Cast Iron cookware

I love me some great cookware.  How often have you splurged on pots and pans.  Now I look back and wonder what I was thinking. Teflon, aluminum. Yuk. Im all about the Cast Iron these days.

What is non stick cookware made of anyway? 

I recently read up on the dangers of using Teflon. There are a number of serious health concerns associated with it. In particular, a chemical that teflon releases in certain conditions called PFOA. Perfluorooctanoic acid is a polymerization aid that has been used for a long, long time. At certain temperatures it off gasses into your food, can build up in your body AND can cause an illness called Teflon flu! What? Yes its true. Heated teflon at high temperatures can cause flu like symptoms to appear. Very few people would make the association. So don't sear your steak at high temperatures in a non stick pan. 

 Good news.. PFOA is being phased out, but unless your cookware is labelled PFOA free, then its likely that your pans contain this chemical.

 

other Non-Stick Surfaces

  • Non-stick Calphalon cookware uses a proprietary polymer that is not Teflon (under suspicion as a human toxin when burned or flaked off a pan), but it may contain polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/facts_5068137_dangers-calphalon-cookware.html

Which brings me to my darling Cast Iron pans. Amazing. Who would have thought a little, funny looking pan would bring me such pleasure? (and much needed iron in my diet). We can all benefit from iron in our diets. Quite a number of us are deficient. I know every time I have had my iron levels checked, Ive been deficient. Iron deficiency can cause extreme tiredness and not getting enough makes your body work too hard. Kids need plenty of iron too. Unless they are eating a very rounded diet, deficiencies occur. 

My husband is not too happy with my idea of phasing out our 6 month old pans, but if I just keep adding a cast iron pan or too and using the Lodge dutch oven, he will eventually get used to the idea.. that it is ALL eventually going in the camping box. 

You can pick up these beauties at your local hardware store. I got mine on amazon for $12. If you are local, the Cash and Carry in Pleasant hill has all sizes of the Lodge brand.  Here is the link http://www.cashandcarrywarehouse.com/ or other great brands like Le Creuset usually have sales going on. See here for a bargain http://www.lecreuset.com/specials