Cooking With Cast Iron Cookware

Because of its excellent heat-retention properties, cast iron cookware can cook foods faster and more efficiently than most other forms of cookware. Its ability to withstand high heat lends itself admirably to frying and searing, although it's important to remember that medium and low heats will generally produce the best results for most cooking purposes.

In fact, you'll find that if you gradually and thoroughly heat the pan, you'll get the most even and efficient results. Once your pan is hot, you can reduce the heat and continue to cook perfectly well on a lower setting.

Ideally, you should only use high heats for boiling water for pasta or vegetables and for reducing in stock or sauce preparation. You should also avoid too high a tempertaure when pre-heating the pan as the cast iron will retain its heat and that could result in overheating and less than satisfactory cooking results.

If you're using enamelled cookware, such as from top brands Le Creuset or Chasseur, you should never allow the pan to boil dry or heat an empty pan. This could result in permanent damage to the enamel surface. Always cover the base of the pan with your choice of liquid, oil, fat, butter etc. before you begin cooking.