Cooks seeking alternatives to toxic non-stick cookware often find themselves in a bind. The healthiest alternative, stainless steel, is expensive. It also doesn’t lend itself well to cooking eggs, pancakes and other dishes that non-stick cookware typically excels at. If you still haven’t discovered the benefits of cast iron cooking, we give you 10 reasons to buy and use a cast iron skillet.
Using a cast iron skillet instead of a non-stick one, helps you avoid the toxic fumes that accompany most non-stick cookware. Cast iron can also replace aluminum cookware, which may also pose health hazards.
Apart from using a cast iron skillet on the stove, you can use it in the oven (at any temperature). This is great for making corn bread, frittatas, and flat bread.
A preheated cast iron skillet rivals the qualities of non-stick cookware. Though as long as it is properly seasoned and cared for.
It’s very easy to clean up. Food can be easily lift of from cast iron cookware, while soap isn’t needed at all.
By eating food cooked in cast iron cookware, you can actually boost your iron intake. This vital mineral is crucial for maintaining energy levels. It also helps strengthen the immune system.
A 12 inch cast iron skillet costs around $30, while a similar-sized stainless steel one, costs well over $100.
You can cook restaurant-quality, homemade fish sticks, potato pancakes and French toast, complete with golden brown, crispy exteriors, using a cast iron skillet. Non-stick cookware, on the other hand makes browning nearly impossible.
There is no need in using plastic utensils, since it doesn’t scratch. There’s also no fear of using your silverware to stir or scoop. It lasts for so long that many people still use cast iron cookware inherited from their parents and grandparents.
Cast iron cookware can be used over any heat source. You can use it in case of emergency. As such, many disaster planning lists include cast iron as the survival cookware of choice.
Cast iron cookware has been used for over thousands of years. Natural News readers already understand how new technologies are often the least healthy, while those used by earlier generations are often more beneficial and more in line with how we are designed. Our cookware choice is no exception.
The Drawbacks of Cast Iron
Beside the many benefits to cast iron cooking, be sure to understand the drawbacks, before you start using it. Cast iron pans are very heavy, they also require intentional maintenance in order to keep them rust-free and non-stick. Care is also needed if you have a glass-top stove.
Keeping this in mind, cast iron cookware is a great choice. Once you take the plunge, you will wonder why it took you so long to start!
Source: Eat Local Grown