You may have noticed that I often recommend sauteing or cooking items in a cast iron skillet. My favorite brand is Lodge (a brand many chefs use). Find their 3 piece set here, or check out the basic skillet here. But why cook with a cast iron skillet?
Health benefits of cooking with cast iron:
1) Chemical free alternative to non stick pans.
Any time you use a non-stick pan, you do have the potential to cook some of those chemicals into your food. This risk is non existent with a cast iron.
2) Fortifies food with iron
Lily Nichols talks about a specific study in her book, Real Food For Pregnancy, but most food cooked in a cast iron has an at least 8% increase in iron!
3) Requires less oil to cook with
Financial benefits:
A set of cast irons from lodge cost about the amount of a typical nonstick set, but if you take proper care of your cast iron pans, they can last you a life time.
Cooking benefits:
Cast irons heat evenly, meaning that they are going to cook your food more evenly. One of my favorite foods to make in the cast iron is steak because of how easy it is and how evenly it cooks.
Versatility:
Cast irons can be used to bake food in the oven or to pan fry/saute food on the stove top.
I’ve made everything from steak, to pasta dishes, to desserts in my cast iron! It’s my favorite cooking tool.
Clean up:
Cleaning up is typically easier if you make a meal in a cast iron skillet because you typically only use one pot or pan to cook in.
