apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Cleanup sometimes takes some elbow grease, but hasn't been too much of a problem. I also have a small Le Creuset skillet that is a few decades old and still wonderful to cook with, so you should feel good about your investment.

I second the plain, seasoned cast iron skillets. I have 3 of them in different sizes, and I only bought 1 myself for about $10 - the rest were second-hand. They get better as the get older! I was told that I couldn't saute tomatoes or other acidic stuff, but I've done so tonnes of times and never had a problem.

I hate to be such a downer, but while the cast iron side of things is great, the enameling, well, not so much. I had the pleasure of touring the Lodge factory in South Pittsburg, TN, where they make a great line of cast iron cookware (at prices that are more affordable than Le Creuset). They recently introduced an enameled line of cookware. We asked where they did the enameling, and they explained that it was done in China. Why? The process was too toxic to perform in the US. So, since this is a green blog, I feel obliged to suggest that users do a bit of research before buying enameled pots and pans. I don't want to sound like a shill, but since Lodge (non-enameled) pots, etc., are made in the US, their pots and pans don't travel as far as some other, fancier imports, so you may want to consider that as part of the greening of your kitchen.

And yes, cast iron rocks.

GreenPan uses a new non-stick & non-toxic (PTFE-free) coating called thermolon. Look up the company and thermolon. I bought a set and I can tell you that they are as non-stick as a non-stick pan could ever be. My only complaint is that the base of the handle can get a little too hot. You have to make sure to hold it high on the handle.

I use Calphalon Hard Anodized Commercial grade cookware. LOVE it!

I have the same skillet. I was lucky, all I had to do was endure a year working in a kitchen store, and I got one as a bonus. Score!

Nothing cooks a pancake especially, like a well-seasoned (non-coated) iron skillet. It's the only pan you get the crispy edges with. Lodge makes pre-seasoned ones, which you still need to cook on a lot to season it further, but they're so much easier than trying to season a skillet from scratch.

Also did you know with the non-enameled iron skillets, you actually absorb a little iron into your food? Good way to get extra iron via your food, not supplements.

Where's a good place to find cast iron at a reasonable price, without haunting thrift stores in hope of scoring a bargain? (Or, conversely, who's known to be a bad source so I can avoid them?)

Our new kitchen is so small ("how small is it?") that I'm considering owning ONE pan (two, tops). At that point, it really starts making sense to cherish one's skillet.

Um, what's the health risk of non-stick pans? I know they're made with toxic stuff (so that poses a problem to the workers in the factories making these), and I know that at VERY high temperatures (much higher than could occur with food in the pan, I believe), Teflon may become dangerous. But even the 2005 news report cited in the post above says at the end:
"While PFOA [the carcinogenic substance in question] is used to make Teflon, it is not present in Teflon itself, which is applied to cookware, clothing, car parts and flooring."
So, what's the problem, exactly? It's news reporting like this that just seems to sow more confusion....

Oh, and by the way, while we're on the subject of overheating pans... burning oil in a pan is highly carcinogenic, no matter what pan you're using. So don't leave your skillets unattended.

I don't know about the "greenness" of a teflon pan, but I made the switch to the Le Creuset pans a number of years ago. Not from teflon but from anodized aluminum. There's no way you can get a proper crust on a lightweight, much less teflon-coated, pan.

They're expensive and sadly they're heavy but the enamel/cast-iron combo is really great in the kitchen.

I think this is a great think to keep in mind for future purchases (and especially for gifts for others, a cast-iron pan makes a great housewarming present!), but I can't help but wonder at the waste involved in scrapping a set of nonstick pots in order to completely replace them with la creuset. My father is still using the same set of pots and pans my parents replaced their wedding set with, circa 1990.

I have to say I'm suspicious of the many, many "greening your life" suggestions I see all over the place that encourage people to waste resources in order to make a relatively miniscule difference.

Not to mention that you can buy a run of the mill cast iron pan at Target. Might not have the high end cache that La Creuset does, but it'll do the job.

wende
you can find those Lodge cast iron pans all over the place, (although of course I prefer old hand-me-down or yard sale versions)
It has to be properly seasoned to be fully lovable.

One Le Crueset pot is for sure the only pot I'd have in the kitchen if I had just one -- useful and pretty.

opoponax: you are correct to factor in the "new purchase." Afterall, a great way to be green is to not buy anything... I have 3 Calphalon hard anodized, 3 Le Creuset, 1 Staub, and 1 iittala cast iron enamel. (I started out with a 12-piece Calphalon HA set.)

