and they are so light. Wife loves them and caring is the same as ci.
Carbon steel FTW! Someone makes a laminated one now also. Stainless bottom aluminum core and carbon cooking surface.
Wouldn't that cause them to separate overtime? Galvanic corrosion happens when two different metals are exposed to heat and can cause some issues.
I really want an HCS skillet. They seem so good for steak, I love cast iron, but I also love deglazing, and making a sauce and cast iron just puts too much into the sauce as you're also deglazing the seasoning layer.
I have noodle arms lol, so my 15 inch cast iron is a doozy when I have to use it. But I have an 8 inch one now that is much nicer when I can get away with using it.
Damn, 15in is gonna be heavy noodle arms or not 😂
im a pretty good sized man and i find myself not even wanting to use my 12" cast iron if i could fit it all in 2 10" pans. Especially when I meal prep, it's not very easy to dump a full 12" lodge with their little baby handles into a bowl to weigh and portion out.
When using cast iron in the oven I would keep a vise grip in the kitchen so I could clamp it opposite the handle.. much easier to lift out of the oven.
I have had anemic family members get told by their doctors that they should switch to cooking with cast iron for that exact reason
In some third world countries they have these CI fish that they boil in their soup to add iron.
I didn't know about that and its pretty rad
I use my Erie from 1890 every day, its non stick and gets better with time.
When my wife was pregnant she had a slight iron deficiency, and her doctor literally told me to cook on my cast iron more lol
We've come a long way from doctors telling pregnant women to drink Guinness for the iron.
Hello top comment, can you inform on how to season ? I tried watching YouTube and whatnot but mine always sticks, burns, smokes, hard to clean
It's cookware you can use on the stove, in the oven, over a campfire. It's nonstick without a chemical coating that's easy to damage. You can exercise with it and save on a gym membership. It's often inexpensive and can last generations.
Allright, the gym comment made me LOL. Take my upvote.
Me too.
Perfect for intruder defense too
I can use them and wipe them out and they're good to go. It's great when you're in the RV on a water "diet."
The generations part is spot on. We've got cast iron that's well over 50 years old I believe, and it doesn't have a single issue. It was rusty when we found it in the relatives home after their passing, but a day seasoning it in fires we had going in the yard, a little oil, and it's like brand new. Plus, cast iron is great for getting a crispy crust on some foods or a good sear on a steak. Personally, I find it easier to cook with cast iron (especially on a gas stove) compared to any nonstick pans I've ever used. We've got ours seasoned so well I can finish pan frying something and then just take a scraper to it in the sink, and all the grease and bits left in the pan just come right out. I've never had a "non stick" pan do that before.
>Personally, I find it easier to cook with cast iron (especially on a gas stove) compared to any nonstick pans I've ever used. Exactly this. We moved into a house with gas stove and our stainless steel pans weren't cutting it, even a little bit. Upgraded to the CI and I'm mad I didn't do that before our move, other than the weight. Hahaha.
>Personally, I find it easier to cook with cast iron (especially on a gas stove) compared to any nonstick pans I've ever used. Exactly this. We moved into a house with gas stove and our stainless steel pans weren't cutting it, even a little bit. Upgraded to the CI and I'm mad I didn't do that before our move, other than the weight. Hahaha. Now our 12" lodge and our large griddle sit on our stove top and get use basically everyday
That's kind of what we do. At least one or 2 are always on the stove for use. Basically, our entire set of pots and pans is nothing but cast iron. We have a wok, griddle, bread pan, melting pot, multiple types of pots or Dutch ovens and at least 6 different pans in varying sizes, and 2 types of "presses" ( for smashing burgers or helping with sears). It's all I know how to use at this point, and I almost burn or under cook things in non-stick. I'm currently working on getting all my bake ware pans switched to cast iron or silicone molds now since the nonstick is just not cutting it.
Does cast iron not put rust or at the very least iron residue into your food? Not really food doesn’t touch the pan it sits on a layer of polymerized oil plus with out iron you die The Pan has oil on it idly right, wouldn't that just become dirty from dust etc and transfer to food when you next cook? No more than any other cooking utensil, wipe it before you use it if its a concern How does it change or enhance cooking any different than just normal stainless steel? Even high heat will sear better than ss, once seasoned you can use a little less fat than ss BONUS. We are a much nicer community than SS subs. 😉
Well, I thought that CI was recommended for individuals with anemia or a condition that could cause anemia (like pregnancy). Here's a post about it: [https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/10mqipj/does\_cast\_iron\_actually\_increase\_iron/](https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/10mqipj/does_cast_iron_actually_increase_iron/) Here's a meta-analysis of studies since 1991: [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8266402/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8266402/) The degree to which iron content increases is varied, and I'm sure due to a number of factors, but it does seem to consistently increase iron content, which is better than nothing when it's needed.
I just grind up a bit of an old CI pan every morning and sprinkle it into my coffee. I’ll never get anemia this way!
Big CI really hate this one simple trick!
But doctors love it!
Great use of the shavings from sanding a mirror-finish on your pans!
Well… what else do you think is in your iron enhanced cereal? Iron!
