Cooking With Cast Iron Cookware
Cast iron cookware has been popular since its inception. It comes either bare or enameled. In 1804, Lewis and Clark pointed to their cast iron Dutch oven as one of their most important tools while on their expedition to the Louisiana territory.
Cast iron cookware has been in existence for hundred of years. Furnaces were created around 513 B.C. in China that was able to melt iron in order to create the cookware. It was much later, around 1100 A.D. that cookware was created in England. The fireplace is where most cooking was performed. However, with the advent of stoves with tops helped cast iron cookware to have common usage around the 1700s.
There are several well-established brands of bare cast iron cookware in the United States. Griswold, Wagner, Lodge and John Wright are the leaders in this industry. Lodge's bare cast iron cookware is made in the USA, but their enameled versions are made in China. It has popular for celebrity chiefs to lend their name to cookware. Top chefs Emeril Lagasse and Rachel Ray have a line of pre-seasoned cast iron. There are many other countries around the world that produce cast iron cookware.
Le Creuset, Le Chasseur, Lodge, Staub, Descoware and John Wright produced enameled cookware. Again celebrities such as Daniel Boulud, Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray have their own lines. Enameled cookware has gained popularity due in part to the coating over the cast iron resists rusting and eliminates the need to season the cookware. Another benefit of enameled cast iron is that the pigments used in the enameling produces can generate vivid colors.
There at the same level as Rachel Ray Pots, Cast iron cookware has products for every cooking or baking need. There are skillets, pans, griddles, pots, casserole dishes, Dutch ovens, bean pots, woks and tea kettle for cooking. The cast iron cookware available for baking includes corn muffin pans, a drop biscuit pan with 7 individual compartments, and an aebelskiver pan is 9" diameter and 1" depth that is used to bake Danish donuts. There are many advantages of cast iron cookware. Firstly, it is non-toxic. Secondly, it has excellent heat retention. Cast iron has the ability to hold to and sustain very high temperatures. These are important capabilities when frying or searing. Additionally, it has exceptional heat distribution and retention which makes it ideal for braised dishes as well as stews that cook for extended periods of time. Cast iron cookware develops a non-stick surface so they are ideal for a wide range of dishes such as eggs, lasagna, cornbread and pineapple upside-down cakes. Another highly-touted benefit of cast iron cookware is its capacity to increase the dietary source of iron. This works best when cooking food with elevated acid. An example would be tomato based sauces and other foods that require repeated stirring. Iron is important because it carries oxygen by way of the bloodstream from the lungs to the rest of the body. Also Rachel Ray Pans and Low iron can cause fatigue and even headaches. Cast iron cookware has been an essential for cooks around the world. Its ability to withstand and maintain heat is unparalleled. There are many brands and styles available to fit a cook's or baker's needs. Bare cast iron cookware offers added dietary iron. Enameled cast iron cookware offers a wide assortment of colors from which to choose. With so many benefits, cast iron cookware is an ideal choice.
About the Author
Blake Hygate owns a website dedicated to Cast Iron Cookware. For the best deals on cast iron cookware including skillets and cast iron bakeware and more, visit Cast-Iron-Cookwares.com.
