Our family is big on cast iron. And that’s probably understating the very state of our cast iron collection…

Kitchen calisthenics is practiced most when small hands and wrists try over and over to carry a cast iron skillet or dutch oven from stove top to sink. I do believe that Colin is the only one who can successfully tip and pour out the contents of our 10 inch skillet with one hand, although Nick, at 5′8″, is certainly gaining speed on his dad.

Colin and I both, before meeting, owned 1-2 cast iron pieces. All were essentially skillets, while one of mine was a skillet with a grill pan feature imbedded in the bottom, which I used for grilling fish, burgers, or making panini.

Since we’ve fallen in love (with each other AND cast iron), over the last almost 4 years, our collection has grown considerably, with now more skillets, dutch ovens, pans, etc than I can count accurately. Not only is cast iron our preferred vessel for cooking everything from omelettes to stocks to braised beef to tomato sauce due to its amazing nonstick attributes, BUT cast iron is the absolute most inexpensive line of cookware out there today. It also lasts the longest. And what product has withstood the test of time more than cast iron? Look back into the centuries and cast iron is there: in paintings, cookbooks, you name it. Even Thomas Jefferson used cast iron. And while you may not consider it fancy or elegant, do consider this: Ask any chef out there what cooking vessel they could not live with out, and I bet they’d answer that their cast iron skillet is it. Just check out Mark Bittman’s article on cooking with cast iron and the benefits that ensue.

Lodge Cast Iron is the most popular brand of cast iron cookware, and if you happen to live near an outlet, take FULL advantage! Colin and I always stop in to the Gatlinburg, Tennessee outlet on our way to and from my parents’ house in Madison, Alabama. The Lodge manufacturing headquarters itself is located in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. In fact, this cast iron foundry started by Joseph Lodge is still in production after more than 100 years.

Cast iron is loved for its even heat distribution, natural (not teflon) non-stick qualities, and over all resilience. It is also quite easy to take care of, contrary to what you may have heard. (See Mark Bittman’s article for more info.) In our house, we buy pre-seasoned cast iron cookware, even though buying your cookware unseasoned would be just as easy to get up and running (and a bit cheaper). Slightly different from Bittman’s seasoning advice, (and no, we are not seasoning with salt and pepper, that comes later…) Colin likes to season our pre-seasoned cookware often immediately after purchase and any time it begins to start looking “dry” or rusty. We simply pour a bit of vegetable oil in our pan and wipe throughout with a paper towel. We then place our cookware in a pre-heated 250 degree oven for an hour, then cool. Then repeat. Done!

Seasoning cast iron with a touch of oil and heat procures a true non-stick pan that requires little effort to keep glistening and smooth. Just remember that cast iron does not go in the dishwasher (I think its weight would probably break the flimsy plastic shelving anyway!) and that we do not use soap in our house to clean it, just a steel scouring pad. If we must, we soak our pans overnight to loosen up any cooked-on pesky bits of food. Otherwise, it’s scour, rinse, pat dry and store. Leaving any residual water drops in a pan overnight can result in rusting. But have no fear, to remedy this problem would simply mean another brief round of seasoning.

If you’re interested in starting a collection of your own, here is what I would recommend to get you started:

1 8 inch skillet

1 10 inch skillet

1 10 inch dutch oven with lid (which by the way you can even bake CAKES and BREAD in!)

and that is it my friends!

Cast iron is the true stove to oven to table cookware. In fact, for those of you who do not know, the fancy Le Creuset line of cookware is simply cast iron covered in shiny painted enamel.

Coming soon…I will detail a few of my favorite recipes as well as highlight some specialty pans and the special recipes that go along with them.

Check out Lodge Cast Iron to learn more!