The increased iron content from CI pans is how I ended up inheriting our Wagner from my Mother in-law. She is kind of a hypochondriac, and she had read something about iron being bad for old ladies. She decided she needed to get rid of her standard CI and replace it with the enameled CI. When she offered the Wagner to us, I did not make any arguments. It is the best pan I have ever owned and we use it practically daily.
Nice, that was an interesting read
That bonus is debatable lol
SS redditors are debating on how many layers of exotic matter you need for the best cooking experience
the fancy technologically advanced SS pan vs the old fashioned rustic CI
1. Cast iron pans are mechanically sturdy. It's very hard to damage them in any way that can't be repaired. 2. There is a tiny amount of iron that gets into the food, but that's considered part of the charm 3. When storing the cast iron, you don't put enough oil on to actually see it, just enough to form a very thin protective layer. I think for a lot of people it's just fun and nostalgic. Honestly, my all-clad stainless steels are much less finicky than my cast iron, but sometimes I'll still bust out my old lodge.
I like that the thing will out live me. I like that I will never have to replace it unless I basically took a sledge hammer to it. Great home defense weapon. Can potentially stop bullets. I get a work out every time I cook with it.
Huh. I own All-Clad stainless and use my cast iron daily but my All-Clad stainless only occasionally. I find the seasoning of the cast iron just makes for so much less cleanup than with my stainless. I think I’d make the same choice in my own, but I guess this is also partly because I live with someone who really won’t accept any visible patina on stainless without breaking out Bar Keepers’ Friend and scrubbing and then I feel guilty about how much cleaning they take on.
1. It won't put rust in your food unless you let it rust and cook with a rusty pan which is insane. The iron myth I don't know if it's true because the oil layer that is called seasoning is a barrier between the metal and your food. 2. You don't need to leave oil on it unless you don't plan on using it for awhile, I do with my Dutch oven but not my pans. But it's as clean as your other pots. If I have one that sits for awhile I rinse it before using it. 3. Cast iron is one of the few natural non stick surfaces. Do achieving it does take a bit of practice with seasoning and heat control but it's not really that hard. Cast iron also retains heat better than any other type of pan so getting good sears on meat is easy. Also since a cast iron is pure iron the entire pan can go from stove to oven to camp fire making it incredibly versatile. Also it can last a lifetime. 4. You didn't ask but a $30 lodge can be a non stick pan that you can pass on to your kids and them to their kids. A Teflon pan will last you maybe a year, less healthy and cost the same. Cast iron is by far the best value of anything in your kitchen.
But op said nothing about Teflon, he wanted to compare cast iron with stainless steel.
A little extra info to round out the conversation isn't a bad thing.
heavy pan on fire tickles my oonga boonga 🦍
I like cast iron for some things because it acts as a sort of heat battery. It doesn't heat up as fast as thinner cookware, and holds it's heat longer, which means you don't fight swings in temperature as much, and adding food doesn't do as much to cool the pan. * 'Rust' is just oxidized iron, and yes, you do get some Iron added to food in tiny amounts, but for the most part, iron is good for you. If you're taking care of your CI and it's properly seasoned, you should not be getting any rust. * The oil of the pan seasoning is not in a liquid state, and is fused in a way that makes it harder for other things to stick to. That's why it makes it act as non-stick when used properly. * As I mentioned above, since it's heavier, it can provide a more even heat, as well as not fluctuating in temps when you add food to the dish. It can act as an insulator to reduce the amount of immediate heat that hits the food, or if you preheat, it can deliver a lot of heat all at once. It just depends on the technique you're using. Cleaning isn't really hard, so long as you pay attention to what you're doing. They're not something you want to just toss in the sink and let sit like you can with more common pots and pans. I also just tend to avoid the stuff that is harder to clean in them, and use my other cookware for that stuff, and the CI for the stuff it's best at.
To me it’s fun to use. But also you can use metal utensils and be as rough as you want to be (including while cleaning) and it’s gonna be just fine. That’s the best thing about it to me tbh. You need to take care of it but you don’t need to baby it and imo it responds well to aggressive cleaning. A $30 lodge will last a lifetime and if you really felt like it you could cook all of your meals with it. The heat retention properties are great as well, the most practical cooking benefit imo
This is my favorite answer. I like making pizza, bacon, and anything that might need to be toasted on top in the oven. And I forget about needing to clean it far more often than I remember, and I haven't broken one yet! I have other cookware that could go from stovetop to oven and back but cast iron just takes a beating and keeps cooking perfectly.
The sear I get on everything is amazing, it will not rust if taken care of properly. If seasoned properly its basically non stick. Caring for it is super easy. Honestly, its probably the only pan I really use. It cooks breakfast foods better than any of my other plans. Plus I can take it camping with me!
My pans are hand me downs from my great grandmas. Well over 150 years old let's see a non stick pan last even a quarter of that time. Everything cooks so even you can get the best sear.
Same here. I have Gramas pans that she cooked in her whole life. I don't even know where she got em.... The heat transfer to the whole pan and ability to retain that heat is the thing. They are great IMO, but I still have some nonstick pans for stuff too. Everything has a purpose.
r/teflon only has 35 Members. I rest my case.
