Your grandmother has passed on and left you with a stack of cast iron cookware and you have no idea what to do with them. These cast iron pots and pans are very worth keeping. Cast iron can actually help add to your healthy lifestyle. How could a simple pan do this you ask?
By cooking on cast iron you get more iron in your diet. Dont be alarmed, but a very small amount of iron leaches into your food when you cook on cast iron. This is completely safe and healthy as long as you don’t suffer from metabolic disorders such as hemochromatosis. Personally I would prefer to get extra iron this way then taking a multivitamin that upsets my stomach because it does have iron in it. There are other great attributes to cast iron also.
I avoid teflon generally speaking. Cast iron is a good alternative. I don't like teflon because of the polytetrafluoroethylene in it. My well seasoned cast iron pans are every bit as non stick as the teflon pans I have used. For me there is enough indication that polytetrafluoroethylene is unsafe. There have been arguments on both sides of this. I would prefer to just avoid Teflon in general.
Cleaning cast iron is a snap. You first soak the pan breifly in hot water and then pour out the water and pour in some kosher salt. Take a washcloth and scrub. You don't have to use soap at all as it would damage the seasoning. After you have washed the pan just dry it well and put a thin layer of Crisco on it. Some people cook nothing but bacon in cast iron for half a year to get the perfect seasoning on the pan.
Another great thing about cast iron is it can go from the stovetop to the oven. This diversity can save you time and space over all. You won’t have to have three different pans of stainless steel, Teflon, and glass to do what a single cast iron pan can do. Saving those old cast iron pans could be a great choice for you if you give them a chance.
By cooking on cast iron you get more iron in your diet. Dont be alarmed, but a very small amount of iron leaches into your food when you cook on cast iron. This is completely safe and healthy as long as you don’t suffer from metabolic disorders such as hemochromatosis. Personally I would prefer to get extra iron this way then taking a multivitamin that upsets my stomach because it does have iron in it. There are other great attributes to cast iron also.
I avoid teflon generally speaking. Cast iron is a good alternative. I don't like teflon because of the polytetrafluoroethylene in it. My well seasoned cast iron pans are every bit as non stick as the teflon pans I have used. For me there is enough indication that polytetrafluoroethylene is unsafe. There have been arguments on both sides of this. I would prefer to just avoid Teflon in general.
Cleaning cast iron is a snap. You first soak the pan breifly in hot water and then pour out the water and pour in some kosher salt. Take a washcloth and scrub. You don't have to use soap at all as it would damage the seasoning. After you have washed the pan just dry it well and put a thin layer of Crisco on it. Some people cook nothing but bacon in cast iron for half a year to get the perfect seasoning on the pan.
Another great thing about cast iron is it can go from the stovetop to the oven. This diversity can save you time and space over all. You won’t have to have three different pans of stainless steel, Teflon, and glass to do what a single cast iron pan can do. Saving those old cast iron pans could be a great choice for you if you give them a chance.
No comments:
Post a Comment