# 3 health reasons to cook with cast-iron



## rags57078 (Jun 11, 2011)

By Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Nutrition Editor at EatingWell Magazine

Cast-iron skillets may seem like an old-fashioned choice in the kitchen. But this dependable cookware is a must in the modern kitchen. Cast-iron skillets conduct heat beautifully, go from stovetop to oven with no problem and last for decades. (In fact, my most highly prized piece of cookware is a canary-yellow, enamel-coated cast-iron paella pan from the 1960s that I scored at a stoop sale for $5.) As a registered dietitian and associate nutrition editor of EatingWell Magazine, I also know that there are some great health reasons to cook with cast iron.

17 Healthy Recipes for Cast Iron Skillets

1. You can cook with less oil when you use a cast-iron pan.
That lovely sheen on cast-iron cookware is the sign of a well-seasoned pan, which renders it virtually nonstick. The health bonus, of course, is that you wonât need to use gads of oil to brown crispy potatoes or sear chicken when cooking in cast-iron. To season your cast-iron skillet, cover the bottom of the pan with a thick layer of kosher salt and a half inch of cooking oil, then heat until the oil starts to smoke. Carefully pour the salt and oil into a bowl, then use a ball of paper towels to rub the inside of the pan until it is smooth. To clean cast iron, never use soap. Simply scrub your skillet with a stiff brush and hot water and dry it completely.

Must-Read: The 2 Healthiest Oils to Cook With (and the Worst to Avoid)

2. Cast iron is a chemical-free alternative to nonstick pans.
Another benefit to using cast-iron pans in place of nonstick pans is that you avoid the harmful chemicals that are found in nonstick pans. The repellent coating that keeps food from sticking to nonstick pots and pans contains PFCs (perfluorocarbons), a chemical thatâs linked to liver damage, cancer, developmental problems and, according to one 2011 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, early menopause. PFCs get releasedâand inhaledâfrom nonstick pans in the form of fumes when pans are heated on high heat. Likewise, we can ingest them when the surface of the pan gets scratched. Both regular and ceramic-coated cast-iron pans are great alternatives to nonstick pans for this reason.

Must-Read: 7 Simple Ways to Detox Your Diet and Your Home
8 More Products to Help You Green Up Your Kitchen

3. Cooking with cast iron fortifies your food with iron.
While cast iron doesnât leach chemicals, it can leach some iron into your food...and thatâs a good thing. Iron deficiency is fairly common worldwide, especially among women. In fact, 10% of American women are iron-deficient. Cooking food, especially something acidic like tomato sauce in a cast-iron skillet can increase iron content, by as much as 20 times.

Find out: Are You and Your Family Getting Enough of the Nutrients You Need?

Do you cook with cast-iron?

By Kerri-Ann Jennings


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## SirDude (May 30, 2010)

My Mom sent this article to me today. It's funny what brings one back to old places. haha After reading the article, I read some of the comments users made and it sounds like there a little missing information. 

What brought me back to HT is; 

1) What cast-iron cookware is good to start learning with? I hear the old stuff in better, is it costly to buy? 

2) What's the best thing to start with, small pan, pot, etc? 

3) Any books / websites for cooking, care, etc for cast-iron cookware? 

I think y'all can see I am as green as one can be when it comes to this type of cookware, so any information is helpful. I'll keep reading the other posts I found in the search. 

Have a great day! 

SirDude


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## donnam (Sep 27, 2005)

We use cast iron frequently and I just picked up some new pieces at the Lodge Store in Gatlinburg. I love cooking with it and have just about stopped using the non-stick stuff.


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## Guest (Oct 9, 2011)

SirDude: I recommend a frying pan. After my house burned down in 2004, we went shopping for all new everything. those teflon frying pans are a joke. I came back to the house, dug through the rubble and got out my frying pans. Put them in a fire for a while to clean them, soon as they cooled a little, scrubbed them out good with salt and a piece of fatback. Been using them ever since.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

I have castironitis and I don't want to be cured! LOL I've been cooking with cast iron since I was a kid. One of my favorites is a Griswold Dutch Oven that I bought back in '80 while on a trip down to Mississippi to visit my brother. 

If you really get into cooking with cast iron, join the International Dutch Oven Society. They have tips, tricks and gatherings that are a blast to be a part of.


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## katlupe (Nov 15, 2004)

zong said:


> SirDude: I recommend a frying pan. After my house burned down in 2004, we went shopping for all new everything. those teflon frying pans are a joke. I came back to the house, dug through the rubble and got out my frying pans. Put them in a fire for a while to clean them, soon as they cooled a little, scrubbed them out good with salt and a piece of fatback. Been using them ever since.


That's what I'd be doing too! Nothing compares. And especially once you have your pans broken in. I don't use anything else either.


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## snoozy (May 10, 2002)

I, too, have plenty of cast iron and have gotten rid of teflon. I would like to point out however, that many men middle-aged and older actually have too high levels of iron in their blood and don't need any more. Mainly if they are big meat-eaters. So cooking in cast iron to get extra iron in the food isn't necessarily a good thing for them.


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## Raven12 (Mar 5, 2011)

Newbie question here too. My problem is the weight. Are all brands that heavy?


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## LonelyNorthwind (Mar 6, 2010)

Yes, cast iron is heavy. When my granddaughter tried lifting my biggest dutch oven she commented "no wonder Gramma's so strong". I've never cooked with anything else, except stainless sauce pots. No one in my family has ever had an iron deficiency. I won't allow teflon or aluminum in my house.


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## rainy5 (Oct 28, 2011)

I have my aunt's and grams that my dad used. love them. well seasoned. Heavy they are. well worth the iron they give you. I love my cast iron. Threw the years alot of good food and fond memories are in my pans.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

I LOVE how food residue just wipes right out of the pans.
we use cast iron and stainless steel.

I sure wish there was such a thing as a Cast Iron Electric Skillet...~lol~...


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## oakridgewi (Dec 12, 2006)

I'd recommend a good old Griswold skillet or the like. The new and imported stuff is really nowhere near good as the old stuff.
It seems more "porous"?, it's thicker but grainier. It'd proly be ok once seasoned but the new ones I had bought have been long replaced by Griswold. I gave the others to people I figured weren't really serious about cast iron in the first place!

sy


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Yup, Griswold, Martin and Wagner are the best of the 'old-time' Cast Irons.


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## Oldskool (Nov 6, 2011)

If you go to a store and pick up a cast pan and its not heavy watch out. I picked one up off a shelf just the other day and wondered what the heck is wrong with it started reading the label it was aluminum pan that is cast iron coated.. ewwwwwww


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## Guest (Nov 8, 2011)

Not everyone needs a high iron intake. Many women need the extra, many men do not. Especially if they are big red meat eaters.


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