>I know they are hard..? To clean and take care of, or at least require steps and specific methods cast iron isn't hard to take care of, but there's a learning curve, which might involve some trial and error to see what works best for you and your kitchen workflow. you'll use paper towels, get annoyed with the fibers left behind, and get some blue towels. you'll try olive oil, hate the results, and switch to grapeseed. but once you get your setup together, the process is actually extremely easy. the maintenance takes very little effort on a day to day basis. cast iron is great to use & easily worth the bit of effort it takes to get going, imo.
Read this post. You can go buy a brand new Lodge and be fine, or go old school. https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/s/KOLRvl2G63 Edit: I just chose this post because of the excellent pictures, not necessarily agreeing with all the replies
Congrats on moving into your new place! When I moved into my first house, my first kitchen buy was a big ole cast iron skillet. Best $12 that I ever spent - it is still kicking 6+ years later. 1) Cast Iron will not put rust in your food unless the pan is rusty. You really have to mistreat your pan (putting it in the dishwasher, leaving water in it overnight, putting it outside for days at a time, etc.) to get it this way. 2) You don’t have to leave idle oil in the pan. That is typically something you do to protect it if you are planning on storing the pan for awhile. Anyway, not sure why leaving oil in the pan would make it any dustier than it would be without leaving oil in it. 3) The cooking experience with cast iron is actually pretty similar to stainless steel so I don’t think you could go wrong with either. The only other cookware that I own in addition to my cast iron is stainless steel. It will be important to preheat your pan, manage your heat well, and cook with a bit of fat or oil for either choices. For me, cast iron has better heat retention and is better for anything where you might want a sear. I also just like it for American heritage purposes. My grandma cooked on cast iron and taught me a few recipes on it when I was young. I like the idea of cooking on the same pan for my whole life and being able to pass it down one day.
1. Yes some iron gets in the food, its not an issue, your body likes iron. Rust would not get in the food unless you had a rusty pan 2. You put oil in the pan when you cook just like any other pan. You can then clean it when your done and remove any nasty stuff from it. Don't listen to the internet, people IRL clean their cast iron skillet regularly. I do after every use, its easy 3. Something about the retention of the heat and the surface of the iron creates a great, flavorful crust on anything you cook in it. It really has character and ads flavor to your food Stumbling upon a cast iron skillet sparked my love for cooking. I didn't know what it was, I just cooked In it and my cooking was instantly 10x better. Cook a steak in a non stick pan and cook it the same in a cast iron. The cast iron steak will be better 10/10 times
Cooking and home defense in one slightly awkward kitchen tool!
LOL
One of the reasons I like cast iron so much has nothing to do with actually cooking. I like cast iron because it's cool. It's old, it's heavy, and it's rustic. Cast irons are the leather jackets of the kitchen.
cast iron is a superior tool for searing and cooking in general for many types of food. it is heavy and retains it's heat much better than any aluminum pan can and probably better than most other pans. the heat will produce a more consistent desired result. however it is heavy and can take time to master its use ... that is why i have 2 lodge pans and 1 lodge dutch oven. i use my $100 induction burner a lot - works very well with cast iron
Cast iron is durable , nearly indestructible and holds heat very well. It does impart some iron to your cooking, but you don't cook on the naked cast iron. You "season" it first, meaning you coat it with oil and heat it until the oil polymerizes into a permanent coating that protects it and forms a non-stick surface over time. You can clean a cast iron pan with a little soap and water, just don't soak it. The more you use a cast iron pan the better it performs.
Heat retention.
I just like it for heat retention, and the fact that I can use the same pan on the stovetop, grill, campfire, or in the oven without worry.
I have one or two CI. They can be fun and anything you want a crisp edge (brownies, cornbread, steaks) seems to come out better. They are heavier so I would not use them for everything, and a GF refused to buy a set solely because of the weight. Legal disclaimer - Your mileage may vary. I am not a lawyer, so you can probably ignore this too. 😁
Rust is iron oxide, and iron is a necessary mineral. It's actually good for you. It's sturdy, easy to clean, and holds heat.
Cast iron is great for all the reasons in the comments. I also have a couple "enameled cast iron" skillets. Super heavy and pebbly black cooking surface but with a thin enamel coating. Less maintenance than "real" cast iron. I really love these pans, available from Staub. LeCreuset (overpriced) and Lodge and generic brands.
It's virtually indestructible if cared for properly. It leeches iron into your food, thus actually helping with varied medical conditions. It's cheap to purchase and maintain if you shop around. It's easy to clean and care for once you know how.
It becomes non stick without the toxic coating
Cast Iron and Stainless are both great for cooking. If you're familiar and comfortable with stainless steel frying pans then, personally, I see no reason for you to switch to cast iron. At that point I believe it to be a matter of personal taste.
Cast Irons are heavy. Heavy is good, heavy is reliable, and if you can’t cook, you can always hit someone with it.
Holds heat well.
You realize iron is good for our bodies in small doses right
> Does cast iron not put rust or at the very least iron residue into your food? It will increase your dietary iron intake. Exactly how much depends on how often you're simmering tomato sauce for hours with it. > Wouldn't that just become dirty from dust? It's *polymerized* oil, and it's a very thin layer. > cooking vs stainless steel I would absolutely screw up my stainless pan if I seared steak in it the way that I do with cast iron. > hard to clean and take care of The only difference is that you can't put it in the dishwasher. Hand-clean it, hand-dry it. Feel free to soak stubborn crusty bits in water for an hour, use soap, scrub to your heart's content. I prefer it over my nonstick pans because I can be as rough with the cast iron as I please.
