Do you own cast iron cookware?
Yes, but do you use it? Or do you reach for the light-weight Teflon-coated pans instead?
You may not reach for it so quickly because yes, they are heavy. But there are good reasons to use cast iron cookware that may outweigh (pun intended) their awkward handling.
You don’t have to worry about toxic non-stick chemicals leeching into your food. In fact, using cast iron will add a little iron into your diet that will benefit your health, not hinder it. When you season a cast iron skillet, you can still get those eggs to slide right off.
You can cook anything in it without having to worry about temperature. Cast iron does well under high heat, whereas non-stick generally is suggested to keep no higher than medium heat. You can brown those fried potatoes nice and crisp, and make beautiful pancakes. Fried chicken? No problem. Fry them on the stovetop, then slide them into the oven to finish browning for the best fried chicken you’ve ever eaten.
Cost is not prohibitive. Since mainstream-ers tend to go for the non-stick cookware, you can find cast iron in yardsales or thrift stores at a great deal. I once found an oval pan with a handle for my husband’s steaks - the kind with the wooden platter to set it on - just like in the restaurants, for only $4. (here is the same one on amazon).
Cast iron lasts forever. Seriously, how could you possibly wear them out? You don’t need a new set every year or three, just buy the pans once and you’re set for life.
So are you ready to throw out your non-stick and start using those cast iron pans?
You can do it! 
Amazon has great prices on cast iron pans. A 6.5″ skillet is only $9.99 and has free shipping. I just found and ordered a cast iron dutch oven on amazon for just $34 and free shipping!
Let’s see how many non-stick pans we can get rid of - comment below and let me know!
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| Lea Harris founded Nourishing Treasures in 2006. A mom passionate about her family's health and well-being, Lea believes education is power. Encouraging others to take baby steps in the right direction of health for their families, Lea's goal is to raise awareness of what goes into our mouths and on our bodies, providing natural alternative information that promotes health and prevents disease by using traditional foods and nature's medicine.
Lea is a Certified Health Coach graduate from Beyond Organic University, and a Certified Aromatherapist graduate from Aromahead Institute. "Like" Nourishing Treasures on Facebook, join the Nourishing Treasures Group on Facebook, follow @NourishTreasure on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter. You can also find me on Learning About Essential Oils forum, and Fido Fermentation Facebook group. Disclaimer: I use affiliate links wherever possible. So if you click on a link, and make a purchase, I might make a small commission, but it doesn't cost you any more. |
I have a cast iron large skillet, and a flat one. I was cooking my eggs in a small non-stick but i just bought a new cast iron small skillet to replace it. Sadly my eggs are sticking to it even with copious amounts of tasty lard. Grrr!
Is the lard getting too hot before you add the eggs? I find if I let the oil/butter get too hot first, it is more likely to stick.
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I tried for awhile to use cast iron regularly, but couldn’t get the hang of getting and keep it well seasoned. So now I am back with non-stick or stainless steel (which I have burned things on, and can’t get the mess completely off!). It seems like I just don’t know how to use anything but non-stick!
If you can’t get it to season right, you can always just add some butter or coconut oil on the bottom before cooking your food.
Do you wash it with soap? Soap will remove the grease. You want to wash with hot water and a scraper. You do want some oils left behind to help season it.
I use cast iron on my glass top, and have never had a problem. Use it the same way as on a gas burner. The main thing I am careful about is not scooting the cast iron, as it usually has some burrs on the bottom that may scratch. Put it down easy and don’t move it around. Cast Iron is great. We do a little dutch oven cooking and it’s amazing that those cast iron pans really become an oven. We bake biscuits in our pans a lot when we go camping. You could use charcoal outside if you don’t want to heat up your oven and you have a lid for your pan.
We bought All-Clad stainless cookware to replace some cheaper crap we bought when we got married. We knew the straight stainless steel would last a lifetime and on into our kids lifetime even if desired. We thought about dropping even more on All-Clad nonstick….too expensive for both.
I started looking into cast-iron as an alternative because I had heard that it, like our stainless, will last forever AND supposedly it performs just as well if not better than the teflon coasted stuff so we gave it a shot.
My wife hated it but I smoked out the kitchen all day one saturday seasoning them in the oven after scrubbing on the commercial seasoning. After that, the first two batches of food were bacon and ground beef for extra credit seasoning.
Now, eggs and even crepes slide right off, though crepes are tricky to turn with the pans weight. I’m amazed, and the damn thing only costed like $25 new.
I’m officially converted to cast iron for non-stick and pure stainless steel…I see no substitutes.
PS. I also have a glass top cooking surface. The key is to set the pan to whatever heat level you want, and let the pan pre-heat evenly for 5-10 minutes. Then it’s ready to use.
Great information which has me rethinking my cast iron…..
by the way, which, except for one piece, I inherited from my
mom. Yep, I have 8 pieces. Here goes.
Thankyou !
I have 2 CI dutch ovens, and an 8″, 10″, 12″, 13″ CI skillets, a 10″ round griddle and a CI drop biscuit pan. Other than that all I have is SS sauce pans. We use CI everyday for cooking in my house. I love them because they are so versatile. You can use them on the stove, in the oven and outside over an open fire or on a grill. I have cooked an upside down peach cake in mine as well as other dishes in the oven and used them over a fire while camping.
if you arent good at seasoning a cast iron pan, you should at least look into vintage pyroceram. my eggs never stick and there are no nasty chemicals.
I got all mine at auctions, flea markets and yard sales.
I realized I had too much and gave most away to local friends, keeping just 2 skillets, a griddle, a chicken fryer and a covered Dutch oven.
I absolutely go to them FIRST, as they are my best pans. Plus the bit of moving them from the stovetop to the oven and back again - that is crucial for some recipes, like my favorite steak recipe.
Too much?? This there such a thing??
We got rid of the non-stick a long time ago. Hubby liked it, but I never did. He is now converted. I only have a skillet and a griddle, but I’m keeping my eye out whenever I go to the thrift store or a yard sale. If it loses some of it’s seasoning, I give it a little coat of coconut oil and pop it in the oven. Works great!
Anyone know if carbon steel pan are safe to use? I read it’s comparable to cast iron, but lighter.