The debate begins: cast iron versus non-stick and other cookware
09 November 2009

Being in need of inspiration, where else would any half witted aspiring writer look in this time of technology and social networking? Facebook, of course!

Quite the unscientific research was underway via my wall post, and responses came in as direct comments, the more private portal of my Facebook “inbox,” and even spilling over into email. Food, and so much related to it seems to be just as much a part of me as breathing. From the looks of the amount of responses, there are many more people out there who consider it a significant part of their lives, as well.

One such spark of inspiration for material was a now aging debate over the use of cast iron as opposed to all the non-stick ware, high end enamel ware, and even an appliance that I believe few kitchens are lacking: the crock pot. Mulling all of this over amongst a bit of banter with trusted friends who may rarely cook, yet love good food, or who only know how to cook over a camp fire, and a few who are as enthusiastic about cooking as I am, guess what? Cast iron, and the old kind that holds it’s integrity by cooking so simply, won out, hands down.

I should add that the fans of it chimed in much more exuberantly than anyone raving over a recent purchase of All-Clad (some of my favorite stuff, in case you care) or the overly exulted Le Creuset products. (They do look pretty in all their enamel finishes, though). Perhaps I should have taken a poll, keeping stats on it, and providing some percentages as to who cooks what, their methods, and even whether it’s a male/female thing. Alas, no, I did not, as it just didn’t seem to matter.

Having a small collection of cast iron myself, which is really a mish-mash of what my brothers and I split up from our parents’ kitchen, I am always comforted on some primal level when I use it. Maybe because it’s so straight forward and unassuming in its function, or maybe because I am aware of the care and respect it demands for achieving optimal results … Whatever the case, I find myself using two of my very old Dutch ovens often, and interchangeably.

The argument could definitely be made for any of the other types of cookware mentioned above, as they do all have their place. For instance, when making an omelet, one may be hard pressed to achieve anything more than hard to scrape pieces of scrambled egg if using a cast iron frying pan. When making any kind of scrambled or fried eggs, the non-stick stuff is all I will use. In the way of convenience, the crock pot is my choice over a Dutch oven for stew type dishes, but the depth of flavor is never matched. Not that I have tried nor would ever expect the results to be equal, but it seems common sense that browning those rich chunks of meat for a stew provides a sublime element to the finished product that is unattainable when simply tossed into a crock pot, covered, and set to cook for 6-8 hours. It just seems that a basic step in character building is lost all in the name of convenience. For a mid-week meal, I can overlook that (food snob that I am) but for making a serious stew or pot roast, or one of my most favorite of things, braised short ribs, there is no way I will shift my loyalties from cast iron.

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