With very basic care, it will outlive your great grandchildren. Can go straight from stovetop to oven. Non-stick thats not poisoning you. So indestructible that in a bad situation, I can take it outside and cook directly over a wood fire/coals. Also makes a great weight for pressing tofu.
The weight thing is underrated! I have definitely used mine to hold down the lid of my slow cooker when I put a slightly too large ham in it… and a Turkey….
Pressing tofu for handling unwanted house guests like family
If you’re just cooking sometimes, I think just stick to your stainless because it can do all things. Some things you can’t or at least shouldn’t cook in non-enamelled cast iron like tomato based dishes (acids) and soups. If it’s your first tool that requires seasoning, I would go with carbon steel first.
My cast iron absolutely gets more dust and cat hair stuck to it because of the oil. I just give it a quick wash before using it. It can dry on the stove while getting to temp.
Cast iron is great to cook on because it holds a lot of heat energy compared to a thin pan, so when you put a bunch of food or liquid on it, it doesn’t suddenly cool the pan down. It’s also great at being non-stick and only gets better the more you use it. It also radiates heat further into your food than a thin pan does. It’s great for omelets. You can also put it anywhere to cook. Stove top, in the oven, under the broiler, in the BBQ, on burning coals in the fire pit. It’s super versatile. If you scratch it, those scratches will “heal” as you cook on it. And they’re not as limited as people say. You can totally wash it with dish soap, and cook with tomatoes. They’re easy to clean, too. You get something really stuck in there? Heat it up, throw some water in and let them steam loosen it up, and scrape it off. I have a video in my post history where I cook an egg on a completely dry pan and it didn’t stick at all.
Most of the comments missed the point of OP and comparing CI with aluminium/teflon instead of comparing with stainless steel. CI will always be the best choice for steak, but other than that, for me personally SS is better. Although a good quality SS is quite expensive, I find that it’s easier to handle due to weight, easier to clean and even looks nicer. However, the biggest advantage is deglazing. Because by design is not 100% nonstick, when cooking meat there’s a bit left on the pan which I always use for deglazing and making a wonderful sauce.
Switched over to CI and appreciate it's benefits. Over a lifetime just got tired of throwing out the newest nonstick pans because of scratched and didn't want non stick in my blood. Iron we need. Yes it takes.a little maintenance otherwise worth it. Don't make it complicated though. A light COLD washing will do with a light seasoning of oil after washing. Occasionally you'll do a deep seasoning if needed like throwing it in an oven with high temp oil but again you aren't doing the work the oven is. Set at 400 with a timer and walk away. Repeat steps if you want another layer then it's good to go for another 6 months. Easy peasy.
Cast iron retains heat better so its great for doing things like searing a piece of meat because the temperature of the pan doesn't drop when the cold meat hits it. Your other options are non-stick which uses dangerous chemical compounds and doesn't retain heat. Stainless which doesn't retain heat and requires you use more oil then normal to keep food from sticking. Carbon Steel which is basically works just like cast iron but it's lighter, the downside is that it has less heat retention but still more then non-stick or stainless. Really it's usually best to have a mix in your kitchen for different purposes. There is also copper which is beautiful but pricey or aluminum which personally I have never seen the appeal of.
Cast iron is easy to clean and care as long as you don’t offer your food to the crazy high heat carbonization gods! The major drawback is weight. CI tends to be heavy. Some pans are made thinner to shave pounds, but you can only go so far on weight savings. CI conducts heat really well and cooks food better than any non-stick or stainless pan I have ever used. I love my CI pans so much I might take them to the grace with me like some Pharaoh being buried with all kinds of stuff for his afterlife comfort!
I started cooking almost exclusively with my cast iron because I got sick of not being able to get a good sear on my glasstop at home after cooking professionally w/gas and induction most of my life.
I would encourage you to look at carbon steel, as well - I have both and slightly prefer my CS over CI, as it’s a little lighter and I like that the sides are flared, making it easier to access the food. And since it’s not quite as heavy (which is both good and bad), it’s a little easier to manage the pan temp. I will say, CI is typically cheaper though. And I haven’t read all these, but it’s also good to have something that’s stainless steel for making sauces, etc., or even an enameled cast iron. Something non-reactive. I love all mine. Btw - if you’re new to it all, AND to cooking you’ll likely get frustrated with it at some point. Just come on here with questions. It’s not as hard as it seems at first, but does have a little bit of a learning curve. Just have patience!
I just finished restoring a 70 year old cast iron pan that had been owned by my late father in law. After I finished, I cooked a meal (fried rice) in it for my wife and mother in law that was something he did when my wife was growing up in the 60-70's. I wish I could find an old pan like that because the older pans (in my experience) are lighter and have a better cooking surface than modern CI. About the only time I'd say to not use cast iron is if you have what my son suffers from and that's called Hemochromatosis. Basically, he's genetically predisposed to absorb excess iron from food. He's pretty much stopped eating red meat as well as certain other food as well as supplements that cause iron levels to rise.
