The Benefits Of Cast Iron Cookware

Cast iron cookware is popular-again. Our grandmothers prepared recipes off all kinds in their cast iron skillets and now they are popular again.

Cooking With Cast Iron Cookware – What You Should Know

Cooking with cast iron cookware has come back into fashion in recent years because it’s a healthier choice than the traditional cooking with grease, fats, and other ingredients. In addition, when you cook with cast iron cookware, you can control the degree of browning or cooking, since the bottom of the pan will retain most of the nutrients that are cooked away by the cooking process. You can use one cast iron skillet or several cast iron skillets for almost any cooking job. Bake a whole cake, roast a piece of meat, sear the fish, cook potatoes, make oatmeal cookies, or stir-fry veggies, and one skillet is usually all you need.

Another reason why cast iron skillets make such good cooking equipment is because they’re so easy to clean up after. No matter what type of surface you use on your skillet, it’s easy to remove the stains that come with food, grease, and other ingredients. Even if your skillet is made from iron, the pan will still be easy to clean. Scrub it down with a mixture of warm water and mild soap, then dry with a towel. Cast iron skillets can last for generations, so if you buy the right one now, you won’t have to buy another for many years. There are many different colors and styles available today, so you’ll find a skillet to match just about any decor.  Just make sure to use silicone spatulas and kitchen spoons, metal utensils will mar the surface.

Cast Iron Cookware Is Convenient

If you’re cooking acidic foods, such as garlic, onions, and fish, using a cast iron skillet is very convenient. You can also use it to cook tortillas, corn, vegetables, and even French fries. Because the skillet isn’t sealed, acidic foods won’t stick to it. And since you can heat it up, you can cook delicious meals in little more time than it would take to cook a similar meal in a conventional pan. Cooking with a cast iron pan helps you save time and provides delicious-tasting foods that you can enjoy at home even more often than it would be possible to cook them in a conventional pan.  Using a silicone spatula will allow you to stir and blend foods easily in a skillet.

Another great advantage to cooking with cast iron cookware is that it is completely rust proof. You won’t have to worry about rust building up on the pan after you’ve used it for a few hours or that a tiny scratch leads to unsightly pitting or even discoloring of the metal. The fact that it’s heat conductive also prevents rusting from occurring. Even if the only thing that gets rusting the handles, you can easily wipe off the rust using a damp cloth. Cast iron skillets aren’t as easy to damage as stainless steel pans, making it much safer to cook with.

Your Food Will Cook Quickly

Cooking with a cast iron skillet also ensures that your foods will come out fluffy and well cooked. Most seasoned foods lose their appeal after they are cooked, so using a pan with a good seasoning will help preserve the flavor of your foods. This is especially true of meat. A lot of people discard their seasoned meat because they find that the flavors of their favorite dishes have been compromised. Cookware that allows for good seasoning is an important part of good cooking.

A cast iron skillet also makes it easy to add a little bit of color to your food. Copper and bronze are popular colors for pots, and it’s easy to find ceramic pieces that can match the color scheme of virtually any recipe you’re working on. If you have a piece of cookware with a very dark color, though, it may cause a bit of shadow on your foods. It’s a small loss, however, when you consider how much money you could be saving by not having to purchase a new pan. Cast iron has a lot of advantages, so even if it doesn’t have the flair of some of the other options, it’s still worth a look.