Stainless Steel Vs Cast Iron Cookware – What’s Best for You?

A lot of people are confused by this question. It’s not surprising because cast iron is both very versatile and inexpensive… but many cooks don’t know how to use it correctly! So here are some guidelines about when & how to use your cast-iron cookware safely and effectively.

In general, if you have to use a utensil to get food out of the pan, it’s not for everyday use. But there are many times when a cast-iron skillet is your best option.

You can use cast iron cookware for:

Deep frying – because it can be used over an open fire.

Cast iron is the go-to cookware for frying chicken or pancakes because of its ability to retain heat. For instance, a cast-iron skillet takes about four minutes longer to heat up than any other regular pan but will keep that heat longer (because of its thermal mass).

That means that when you drop your battered chicken into the pan, it’s already hot. And once you place your pancakes in there to cook, they’ll begin cooking immediately because of this thermal mass.

You can also use a cast-iron skillet for deep frying turkey on Thanksgiving – try doing that with anything else!

Stewing & Braising – because of its ability to distribute and retain heat.

A slow cooker (aka Crock-Pot) uses a similar principle: the ceramic material is porous and heats slowly but then retains that heat for a long time, which allows you to cook meals longer without having to constantly monitor them over your stovetop or in the oven. A cast-iron skillet does the same thing.

Deep oven-roasting – because it can be used like an old-fashion baking stone.

A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet can be placed right in the oven (top or bottom rack) and used like a baking stone, which distributes and retains that heat for long periods of time. This is especially important when roasting meats because you want the outside to brown but not burn before the inside is cooked.

Grilling – because it can be used over an open fire.

The primary reason that people choose not to grill with cast-iron skillets is the fear of ruining them, but if they’re properly seasoned, you can use them for this purpose! In fact, one benefit of a well-seasoned cast iron pan for this purpose is that it can be used with or without a grill grate.

So if you’re at the beach sans grate, just place your seasoned skillet directly over the fire to cook your food! If you are grilling with a grate, then just place your skillet on top of it – no need to change the way you grill if you have a cast-iron skillet.

Deglazing – because it can be used over an open flame.

Deglazing is the process of adding liquid to a pan in order to dissolve all of the tasty, crusty bits stuck there after cooking meat or poultry or roasting veggies.

You can do this easily with a cast-iron skillet over an open flame. Just place your skillet on top of the open fire or your cooking stove, turn up the heat to high, pour in some water, allow it to boil, and watch as all of the bits begin to dissolve off of the pan!

Making bread – because it can be used in your home oven.

According to experts, cast-iron skillets are perfect for this purpose because cast-iron takes a lot of the guesswork out of baking bread.

It heats and retains that heat over a long period of time, which allows the bread to get that nice crusty outside without burning or drying out before it’s finished baking. And because cast iron is also porous, it allows steam from inside the bread to escape while baking (just like with air-baked bread), which keeps the bread moist.

Cast iron is also great for making cornbread because it can withstand intense heat and will keep this heat inside of the oven, unlike other types of pans.

It’s no wonder that cast-iron pans were used in old-fashioned bakeries and by professional bakers!