Well let my say this about cast iron cookware; until I discovered cast iron I didn't know what I was missing. My family was a military family so we moved a lot when I was a kid, all of our cookware was aluminum because moves are based on weight. When I got married I had a set of Farberware and my wife had a set of Revere Ware, after we got married we starting buying All Clad. All Clad I must say far out performed both the Revere Ware and Farberware. The Farberware heats evenly but the handles fall off or break, the Revere Wares big weakness is that it warps and the copper bottoms need special care.
Then I discovered cast iron cookware by accident. On our 6th wedding anniversary the iron anniversary we didn't have much money (the story of our lives) and my wife was at a book signing event for her book "The Orphan Seal" at the Kittery Trading Post. I hadn't bought my wife a gift for our anniversary yet, so here we are at the trading post without much money and I saw this #10 Lodge skillet. Well that was it! And I really splurged and even got the lid to go along with it. You must agree I am quite the romantic!
I'd like to be able to tell you that it was an instant love affair between myself and cast iron but it wasn't. I seasoned the skillet and let it sit around. We moved that great big Lodge around our kitchen for years! We moved with it from Massachusetts to Maryland. My wife couldn't get rid of it you see because it was an anniversary present.
Finally after about 5 years and seasoning the stupid pan and lid at least 3 different times because it would start to rust, I broke down and used it. I can't remember what I made but I remember that it seemed to taste better than it ever had before. That was the start! So now we have quite a collection of pots and pans including a few odds and ends we have cast iron stuff (Lodge, Wagner Ware, Griswold and unmarked pieces that we use all the time), Revere Ware, Farberware and All Clad. We just can't get rid of any of our cookware.
Enough of my personal life, this is supposed to be about cast iron. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers iron to be a healthy food additive. Small amounts of iron come off the cookware into your food as it does from any other metal cookware, other types of cookware may not be as healthy for you as cast iron. I like the thought of my cookware helping to keep me healthy.
Now let me start answering the things I posed in the first paragraph. Things seem to taste better cooked in cast iron and they brown better. Cast iron cookware for the most part (some old cast iron cookware has wooden handles) can be taken from the stove top directly into the oven.
Yes there is much newer technology in cookware but not any better. Cast iron is tried and true and performs as well as any of the modern cookwares. Cast iron cookware retains heat and cooks relatively evenly. Cast iron will last for generations if minimally cared for. Cast iron is easily recycled and is the first ever recycled material.
Cast iron cookware is relatively easy to care for (see my Cast Iron Care post). It is the original non-stick surface so minimal care is required. Keep using it and it won't disappoint you, the more use the better it becomes.
I have used cast iron cookware on 2 different glass stove tops and haven't scratched one yet. I pick up the pan and slide it on only a very small pan surface area as I must admit the Lodge pan is very heavy and difficult to pick up when hot and or full of food with one hand. Older cast iron is much lighter than the newer cast iron. As for breaking the glass store top with cast iron, I'm pretty sure if I drop one of my All Clad pans on the glass top it would break it too.
I hope I've convinced you. This is a picture of the pan and lid that got it all started. Visit my store on the Etsy button below for some great deals in vintage cast iron cookware.
My lid needs some work because it is hardly ever used!
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