Cast Iron Cookware

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I started cooking with cast iron recently. Before I replaced my teflon pans I did a lot of online research. Here are the most helpful sites I found. I hope they will help you too.

How I Learned to Love Cast Iron Cooking

I used to cook mostly on teflon pans and griddles. Then I started to hear about possible health problems with teflon. I was also getting more into cooking and my teflon pans were getting all scratched up, even when I tried to baby them. I did some research and decided to give cast iron pans a try.

I had used cast iron pans before but wasn't that into cooking and didn't understand how to properly care for them.

Before you use a cast iron pan it needs to be seasoned by being cleaned, greased, and exposed to heat. There are many ways to do this and you can read about them in the links below. I use coconut oil to season them and I clean with plain water and a mesh steel scrubber (not steel wool, the kind that look like they are knitted.)

I love the primal feeling of cast iron. It takes so much heat, gets hotter and stays hot longer. When you bring food to the table on it, the food stays warm longer.

They are kind of the opposite of teflon, the longer you have them the better and more nonstick they become. I can't imagine going back to teflon now.

Cast Iron Sites

Websites about Cast Iron cooking, Dutch ovens, collecting cast iron, recipes for cast iron and anything cast iron cookware related.

Byron's Dutch Oven Cooking Page: This is a great site with no ads, written by a Dutch Oven enthusiast.

Learn about Dutch ovens and outdoor camp cooking. Includes guidelines for proper care and maintenance of cast iron and aluminum Dutch ovens, Dutch oven cooking tips and techniques, Dutch oven recipes, and links to other related sites.
Cast iron cookware - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Cast iron cookware info From Wikipedia

A nice basic overview.
cast iron cookware: Information from Answers.com: Basic info with some cleaning and seasoning techniques and lists manufacturers.
Cast Iron Pan advice on Chowhound: Chowhound is a message board about food that I read on a regular basis. This is a message board thread where people give advice to someone who wants to buy a cast iron pan.
Bibliocook: Cast iron cooking: A blog post about cast iron with a recipe.
The Induction Site: Lodge Cast-Iron Cookware: A pretty extensive page on Lodge brand Cast Iron. This is from a site about induction cooking, which is a method of electric cooking I hadn't heard about before. This page is worth visiting whether or not you are interested in induction cooking.
Take Care of Your Cast Iron Skillet: Blog post about cast iron care.
Southern California Chapter International Dutch Oven: From their site:
Mission Statement
From the city to the mountains and the desert to the ocean,
We will promote Dutch Oven cooking through our Gatherings.
Fostering friendships and generating renewed interest in the
Cast Iron lifestyle that our pioneering forefathers brought west.
Go Ask Alice!: Does cooking with cast iron pots and pans add iron to our food?: Dear Alice,Does cooking in a cast iron skillet supply any iron to your system? My husband and I have a disagreement. Thank you,
Martha
Collecting Heavy Metal - Griswold Cast Iron: Collecting heavy metal? You are if you're a Griswold cast iron fan. Learn all about this cookware including how to clean and season your old finds.
Cookbook:Pots and Pans - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks: Article about various types of pots and pans, including cast iron and enameled cast iron. A good thing to read before you decide what type of pans you need for your kitchen.
Cast Iron at Frugal Fun: Tips, suggestions, and recipes for healthy cooking in cast iron skillets.
Cooking with Cast Iron | The New Homemaker: This is a great site about modern yet kind of old fashioned homemaking so it's a good place to read about cast iron. A well done site that is highly recommended.
Ever So Humble, Cast Iron Outshines the Fancy Pans: An article from the NY Times Dining and Wine section.
Gapers Block : Ode to a Cast Iron Skillet: Good essay about cast iron cooking.
Griswold & Cast Iron Cookware Association: Griswold & Cast Iron Cookware Association page with a lot of info and pictures.
How to Buy Used Cast Iron Cookware: How to buy used cast iron cookware with an emphasis on frugality.
How to Remove Rust From Cast Iron Pans: a practical and useful article.
How to Season Cast Iron Cookware - WikiHow: How to season cast iron cookware.
Don't Pan-ic! Searching for the Safest Cookware: Talks about cast iron and other types of pans.
Learn about Cast-Iron Pans, Cast Iron Skillets, Cast Iron Griddles and Cookware: How to Season Cast Iron Pans, Cast Iron Skillets, Cast Iron Griddles and Cookware
Lodge Manufacturing: The official home page of the company.
Old-Tyme Flavor - CHOW.com: How to season and care for your cast iron pan. Has recipes and is well written.