Opoponax!

For the nonce, I think I'm sticking with the existing (non-stick) pans, having found room for them in the new kitchen. You know that panel at the bottom of your basic cheap free-standing electric range? That's a drawer. I never knew that.

For our wedding last year, my grandmother gave me a deep cast iron skillet that her mother cooked for her with when she was a child. The skillet is about 90 years old, and is certainly the best cookware in my kitchen, despite a former investment in non-stick analon cookware. My enamel Le Creuset stock pot comes in second. I agree that we need to keep environmental considerations in mind when choosing our cookware, so throwing everything out and replacing it isn't a great idea, as another comment pointed out. Nevertheless, keep in mind that once you invest--and a modest investment it can be via tag sales, especially--in cast iron, you will not likely ever have to buy pans again.

Also, consider this: a well-seasoned cast iron skillet is virtually non-stick. Though it might sound odd to some, you should never wash it with soap (elbow grease, warm water, and a good scouring pad suffice). With a little care, it is indestructible and really easy to use. And for the bargain shoppers such as I, the higher-end enamel Le Creuset can often be found at places like Marshall's, TJ Maxx, and Ross. They may have slight imperfections, but you would never know it.

Happy cooking!

Wende!

That's kind of similar to the time I realized that the drawer-looking-thingy on my very first gas stove was a broiler.

Does anyone have infos about the health risk of cooking with cast iron skillet for men though? I read that for women, cast iron cookware is fine; but men really do not need the iron that can seep into the food by cooking with cast iron. Can anyone verify this?

(I bought a set of two pre-seasoned skillets from Lodge at Costco a few months ago; still haven't open it because of the concern with excess iron. They may still have it if anyone's looking to get a set.)

Spiffy, I'd guess that we're talking about absolutely miniscule levels of iron. Men can take daily multivitamins that include iron, so I don't think it's dangerous for them to get a little extra.

Cast iron cookware has been used since at least the 19th century, so the health risks or lack thereof are pretty apparent. If it were really dangerous for people with Y chromosomes to get a teensy bit of extra iron in their diets, we would know by now. (kind of the way we know that overexposure to lead is very dangerous for everyone.)

There's always another alternative - get GreenPans with Thermolon. PTFE-free non-stick cookware at a very reasonable price. you can nearly get a set of GreenPans for the price of a cast iron skillet.
I've had a set for over 2 months now and they are great. AND I know they're great for safe cooking without causing pollution.

Hello,

I discovered the joys of using cast iron when I was looking for a good frying to use when camping. I enjoyed it so much that I now use my cast iron frying pan exclusively at home.

A few comments:

1. Excess iron: if this is a concern, the easiest solution is to donate blood. As your body replaces the blood that was donated, you use up any excess iron in your system. It is also a good thing to do as it can help save lives.

2. Seasoning cast iron: I bought a $15 cast iron frying pan at my local hardware store. I then covered it with vegetable oil and cooked it upside down in my oven at 300 degrees for an hour. This bit of work saved me $30 as the pre-seasoned Lodge pans were selling for $45. The next time I season my pan, I will use vegetable shortening (i.e. Crisco) as it can get a lot hotter without producing smoke. Nonetheless, my vegetable oil cured my pan and it cooks better each time I use it.

3. Cleaning. The one thing that surprised me is how easy it is to clean cast iron. I always thought that the non-stick pans were non-stick, but in reality a properly cured and maintained cast iron pan sticks LESS than a teflon pan and is easier to clean. If my pan is really dirty after cooking, I simply pour some water into the pan and bring it to the boil. When the water cools, everything comes right of the pan with minimal scrubbing. I was shocked to discover how much easier a cast iron pan was to clean.

4. Maintenance: When I wash my pan, dry it off and cover the inside with a layer of oil. It is then ready the next time I need it to cook.

Other advantages that I discovered:

1. Better heat distribution;
2. Can use my pan everywhere from a campfire to my electric range;
3. Don't have to worry about nasty chemicals being released into my food or air that I breather;
4. It is cheaper as a cast iron pan that is not seasoned costs less than $20 and will last a lifetime. Even a good teflon pan will last at most a few years. The worst that can happen to a cast iron pan is that it will rust, but even then it can be sanded and seasoned, leaving it as good as new.