Why I Love Cast Iron Cookware - Part 2

On Monday I shared how my love for my cast iron skillets began, but I didn't tell you yet, what is so great about them.

Here are some of my favorite things about my cast iron cookware:

Image via WikipediaCornbread: Nothing - and I mean nothing - cooks cornbread like a cast iron skillet. Crusty, golden brown, with the perfect rise in the center, it's how I am used to eating cornbread since I was a kid, and bearing almost no resemblance to the pale soggy stuff I once tried making in a regular baking pan (pre-cast iron skillet days).

Eggs: While the first few times I cooked scrambled eggs in my new skillets, I ended up with an egg-lining which had to be scrubbed off, now that they're well seasoned, they make absolutely perfect eggs in mere seconds. The trick is to make sure the pans is well-coated with butter (a very thin coating is fine - I probably use just over a teaspoon in the large pan), and that it is nice and hot before you add the eggs. Then wait a few seconds before stirring, until the bottom layer is cooked, and don't stir too much.

Pancakes: Pancakes are a bit heavy for me (I don't do well with a lot of grain, I've discovered), but I do make them once in a while. They always were just okay - sometimes they turned out doughy in the middle and other times they seemed to burn easily (or sometimes both).... Until I made them for the first time in my cast iron skillet - Wow! Perfectly risen, done all the way through, and lovely golden brown on both sides - not even a hint of sticking either, even when I added bananas (see pictures below for an example from my most recent batch). I may start making pancakes more often now, especially since I get awesome local maple syrup in my CSA share every month.

Pancake cooking in my cast iron skillet.

Yum! Banana pancakes with butter & local maple syrup.

Bacon: If you want to successfully cook the above items in your cast iron skillet, I would recommend cooking bacon in it from time to time. Other fatty meat (ham, etc.) would probably work too, but I've found bacon seems to be the best for seasoning the pan. Plus, for some reason it seems to spatter less than in a steel pan, and it doesn't leave any stuck on residue like it used to in my stainless steel skillets. (You've got to watch it though, as the cast iron gets so hot that it will burn pretty quickly.)

If you want to try out cast iron cookware for yourself, I've listed a couple of handy pieces below (you can find more at http://www.newholisticliving.com/cookingfromscratch.html), but you'll also want to check back next week when I'll share some tips for maintaining your cast iron cookware in good condition, and making sure you get the most out of it, so it will give you a lifetime of good service!

A Few Popular Pieces of Cast Iron Cookware:

Lodge 8" Cast Iron Skillet

Lodge 12" Cast Iron Skillet

Lodge L5MS3 5-Inch Miniature Skillet

Lodge 7 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven