Why cast iron?

Because as with all things in life, your grandmother was right. Our grandmothers didn’t have the luxury of ‘non-stick’ and expensive copper cookware that cost the better portion of a mortgage payment to procure. What they did have were tons of cast iron cookware. Cast iron cookware has seen a resurgence as a preferred cooking surface. And while I’ll love to wax political about ethically sourced iron from the ore mines of Tennessee, the reality is that the basic versatility of cast-iron is what makes it such a perennial all star in the kitchen. This was true 100+ years ago, and is still true today.

So, let’s talk about some of those virtues. Cast iron:

Is nonstick(ish) – Cast iron, properly maintained & seasoned presents a mostly non-stick surface that can’t be beat. (When taken into account with its other properties). While cast iron would never be as non-stick as a Teflon (a substance so non-stick that they had to invent new methods to get it to bond to a pan), it is pretty darned close.
Is versatile – This is probably my favorite reason for using cast iron. I can take it from the stove (any kind of stove) to the oven and to the grill and back. Very few types of cookware have this level of versatility.
Can take abuse – There isn’t much you can do to destroy a cast iron pan. Let’s say if your cast iron pan was to ever makes it way into a dishwasher, it is pretty easy to restore. Additionally, you don’t need fancy utensils to use it.
Gets better over time – Like an All-Pro NFL Linebacker, cast iron gets better as the season goes on (see what I did there 🙂 ).  Unlike most of cookware where there is a finite number of times the item can be used, cast iron gets better due to it building up seasoning (a thin layer of polymerized fat) over time. As a proof of this, find me a 50 year old Teflon pan still in service. I’ll wait.
Heats ‘evenly’ – This is a bit of a misnomer. Cast iron cookware, like most other cookware, will suffer from hot spots. And I do find it disingenuous when cast iron is marketed as ‘heating evenly’. Now what cast iron does have is the ability to retain heat like none other. And this property is important when you want to do something like sear a steak.
Is economical – While you can find some fairly expensive cast iron cookware, the vast majority of cast iron cookware is well within the 10-50 dollar range. And honestly, this was one of the properties of cast iron that made it so approachable in the past. 10 to 50 dollars for a pan that will be here at the end of the world (along with cockroaches and Twinkies®)? Sign me up.

In summary, cast iron is basic. Not in the Ugg™ boots and pumpkin spice way. But in a very primal, ‘it just does what it needs to do with a minimal of fuss’ way. And it is for those reasons why cast iron cookware should be a staple in your kitchen.