Rusty kettles, griddles or pots in the rear cabinets of your kitchen, affirms that cast iron cookware has once been the best-loved of your mother or grandmother. If you pay a little attention to these humble utensils you will appreciate their fortitude or versatility.

Merits verified by science justify that moulded cast iron cookware is a godsend for the modern kitchen. Check out the strong points that make it a definite go-for your immune system and kitchen arsenal.

Virtually non-stick

Cast iron pans and skillets are again in vogue for varied reasons

If the microscopic roughness of your cast iron pan is damaged you can re-season it by wiping it down with a thin layer of healthy cooking oil, then baking it for 90 minutes at 250 degrees, letting it cool so that oil seeps on the surface; it builds into a synthetically coated, potentially and nutritionally better surface pan, that also avoids the toxic fumes picked by the food. Whenever food begins to stick to the surface of the pan, feel free to season it again. The more you cook on it, the better the cast iron gets; and being non-stick means less oil is needed for meal preparation.

Terrific heat collaborator

A cook’s nightmare is a pan with bad hot spots. This situation can be well handled by heavy and thick cookware, as it distributes heat evenly, and maintains exceptionally high temperatures.Uneven enamelled coating or bare surfaces are a fault for reliable heating and cooking can be incredibly difficult. As it doesn’t conduct heat at full tilt, it takes time to heat up and cool down, retains the heat and remains hotter, if the food is served in cast iron wok or skillet it’s likely to remain warm when the food is eaten.

Boost up iron intake

Meals prepared in cast iron pots, can prove to be an innovative intervention for elevating the iron strength in kids, pre-menopausal and pregnant women, strict vegetarians and those with celiac disease or a condition that causes chronic blood loss, iron deficient anaemic, and anyone who had gastric bypass surgery.Studies show that newly bought iron pans have more ability to leach iron than vintage stuff from food items that are high in moisture, compared to dry and non-acidic foods.

Cheap and durable

Compared to modern cookware, they are indestructible, last long if properly managed and are easy on the pocket. Bare iron pans come without any covering but with a lower price tag and only need to be “seasoned” from time to time.Enamel or porcelain glazed iron products are a bit expensive, and based on the quality the enamel coating may wear off, leaving the pan unusable over time.

Majestic for culinary treats

One pan can act as pizza pan, Dutch oven, griddle, even a cookie and brownie tray, frying pan, and wok, with the durability of transferring directly from stove top to preheated oven and back from oven-to-stove, it’s a pie in the sky for busy cooks who love no-mess, one pot recipes.

It excels in sauteing veggies, searing steaks and roasts, crisping chicken, braising briskets, deep frying potatoes, cooking pancakes and omelettes, shallow frying doughnuts, assembling fritatta, baking pizzas, brownies and chocolate chip cookies, lasagne and golden brown crusted apple pie, breakfast muffins even on stove top with no fail results; you will never regret not owing a baking oven.

Stove-top chocolate chip cookie

Here’s a fun recipe for a gooey, delicious and gorgeous chocolate chip cookie, right on the stove top with your cast iron skillet or frying pan-with a lid.Light your stove, place the 10-inch skillet at low flame, give it half an hour to warm up to the required temperature just like preheating the oven. In a big bowl, cream six tablespoons butter, one cup sugar, one large egg and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix one cup of all purpose flour, half-a-teaspoon baking soda and half-a-teaspoon salt (if butter is unsalted) with one cup of chocolate chips together, and stir into the butter mixture. Pour into the skillet and smooth off the top. Cover with a lid for a least 15 minutes. The gooeyness in the middle with a crispy crust round is ready to be served. You have the option to serve with whipped cream or ice cream on the top, drizzled with honey or favourite sauce.

Prevailing the flaws

It is not lightweight, though the supreme quality cast iron is never too heavy to lift. If you are prone to getting burned, must keep a set of potholders or mittens around, when dealing with hot solid metal handles and knobs.Acidic and liquid foods should only be prepared in well-seasoned cast iron, at relatively low temperatures; it’s also not suitable for stir-frying for the reason as it’s slow to heat up. People with elevated iron levels should avoid the food prepared in cast iron skillets.

As, they are susceptible to rust, they need to be cleaned immediately after use, by scouring the pan’s surface with coarse salt using nylon scrubbing pad, rinsing the pan with hot water, drying on stove and rubbing olive oil with paper towels. Using cast iron pots on glass top stoves can be risky due to their weight.

Yet, cooking enthusiasts are all set to bring back the culinary wonder of cast iron cookware, to make the people realise that they can be as serviceable in advance cooking, as they were when originally invented centuries back.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, January 31st, 2016