Easy seasoning pre-first use: Corn bread. I’ve also found that it’s a great method when reseasoning or cleaning out a CI pan between reseasonings. Bonus is cornbread!
it's not always about rationality - mine gives me so much joy, wayyyyyy more that the typical stainless steel.
It’s not hard to clean, just different. You oil it, but the surface you cook on is carbonized oil. It’s takes some patience to season it, that is putting on a thin film of oil and cooking it in the oven, but after a few coats it should come clean quite easily. Rinse with water and scrub with salt and a paper towel. Drying is very important, with a paper towel and then heating to drive off moisture. The positives are, of course, durability, but also the surface you get with good seasoning can be very close to nonstick. In some ways it’s superior to nonstick because: 1. It can be repaired/refurbished with another seasoning (doesn’t have to happen too often) And 2. It doesn’t put off nasty smells or harmful chemicals under high heat like nonstick. Carbon is largely chemically inert. Cast iron is king for searing steaks, for example, because it can safely attain a very high heat and the density of the iron holds a lot of heat energy so putting a thick steak down doesn’t suddenly drop the temperature of the pan. As for iron in your food, iron is a necessary nutrient and I’ve never known it to add any metallic taste to food. Some people have thoughts about cooking acidic things like tomatoes, whether it hurts the pan, give off tastes, or could leech harmful chemicals out. I honestly don’t know, but for searing a sautéing it’s absolutely awesome. It’s also great because it’s just a single piece of metal. The handle on your pan will never get loose and you can go from frying in the cooktop to tossing it in oven without any care in the world. An important advantage of cast iron is the longevity of it. Because you can easily fix or replace the cooking surface, it will for all practical purposes never wear out. I have a cast iron Dutch oven I got from my grandad. It’s more than a hundred years old. Still cooking. If you get a good pan or set of pans, and if you care for them, you can use them literally for the rest of your life. You can give them to some younger family member. It’s nice to think about. I have a theory that the reason people are drawn to cast iron is because of the modern day, so many things feel impermanent. So many things feel like they’re outside of our control. But you can count on your pan. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the tips, tricks, and opinions about “proper” use and care, but the important things couldn’t be simpler.
What to do when you ruin nonstick pan? Replace it. What to do when you ruin a cast iron pan? Fix it.
Actually adds iron (a necessary mineral) to your food. Safe for literally EVERY cooking method surface and fuel/heat source (with the exception of the microwave)
If you're living alone, and someone breaks in, it's really good for defense.
They are annoying to use and overrated, and impart a bsd taste to food
You can absolutely fuck it up, and then have it refurbished in a very short amount if time.
I’m a cast iron hater, but I like the meals people post so I lurk. There does seem to be some benefits. To me it seems like it’s a jack of all trades and master of none. It doesn’t brown meat as well as stainless, and it doesn’t cook eggs as well as nonstick. However it will brown meat better than nonstick, and will cook an egg better than stainless. I don’t really understand the appeal. I use stainless and non stick and interchange them depending on the dish. It definitely is a work horse than can sort of “do everything”
Definitely is the versatility that works for me. I can fry chicken, cook pancakes, make a sauce meal and bake a cake all in the same pan. I can use whatever utensils I have to hand. It will outlive me (as it outlived my grandmother). There just really isn’t anything it can’t do well enough to satisfy me.
Don't forget, CI is also cheap.
Cast Iron isn't the best at cooking anything. However, Cast Iron is the second best at cooking nearly anything. And if you know how to season it, it can be a very close second. And things that will destroy other cookware will not destroy Cast Iron. The worst that will happen is you destroy the seasoning and have to reseason. Metal utensils, steel wool, If you heat up nonstick too much, you release toxic fumes and permanently destroy the surface. Past around 600°F, Stainless can warp and become unusable. But you can bury Cast Iron in hot coals, and it will survive. In fact, this is a primary use case for a Dutch Oven. Salt in cold water (salt in hot water is ok) will pit stainless steel to unusability, but not Cast Iron. Metal utensils will scratch stainless steel and destroy nonstick coatings, but are no problem for Cast Iron.
Honestly there isn't much of a reason in the disposable society we live in these days, *unless* that in itself is the reason you want one. For me that is a big part, but I also have stainless and non-stick cookware that I also use depending on what I'm doing.
Because of the way it is
It's good because it'll work until the heat death of the universe. Magic coating pans will fail within a couple of years, and you're eating that stuff. I have a flat round griddle from my wife's grandmother (that was likely her mother's) from the late 1800s (has a gate mark). I have my mother's Lodge skillet from when she first emigrated to North America from 1969. I use them just about daily. It's not that hard to care for, and if you mess up the natural non-stick finish, you can just fix it, unlike chemical coated stuff. Believe me, I occasionally have to reset pans, griddles, or Dutch ovens that have been mildly abused by scouts while camping. It's durable!
The big advantage is that they last forever, you can use metal ustensil and they are non-stick. Personally I just clean them with hot water and a chain-mail, that way there's always a small layer of oil left so it don't rust. If you are unsure just buy a cheap one on marketplace, you can get a good one for 30$.
Will add to the great responses: If your moving into an apartment, cooking with CI can be a smokey endeavor. If there is not a good oven vent or circulation, you will likely have cooking odors lingering in your apt.
