Why We Love Cast Iron!
The other night hubby was watching one of his favorite shows, “Good Eats” w/Alton Brown. The topic was steak, and Alton was using a cast iron skillet to sear, then oven-bake his delicious steak.
ANYWAY… this morning, I started thinking about why I love cast iron. I use cast iron almost every morning to make our Keto breakfast (of course, from our home-grown eggs) and I use cast iron most evenings to cook dinner.
After years of using peeling Teflon non-stick pans (no telling how much of that stuff my kids ate), Hubby and I picked up a Lodge cast iron skillet at Cracker Barrel (turns out he knows the family who owns the company, so he was completely on board with the idea). After using this skillet, we saved our children from “death by Teflon” by tossing our peeling non-stick pans and haven’t looked back.
Here’s why:
- Cast iron can handle high temps. It’s perfect for searing steaks and other high heat needs. Just ask Alton Brown, he knows.
- Cast iron has superior heat retention. That’s why you get fajitas served in those cute little skillets at your favorite Mexican restaurant. I HATE cold eggs. I have started eating my eggs straight from the pan I figure if restaurants can serve in cast iron, so can I!
- Cast iron has no harmful chemicals. Article after article has been written about the danger of the perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in Teflon. Dupont has made over $100 million on these chemicals so they aren’t going anywhere, but I can choose not to have them in my house.
- Cast iron leaches a little bit of iron into food – which is a good thing. As a woman, I need18 mg of iron per day. Eating from cast iron helps me meet that goal.
Cast iron is attractive. From rustic weddings, homey cookouts or lovely thanksgiving sides, this oven-to-table accessory makes your dish look truly homemade (and we would never think to put something store-bought, would we?). - Cast iron can be inexpensive. I pick up skillets at Cracker Barrel for about $20-30 bucks. There aren’t many things in life that will last forever for $20. Yard sales are also a great way to pick up these on the cheap, too. If they are rusty, a quick scrub with coarse salt and a re seasoning usually sets things right.
- Cast iron in the South is considered an Heirloom Worth Fighting For. I have wonderful memories of my mom cooking everything from corn bread, crispy fried chicken and okra in her skillet. In fact if someone else tries to get her skillet when she passes on to the great beyond, I might have to pry it out of their cold dead hands…. I mean negotiate for it. I borrowed some cast iron from a friend for my sister’s wedding buffet. He was happy to share but threatened me within an inch of my life if I used soap on it. We do get defensive about out cast iron’s health.
- Lodge cast iron is made in small-town USA. While this post is not sponsored by Lodge, I support Lodge because, well, if we don’t support US manufacturing, we won’t have any. And then what? Everybody has to work at Starbucks? Sit in a cubicle?
- Cast iron is versatile. I pan fry foods in it, bake casseroles, meatloaf and breads in it. I make pizzas in it and even have a cast iron crepe pan. While the oven is pre-heating, I often speed up casseroles by pre-cooking in a skillet on the stove top. Pre-warming this way can cut my casserole cook time by 1/2.
- Cast iron used to get a bad rap as sticky and troublesome. It is now is pre-seasoned and therefore non-stick. Well, almost. Most stuck-on things come out with just a water rinse (NO SOAP). Eggs still stick a bit, but I soak the pan in water, and with a few quick sweeps of my Scrubdaddy it all swirls out.
- Cast iron does not contain aluminum. Researchers at Keele University in England have discovered high aluminum deposits in the brains of Alzheimer’s victims. One study of this issue is certainly not conclusive, BUT, after watching my Dad disappear before my eyes as a victim of this awful disease, I have eliminated aluminum foil and most aluminum pans from my life, just in case.
- Cast iron Dutch ovens make the best campfire food. You should try my easy recipe for “The World’s Best/Easiest Chili” in a Dutch oven.
- With cast iron you can stack it, bake and fry in it, bury the thing, stick coals on top and bottom and still never hurt it. Heavy? It can be. Great food? Absolutely.
That’s it for today – I have to go get some steaks for dinner! I’ll be thinking of it the whole time Hubby and I are working on THE GREAT DECK PROJECT.
Afterward: The steaks were delicious. But note to self, when living in a tiny house, seared steaks and the smoke alarm cannot coexist.
thereluctantpreppers 