Cast Iron Pans; A Lifetime Cookware

Cooking better than ever, cast iron pans are a key player in the kitchen armada of major chefs throughout the world. Many of these pans have been in use for centuries, survivng generations of cooking without so much as a dent. What can make a pan so durable? the answer is in the age old metal; pig iron.

The use of pig iron has been dated back as far as 1100 BC, and the formula is not that much different today. Pig iron is raw iron ore smelted with coke and limestone, leaving a metal with a high carbon content. This carbon is burned off to produce wrought iron or steel, but for cast iron, the pig iron is remelted with scrap iron and balanced for the proper mix of carbon. It is then cast into molds for various items, including a cookware that has many cooking benefits.

First is it's cooking capabilities. Cast iron cookware has an even, consistent, heat dispersement across it's entire body, and retains that heat, for controlled cooking.

Second, is it's unique surface. Known as the "patina", the surface of a seasoned cast iron piece is made by oil filling and solidifying in the tiny pores of the iron surface, giving it a non-stick feature. This "seasoning" builds over time and use, which explains why so many chefs cling to their cast iron pots and pans; it's capabilities and value increasing year after year.

Third, cast iron is durable. Although not completely indestructible, cast iron will hold up under normal conditions for generations and never crack or warp. Misuse of cast iron comes in the form of neglect (rust), sudden temperature changes, or a heavy impact. So never soak cast iron in water, pour cold liquid in a hot pan, or give your pan a heavy whack.

Fourth, it's inexpensive compared to other copper, aluminum and stainless steel pans, and with the above qualities, cast iron is simply a great value.

Fifth, you can forego the seasoning worries with pre-seasoned, or enameled cast iron. Porcelain-enameled iron keeps all the cooking benefits of regular cast iron, but is layered in a durable blanket of enamel that comes in vivid colors and cleans easily. Pre-seasoned iron comes with the patina already started so it can be put to work right out of the box.

However you use it, you can't go wrong with a set of cast iron cookware.