Do You Use Cast-Iron Pots and Pans?

October 24, 2007

I used to be intimated by using cast-iron pans for cooking. But ever since I learned the right way to season and clean them, I've really enjoyed cooking with cast-iron pots and pans. How about you?

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42 Comments

anonymoushippopotamus 1 year 47 weeks

my boyfriend and i almost exclusively use cast iron skillets. i got a 3 pack (small, medium, and large) from harbor freight for $15. my boyfriend's mom seasoned them for us and they're great! completely non-stick and easy to clean: after they're cool just wipe clean with a paper towel then wipe again with a paper towel with a bit of vegetable oil on it. they're the best!

Mimikins 1 year 47 weeks

Use them. Love them! www.barefootcooking.onsugar.com

katiejane24 5 years 30 weeks

I might be buying my first house soon...and I've already decided that a Caribbean Blue Le Creuset enamel coated cast iron dutch oven is my most wished housewarming gift. Buuut...I agree with some of the above comments, I really would be interested in reading up on how to properly season and clean a good standard cast iron pan. Even as a Southern girl, I fear it's a dying art. Yeah...there's nothing comparable to some of the perfect foods that have come out of my Nana's cast iron skillet.

tdamji 5 years 30 weeks

i love mine! i have a full set of some nice paderno pots but i also love my cast iron skillet, griddle, dutch oven and sauce pan! i use them all the time!

BRANDYNICOLE730 5 years 30 weeks

I love them. My mom has a whole set, and my grandma keeps passing them down, so by the time I get my own kitchen, I'll have a whole set. They are just great. My favorite use for them is making corn bread, just gives the perfect flavor. I know they can be hard to use if you don't have the experience. The new ones need to be seasoned really well before you can start using them to the best of their ability, otherwise you can have sticking issues. After they are properly seasoned, they are just as good, if not better than any non-stick you could buy.

colormesticky 5 years 30 weeks

My parents gave me their old pans, then forgot they did and bought me a brand new set for Christmas a couple years ago. Now I'm up to my eyeballs in cast iron, and I only use two of the pans. I need to get rid of about 4 pans and get a Le Creuset dutch oven.

libs1dlab 5 years 30 weeks

My parents used cast iron, too and I hated it. It can't be put in the dishwasher and washing it by hand is like running my fingers over a chalkboard. At least it is for me.

Amanda-La 5 years 30 weeks

My parents used only cast iron and I miss that. I need to invest in some because they last forever.

emalove 5 years 30 weeks

I have a couple of cast-iron skillets and I use them often.

MamaBee 5 years 30 weeks

I love cooking in my cast-iron pan, and I tend to just leave it on the stove after I clean it - it's too heavy to fight into the cabinet, and I know my next meal will include it! One of the hidden benefits of cooking in cast iron is that your food absorbs some of that iron, which is great if, like me, you struggle with your iron levels.

leahlarocco 5 years 30 weeks

These are just too heavy. Much prefer the anodized metal

POPSUGAR Home 5 years 30 weeks

As an added benefit,when you cook in cast iron, you're basically getting an iron supplement for your body. I heart my cast iron, and they're really convenient for lazy weekday meals--I throw a chicken breast in a small pan with a bulb of garlic and some olive oil, pop in in the oven, and serve the chicken over salad with crusty bread and roasted garlic. Yum!

POPSUGAR Home 5 years 30 weeks

Arthur 5 years 30 weeks

i have completely stopped using my teflon. I have a ridged cast iron grill pan and a flat bottomed cast iron skillet. I use them in the oven and on the stove top all the time. They are completely non-stick but i can use metal spatulas. For cooking chops, chicken and steak they are unbeatable. I find caring for them to be very easy. scrub em with warm water while they are still warm and then stick them in the cooling oven or upside down on the stove top till they dry. once a week or so, rub them with oil and then throw in the oven while pre-heating it. can it get easier?

Arthur 5 years 30 weeks

i have completely stopped using my teflon. I have a ridged cast iron grill pan and a flat bottomed cast iron skillet. I use them in the oven and on the stove top all the time. They are completely non-stick but i can use metal spatulas. For cooking chops, chicken and steak they are unbeatable.I find caring for them to be very easy. scrub em with warm water while they are still warm and then stick them in the cooling oven or upside down on the stove top till they dry. once a week or so, rub them with oil and then throw in the oven while pre-heating it. can it get easier?

Diana172 5 years 30 weeks

I saw a great tutorial on how to get started with them on TV! Maybe I should, but I just find their maintenance strange.

audreystar 5 years 30 weeks

i have lots of cast iron and love cooking with them but alas i have recently acquired a glass top stove and i am frightened to use them now. not to mention the fact that i am uber lazy with my cast iron and they are in dire need of overhaul and re-seasoning due to years of neglect and abuse. :oy:

PJ PJ PJ 5 years 30 weeks

I have a lot of cast iron & I use it all regularly.....dutch oven, deep fryer, several large, med, & small fryers, grill pan (from Emeril's), corn bread pans (fish shaped & some other decorative shapes). My most prized cast iron possession is my deep fryer that an aunt gave me, when I got married, which my grandmother passed down to her, when she got married. That stuff lasts forever. I would never fry chicken in anything but cast iron. It's definitely a Southern staple of kitchen equipment. I've seen family members fight over a well seasoned pan! sugarjunkie3, Le Creuset is my next purchase. I think I'm going to get rid of my current metal pan set & replace it with Le Creuset, once I get my kitchen remodeled.

PJ PJ PJ 5 years 30 weeks

I have a lot of cast iron & I use it all regularly.....dutch oven, deep fryer, several large, med, & small fryers, grill pan (from Emeril's), corn bread pans (fish shaped & some other decorative shapes). My most prized cast iron possession is my deep fryer that an aunt gave me, when I got married, which my grandmother passed down to her, when she got married. That stuff lasts forever. I would never fry chicken in anything but cast iron. It's definitely a Southern staple of kitchen equipment. I've seen family members fight over a well seasoned pan!sugarjunkie3, Le Creuset is my next purchase. I think I'm going to get rid of my current metal pan set & replace it with Le Creuset, once I get my kitchen remodeled.

jessy777 5 years 30 weeks

It is not a proper southern kitchen without a cast iron skillet. I have one that my great grandmother used. It is the best for making cornbread.

gab6784 5 years 30 weeks

I don't own any but my mom does, I've cooked with them and enjoy using them but since I don't have any of my own I rarely use them now. Plus they are a real pain in the butt to clean.

KerryG 5 years 30 weeks

I've got cast iron skillets and would love to get a dutch oven. I don't take as good care of them as I probably should re: seasoning and proper cleaning, but my parents have cast iron and it's what I grew up cooking on, so I'm more comfortable with it.