Non-Non Stick: 3 Cheers for Cast Iron

We're making the switch from Teflon. I'll be honest, it's not the simplest lifestyle change we've encountered. Juicing? Not a problem - I'm craving fresh juices every day & the cleanup is quick and simple (a lot easier than most juicing blogs claimed it to be). But switching from the convenience, quick cleanup, and durability of Teflon... well that takes some getting used to.

However, after researching prices, options & health ramifications, we've decided to settle in with a combination of cast iron & ceramic.

Here's why:

1. Cast iron leaches iron nutrients into your food, your body and your bloodstream. (Enough so that many people suggest to avoid using cast iron if you have an over-supply of iron in your blood stream).
John is a vegetarian & The Caterpillar and I only eat meat 1-2x weekly, finding iron in other rich foods like beans, lentils, spinach, brocolli, etc.

2. Cast iron is non-stick & simple(ish) to clean. When seasoned correctly, cast iron takes on a glossy black sheen and food actually doesn't stick to it. I can attest to this: when cooking eggs, cleanup was so simple when I thought it would be a fight! You aren't supposed to wash a cast iron pan (which I'll be honest, I have been - with water, no soap)... instead, you're supposed to scrub it almost dry with a plastic scrubby. Like I said, it's a transition.

You also can't just toss it in the sink.

Transition. Transition.

3. Cast iron is an heirloom. We've been learning lately about first vs. last cost sensitivities in our finances, and investing in cast iron cookware now means not investing in cookware for a very, very long time. If we give our skillets the TLC they deserve, our great-grandkids might find cookware in their inheritance. You know, in the same way Grandma handed me down some wool. If our kin can cook on the same pans we use - well, that'll be sweet.

The one complaint I hear most about regarding cast iron is that it's costly. One skillet runs about $30 regular price (we got one $18 on sale), and don't even get me started on the cost of dutch ovens. Those are a dream away right now.

But, cast iron generally sells in individual units, not sets (although I'm sure you could buy a set). That means that John and I can build our collection as time goes on without feeling a financial pinch. Right now, our set involves 1 griddle, 1 8" skillet and 1 10" skillet which we find does us very well.

4. You can bake a pie / COOKIE SKILLET in it. What.

However, we've fun into 1 snag:

I was using our deep-set cast iron skillet to boil fruits & veggies for The Caterpillar, which was taking the seasoning off of the skillet. Little did I know, I was taking our pan to a place of RUIN! Well that's dramatic. It's virtually impossible to ruin a cast iron pan.

But it was close - we were on the path to RUST! Lesson learned, you can't boil water in a cast iron pot.

I began noticing that things weren't all so sweet when the food I was boiling in the pan was taking a gray colour - the taste was the same, but the colour change in the food (pears, potatoes, etc.) was definitely noticeable.

So for boiling, we'll probably switch to the cost-effective and equally durable (but definitely harder to clean) stainless steel.

Overall, we're happy to be making the switch to what I thought would be non-non-stick, but is in fact non-stick, healthy & a long-term good investment.

Three cheers for cast iron/ceramic.

Now the next problem:

Where to store our ultra-heavy pans in a safe place away from our very-soon-to-be toddler?

(Thoughts?)

Quick Links:

How to season a cast iron pan (the best directions I have found)
How to clean a cast iron pan