By Michael Leppert
Cast iron cookware is a symbol of the Wild West for many Americans. The chuckwagon on a cattle drive was well-stocked with cast iron pots and pans. If it is seasoned properly, cast iron is non-stick and much healthier than Teflon-coated aluminum. It can withstand high cooking temperatures and is designed for open flames in a campfire or a gas burner on the home kitchen stove.
Technically, cast iron is an iron-carbon alloy with a carbon content greater than 2%. It is melted, poured into a mold and allowed to solidify. It can withstand very high temperatures and does not leach chemicals into food. What it does add to food is iron – a very beneficial component of health. About 10% of American women are said to be iron deficient, so cooking with cast iron is a natural way to help changer this imbalance. In addition, certain acidic foods, cooked in cast iron, can increase the amount of iron by a tremendous percentage. Another advantage to most cast iron cooking utensils is that they can go from stove-top to oven, since the handles are iron – not plastic. Perfect for starting breads or casseroles on the burner, then popping them into the oven to finish.
Cast iron cookware has been used for centuries in Japan and China. The Japanese kibutsin tea pots are a prized part of the Tea Ceremony and are popular for everyday use, too. During the Edo period (1603-1868), artisans were sought who could make cast iron armor, pots, woks and tea kettles. Gifts of ironware were expensive and highly prized by the feudal lords and high-ranking samurai who received them. Eventually, they became prized by the masses, of course.
The first known making of cast iron cookware in China was 220 A.D. during the Han Dynasty. European iron founders followed suit by the 1500s and cast iron has been vital ever since. Most pots have handles for hanging over an open fire or hearth. Today, those uses are lessened than 100 years ago. Also, some cast iron pots have legs, made for placing in the ashes of a large fireplace. Once stove-tops became the norm, some pots were made without legs, to be placed directly on the open flame or even an electric ring.
Anyone who has used cast iron pots and pans knows how versatile they are. Cornbread cooked in a large cast iron skillet is perfect every time. Soups and stews slow cooked in cast iron pots are thick, rich and delicious, retaining their full flavor better than when cooked in aluminum pots. Plus, aluminum leaches into the food; aluminum has been found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients when autopsied, so it is wise to eliminate aluminum from one’s life – especially when a better alternative is available in cast iron. Tofu, tempeh and seitan sautéed in cast iron is evenly browned and full of flavor.
The sizes and shapes of cast iron cookware is inexhaustible. Skillets of varying sizes, flat-top griddles, woks, saucepans, soup pots of varying sizes, baking dishes, Dutch ovens of many sizes, muffin pans, even an escargot pan! You can tell if your cast iron is true or not by looking at the inside surface. If it is shiny silver, Teflon-like or a nonstick surface, it is not real cast iron. True cast iron has an imperfect surface, dark silver and slightly rough or it has a layer of black seasoning that is somewhat slick. Try making cornbread in a 12” cast iron skillet in the oven. It is moist and delicious!