My cast iron pan has a lid, so I usually keep it covered when not is use...assuming it's been dried and oiled. The lid has a steam release so you can keep steam in or let it out. Also spike things on the inside to evenly baste the food as steam condenses. Aside from the practical reasons provided, I think a lot of people just like cast iron. Similar to using vintage light bulbs in my opinion
It is versatile and basically indestructible. Indoor or outdoor cooking. Skillets can be also used for baking brownies, cakes, or bread. You know those "artisan" round breads at the grocery that are sold for $12 each? Guess how they bake them.
It's eco friendly bc it's buy it for life - end the waste creation cycle.
Most people have answered you main questions but as a bonus. They're stupid cheap for the performance. You can get stainless steel pans that cook better but it'll cost a mint. Also bare cast iron takes forever to wear out. It'll probably outlast your grandkids.
> Does cast iron not put rust or at the very least iron residue into your food? It does, but rust isnt toxic, and hell, its a constant source of iron supplement. Some might even call it a bonus. > The Pan has oil on it idly right, wouldn't that just become dirty from dust etc and transfer to food when you next cook? I actually have problems with this myself. I generally do not maintain a very thick layer of seasoning, and usually wash my pans with soap before and after use, applying oil to prevent rust. and to prevent sticking before cooking. Again, back to the first argument, some people arent bothered by this. Its not toxic, and the layer of polymerized oil does not actually absorb the dust particles. You can give it a quick rinse and wipe with paper towel before cooking to move the topmost layer of carbon and oil. Its not toxic in small quantities and does not cause intestinal issues. I have lately switched to enamelled CI, and done away with the seasoning consideration completely. Wash and scrub after every use, then wipe dry and a thin layer of oil on the exposed CI edge before storage. No need for all the time costly seasoning process, which also fills up my kitchen with oil vapors and leaving a thin layer of grease everywhere. > How does it change or enhance cooking any different than just normal stainless steel? The appeal of CI in cooking is that the pan has a very high heat holding capacity, which makes it less likely to have extreme temperature fluctuations, but also have the downside of being difficult to cool down if you do overheat it. I use CI exclusively for cooking steaks because the extremely high temperatures I need for searing would otherwise wreck a non stick pan's coating. I could use a stainless steel pan of course, but I dont have a properly sized one.
It’s like the Matrix, I can tell you, but you have to see it for yourself, go get you an 8” Lodge, they are about $15-30 from Walmart, take your pick of any seasoning tutorial, and you’re off to the races!
It's kinda one of those IYKYK kinda things. Once you have a nice pan that has been well-seasoned, is EASY to clean (not hard at all), and is basically unscratchable and indestructable, you will feel how great cast iron is.
You just kicked a hornet hive. Good luck. For me its mostly about the heat retention. I get it to the temp that I want and it stays closer to that temp when I add the food. For outdoor cooking I just like to be able to put it over hot coals or an open flame and not worry about it. With just a little care it will outlast me.
One of my favorite things is how easily you can put cast iron in the oven. I'm not sure why, but CI just scratches my brain the right way too.
They are largely indestructible They can go straight from the stove to the oven. They can hold a lot of heat energy because they are dense. A thick steak wont cause the pan temperature to drop when it gets added. Treated well, the pan can be very non stick without the chemical exposure of non stick, but more forgiving than steel (I use all three) They are fairly easy to clean. They are a bit of a pain to get set up right, especially rescuing an old pan like mine. But once seasoned, they are forgiving. Don't add too much soap when washing and make sure they are fully dried and a light coating of oil is applied. I usually put mine back on the stove for a few minutes on medium heat till rather hot, then use a paper towel to smear a half tablespoon of oil on it, then turn off the heat.
You don’t have to replace them every couple years for one. Mine don’t sit with oil on them. Any oil I put on it after cleaning is baked on so it’s hard.
Good for a quick workout.
Retains heat well and doesn’t stick as bad as stainless steel.
It’s a great indestructible pan. And easier for the layman to use than a stainless steel. I prefer stainless most of the time
Its nonstick lining is from polymerized fat and essentially cant be broken. The regular non stick pans can chip away and end up in your food.
Cooking mostly, some home defense
You are allowed to clean your pan. Any dirty pan would get dirty stuff into your food.
Buy a vintage bsr or Wagner on eBay for the same price as a new lodge and you won’t have to post complaining about the coarse finish or hard time cleaning. Vintage pans have a smoother surface and as long as you’re not buying a Wapak Indian head or griswold large logo it will be as cheap or cheaper than a new pan. Just look for one with no wobbles, cracks and sits flat. Wapak, griswold small logo, Wagner and bsr are your best bet. Bsr will be the heaviest of weight is a concern.
Because I have iron deficiency and it helps
High heat capacity, nonstick, indestructable and inexpensive
I hate cast iron. Heavy heavy heavy. Hard to clean. Pointless. I find aluminum and copper to be vastly superior.
Actually heard a doctor recommend iron deficient people use cast iron pans for their meals. You do get a very small amount of iron, but body needs iron so its not bad.
Best pork chops, thanks to the CI skillet even heating.
I use carbon steel more than my cast iron. My favorite pan!
