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Cooking with cast iron makes me feel like I’m in Little House on the Prairie, or all cozied up in a little cabin somewhere. I don’t know why, maybe its the old-timey feel or the hearty meals that come from them, but those skillets and dutch ovens have won me over. For a minute, I was a little intimidated to use them, but now I’m hooked, and I’ll tell you why.
There are so many pros to cooking with cast iron, and very few cons. Clearly, in my opinion, the benefits to cast iron cooking heavily outweigh the minute amount of cons. Below, I’ll give you the lowdown and hopefully convince you to grab a skillet and join me in some cast iron cooking!
Ease of Cleaning
It doesn’t take anything technical to clean cast iron. A little soap, water, and a quick soak if necessary. If there are any stubborn, stuck on pieces, take your scraper to them after a short soak. Dry it completely, and oil it lightly. You’re good to go!
The only downside is you need to clean this shortly after use; no letting it sit on the stove to wash in the morning or it may begin to rust. On the bright side, if you don’t get to it right away and a bit of rust shows up you can use this handy tool and then re-season it. And if you’re looking for more handy kitchen tools and gadgets, click here!
Less Cleanup
Speaking of cleaning, when you start cooking with cast iron you’ll have less dishes do to! You may be asking yourself how this is possible. Well, let me tell you. You can use cast iron on your stovetop and in your oven, so if you’re frying up hamburger that needs to go in a casserole, you can cook it on the stove top, add the casserole ingredients to the skillet, and then pop it in the oven. So simple, and it saves you a dish!
Space Saving
Although cast iron may be a bit heavy and somewhat larger to store, it can end up saving you space. If you only need one skillet to do the work of a pan and baking dish, that saves you space and even money, too!
Durability
These pans are heavy duty. There’s no warping with this cookware, they seem to be virtually indestructible, and will last generations if well taken care of. Another bonus of this long-lasting durability is less waste. If you’re not going through a few sets of warped, peeling, and broken pots and pans in a lifetime, that’s a little less that gets sent to the landfill. The trade off? They are quite heavy. You’ll need some sturdy shelving or a storage area for them, but I just consider it a good little arm workout!
Even Cooking
From what I’ve experienced, cast iron seems to heat evenly, and retains heat well. This is very helpful, especially when cooking over an open flame or coals.
Classic
Cast iron cooking has been around for quite awhile now. Its classic look really goes with any kitchen decor, so if you store it in the open like I do it acts as both cookware and decor. Plus, Lodge Cast Iron has collections with a variety of cute patterns, such as the Wanderlust and Wildlife Series, which is what I have.
Made in America
There’s definitely no downside to this! My favorite thing about cooking with cast iron is that you can buy made in America cookware! Lodge Cast Iron makes their items in the USA, so not only are you buying some fantastic cookware, you’re supporting American made as well.
I hope these reasons help you decide to give cooking with cast iron a shot. You’ve got nothing to lose, and decades of delicious meals to gain! And speaking of meals, check out these handy cookbooks and magazines below for recipe inspiration.
