Mark Bittman's Ode to Cast Iron

In the NY Times today:

Ever So Humble, Cast Iron Outshines the Fancy Pans By MARK BITTMAN - the New York Times December 7, 2005

AS cookware becomes more expensive and the kinds available become more varied, it's increasingly clear to me that most "new" pots and pans are about marketing. For most tasks, old-style cookware is best. So these days when I'm asked for a recommendation, I reply with an old-fashioned answer: cast iron.

My personal return to cast iron began less than a year ago when I began to heed the warnings against preheating chemically treated pans and putting them in hot ovens, which could create potentially harmful fumes.

As most experienced cooks know, you can't brown food unless you preheat your skillet, and I frequently transfer food from stove top to oven.

So cast iron is a logical choice, especially in skillets, unless you require gorgeous stainless to make a style point or you can afford copper - which is ideal for sautŽing because its heat distribution is incomparable - and the time to care for it. The only disadvantages are that cast iron is heavy (look for skillets with handles on both sides) and it requires a bit of care to keep it seasoned and looking nice.

But cast iron has so many benefits. Well seasoned, it is nearly as nonstick as any manufactured nonstick surface and far more so than stainless, aluminum or even copper pans.

Cast iron is practically free compared with other high-quality pots and pans ($20, say, for a skillet). In addition, it lasts nearly forever: the huge skillet I bought around 1970 for $10 is still going strong.

(end excerpt --printed under fair use laws - don't sic your Times lawyers on me!)

Etc. etc. Isn't Mark Bittman sensible? I've been devoted to my cast iron skillets for years. I want a big one with a glbutt lid but I don't really need it, since I've got a big Le Creuset. If you're afraid to season it, the pre-seasoned is only a few dollars more.

I stir fry in my cast iron skillet (all the more reason to get a big one); fry eggs, make sauces, sautee veggies or onions. They're great for toasting nuts, caramelizing sugar or onions, and all kinds of browning. Of course we make pancakes, french toast and omelets in it, and it's lovely for a frittata (although I use the Le Creuset too, just because it's bigger).

Leila

I watched Mark Bittman last night make shrimp paella in an ordinary pot-pan. But he was truly smitten with the Spaniard's (can't remember his name) paella pan, which was absolutely huge (for a restaurant or 12 or so people). If anyone gets a chance to see this tonight, Thurs or Friday on the reuns (on PBS HD), it's a good show. Dee Dee