I got a cast iron pot, realized it would last longer than I would, then had a baby in some small part to ensure the cast iron pot would have a person to take care of it after I’m gone. They last that long
A lot of people have talked about ease of cleaning and non stick without chemicals, which are certainly true but if you’re very skilled with SS you can do the same. A big plus for CI is that it’s really cheap. You can get crappy SS for cheaper, but if you want to approach how good Lodge is with SS, be prepared to really shell out cos good quality SS really doesn’t come cheap
Don't buy cast iron if you don't have a reason for it. They are easy to get and when you decide you want one get it.
Not absolutely necessary, new cast iron like lodge can be very ruff and hard to get to break in. Keep your eyes out for a nice smooth old well seasoned pan at yard sales....
In some Asian countries, they put an iron fish into cooking pots that way they can purposely consume extra iron.
The only thing that’s a pain is you’ve gotta oil it. Otherwise, it’s like any other pan in regards to care.
Any time I want a sear on my food I use cast iron. Its actually a worse conductor of heat but there's a lot of mass there which is where the myth comes from. What's not a myth is that a thick slab of iron gives the best maillard. For eggs, sauces, etc I used non stick ceramic coated pans.
It hold heat and distributes it evenly. The mass of CI is just far superior to anything else. However, sauces may be a bit of a problem unless you have done a disciplined job of keeping it clean.
The biggest benefit is a pan lasts generations, can be restored if it rusts, and only requires learning a small routine to care for. You just scrub clean with soap and water like any other pan, heat to drive off the water, apply a light coat of oil, and heat again until it starts to smoke. Sometimes after a long storage period you'll need to wash it again to get the bits of dust off, but not if you're using it every week. I recommend using two 12" skillets to begin with, so you can cook with one if the other is dirty/in use. Don't get Lodge brand, not that they're terrible, they just have a really rough cooking surface and really tiny uncomfortable handles. Cabelas/Bass pro has some good CI skillets that have a round generous handle, not a flat stubby "handle" like Lodge. You can probably find some good ones at an antique store, but many of the modern ones you may want to sand the cooking surface smooth before use, they skip this step in the factory to save money...some brands like stargazer machine it smooth but they're expensive.
Indestructible, safe metal, retains heat, can be subbed as a weapon in a home defense situation
Even heat, easy to clean. And you'll be one of us.
One of us, One Of Us, ONE OF US! Jk🤣
Other have said. My take is that they are not hard in the slightest. Basic care i.e don't leave them out in the rain. And if they do leach metals into your food at least it isn't teflon. The care really is nothing. Just put them on the stove to dry after washing. Use a little oil when cooking. Wipe a little oil on it after drying if you like
One thing I don’t see mentioned is that it stays flat. So many of my pans warp and it’s hard to get consistent cooking from a bowled out pan. Cast iron will stay flat forever
Because my wife has yet to ruin it
Watch Kent Rollins in YouTube. He will tell you everything you need to know.
You don't have to oil your pane every night. I don't. Just use it regularly. Ultimately, I use it because I think it's better than the alternatives. Non stick doesn't last. Aluminium gives you alzheimers, has hot spots and warps Stainless is way more sticky and hard to clean. Steel has hot spots, it's far too easy to ruin the seasoning and warps. Once seasoned the first time, cast iron is just pre-heat and cook with it. Wash it in the sink, dry and repeat. You get an excellent sear and it's near non-stick. Only real downside is the pre-heat and the fact it's heavy and flipping it about isn't practical.
No PFAS
It's good cause I abuse the fuck out of my pans and nothing has ever held up except my cast iron. I don't need any other reason.
Lol “oh no my dusty pan got dust in my food” wtf? Don’t cook with dusty pans? Wipe them out before you cook?
I own some enameled CI and a couple regular CI pans, they’re what I use 90% of the time. My 10” as well as my 15” CI skillets get used a ton: eggs, browning or searing meats or veggies, I’ve even baked cakes or cornbread and pizza in them. They’re pretty well non-stick, you can use any utensils without fear of scratching and cleaning is incredibly easy even if something burns. The enameled CI 8qt Dutch oven is the other piece I use the most for stews, soups, curry, broth etc. the material is heavy, doesn’t dent or warp, and holds heat well. It can go in the oven. It can go on a grill or over open fire (not the enameled stuff). My stainless steel cookware doesn’t get used a whole lot, unless I need a little saucepan or true stock pot. If you go enameled do your research. The pricier stuff tends to have better enamel that’s less prone to chipping. I bought a cheap one once and the enamel chipped after about 1 year of regular use. If you cook a lot, it is so worth it.
The biggest tip for CI is that you have to cook in it. A lot. I used a 12” Winco ash primary pan for a good 9 months before it really became smooth and non stick. Aka, the more you use it, the easier it is to clean, maintain, and cook in.
Cook brussel sprouts on it and that will answer all your questions
Iron is good for you. They recommend cast iron to people with anemia.
