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It seems that there’s a renewed interest in cast iron cookware in recent years. With all the hype on the emergence of ultramodern cookware available today like stainless steel and aluminum alloys, why would a trendsetting, modern-day chef still choose and use cast iron cookware to prepare his favorite dishes? Let alone a cast iron Dutch oven which is much heavier than most cookware available. There are some reasons apart from sentimental value and nostalgia to explain the re-emergence of this ancient cooking device.

In recent years, warnings about subjecting chemically treated pans in a hot oven have been regularly heard. Certain fumes and by products are produced which can allegedly cause harm to humans. With cast iron cookware, that problem never exists. Cast iron goes effortlessly from the stove top to the oven; cast iron provides the chef with a completely safe cooking utensil. However, there is the important aspect of maintenance, which is the reason many resort back to cast iron cookware. A standard cast iron pan needs seasoning to protect it from rusting. Iron left to itself rusts very easily. But with proper seasoning – a very easy task with some oil – rusting virtually becomes a non-issue. Even so, you can buy preseason cast iron cookware; in that case, seasoning is not needed. Many would still choose to do this task themselves, it is a good thing to care for your cast iron cookware.

There is another option: apart from bare cast iron, you can opt for enameled cast iron cookware. Enameled cookware does not need seasoning and comes in spectacular colors instead of the dark black color of a normal cast iron cookware.

Cast iron cookware is mainly famous for its proven durability, sturdiness and excellent heat diffusing properties. Indeed, the non-stick properties of the ancient cast iron puts to shame even the most modern Teflon pans. If well looked after, the cast iron cookware can last a lifetime and even beyond.

Yet one of the most significant advantages of the cast iron goes beyond all this. The cast iron cookware adds an essential mineral to our diets: iron. For all these people, cooking with cast-iron cookware can have great benefits. When using the cast iron skillet, especially when cooking food that is acidic in nature such as tomatoes, it dissolves iron from the skillet and adds iron traces to the food. This is a cheap and efficient way to improve the iron content of the diet. Less iron is dissolved into food if it is simply fried in the cast iron pan. Foods that require long periods of cooking will logically absorb more iron than those that pass quickly through the pan. Thus, to benefit from cast iron, slow cooking acidic foods are highly recommended.