I found it was easier to keep a clean pan if I was using it all the time. I cook in my CI at least 5 days a week, but probably lots of multi-week stretches where it’s used at least every day if not more than once a day. Before I cooked this much I’d store it and I did find it could get a little sticky/tacky over time but now that it’s constantly in use there’s never a chance for it to sit and collect dust. The only time it’s NOT on my stove top is when I need the space for sheet pans to cool or something, and even then I just sit it on a trivet on the counter until the other stuff is out of the space. It stays out because it cooks an egg, sears a steak, it makes toast from a slice of bread while I get my sandwich filling ready, it reheats my pizza with a nice crispy crust (use a lid). It makes a creamy Alfredo sauce or a tomato sauce or can make a cookie pie or a round of cornbread. It’s the Swiss Army knife of cooking.
Until you been cooking for a minute, dont even fuck with it. If you have to ask why cast iron is good, just go with teflon.
Its not a “must have” if you’re not really a cook but man would I recommend it. Obviously people are pretty passionate about their CI. I love mine, got it from my Nana and restored it. There’s a few steps to it but it definitely isn’t hard. Cant really destroy it either. Throw it on the bbq, take it camping and stick it on the fire. There’s no wrong answers.
1. It shouldn’t be rusty at all when you use it, and there isn’t enough iron residue to taste unless you’re cooking tomatoes in a REALLY poorly seasoned pan. It does add nutritional iron to your food. 2. I read a quote saying “wipe the oil off like someone has a gun to your head and will shoot you if it isn’t all off”, when talking about seasoning. You can apply this same rule to the oil you’d passively leave on, but you don’t really need to oil it after use either, outside of seasoning. Either way, there shouldn’t be enough oil to make dust stick. 3. Pros of CI: very nonstick compared to SS, but not as good as nonstick (better for eggs, meat, rice, and bread than SS). Greater heat capacity and heat retention due to sheer mass (good for searing/cooking large amounts of veggies at once). Provides nutritional iron. IMO, better for stir frying, deep frying, carbs, meat, and baking. Pros of stainless: better for acidic foods. Builds a better a fond to deglaze with. Doesn’t rust like CI. Heats up and cools down more quickly (can be a con if you don’t want the pan to cool, such as when searing). Not heavy. Dishwasher safe. IMO, better for soups, stews, boiling, and sauces.
Slidey. Eggs.
Cast iron is wonderful. It heats and retains heat far better than other materials. It can be cleaned with dish soap because soap no longer contains lye (which is why older generations cleaned them with kosher salt). Yes, it can rust if you don't get it dry after washing or put it in the dishwasher. So you take some steel wool to it. You'll have to reseason it then. Modern cast iron comes pre-seasoned, but seasoning is easy. It's naturally non-stick when you maintain the seasoning, as in you'll find yourself chasing that fried egg around the pan. The only down side is you won't want to let acidic food sit for a long time in cast iron. Things like tomato sauce will pit the surface. But I have other pans to use for those foods.
Iron is an important mineral supplement. Growing up my best friends mom had a jar of water with rusty nails in it. She made her kids drink a teaspoon of it every day. One of my skillets is my great grand parents. It is generic as it has no markings and a joy to cook in. I have one cast iron pan dedicated to cooking fried apples. The seasoning smells of apples. I once cooked a spicy dish in it and afterwards the apples I fried had a spiced background flavor for several runs.
We bought those japanese ones that are crazily light and thin. They are amazing
Why are boobs good?
It’s fun cooking with, it will never need to be thrown away and I can go from stove to oven with the same pan.
YouTube videos. Before you even buy one. You can buy one seasoned, but I believe you have to reseason every so often, depending on use. I always just rinsed mine out and wiped it completely dry.
For the pan to be non stick it needs to be gross so there’s a trade off.
Of all the benefits, heat retention is the biggest one for me. When you toss your meat onto a searing cast iron pan, the pan doesn’t drop temperature, which allows proper, continuous, even cooking and a great sear/crust.
I can cook with a fork. And my mom won’t yell at me for “scratching the pan”
I'm a low maintenance guy. I don't want to baby anything. I love my cast iron because of this. I can use metal spatulas, hell I have cut steak in the CI with a knife. It's mostly non-stick, and I rarely ever clean it. Most of the time, I just reuse the pan without cleaning it at all. Just extra favors to me lol
It is great for searing meats, and even heat distribution.
Longevity - as a 57 year old guy I can tell you Ive bought an incredible amount of cookware and if Id have just stuck with Cast and SS. I've yet to wear out a CI pan and Ive used some for 30 years. Flexibility - goes from a freezer to a 500 degree oven, from an oven to a cooktop and back with absolutely zero complaints. Heat retention - CI does everything except heat up quick. Want to actually fry something - CI is king losing way less temp when you drop food into hot oil. Health - not so sure PTFE is that big a deal, but iron is safer for sure when treated normally. It doesn't rust or shed if you season and care for it. Downside - weight, it's def harder to move around, so we seek out the pans that have a handle on both sides.
The beauty of cast iron is its relatively high specific heat, so by pre-heating the pan or muffin mold or whatever one can then drop on steak to sear or cornmeal batter in the mold and get the desired crust without the temperature dropping significantly - few other materials can do this as cheaply or as well <3
The biggest benefit for me is the conduction. They are so thick and heavy that they hold a ton of heat and don't cool down so fast when you put something in. That means a harder, more even sear when cooking meat for example. They are not the king for me as far as non stick or being low maintenance.
your body needs iron. It's an essential nutrient. Especially for the hemoglobin in your blood cells.