Thoughtful Living Tuesday

You know that I'm not a great cook, but I'm trying to widen my scopes of recipes, whittle down my grocery budget, and create a healthier home environment. Over the past couple of months, I've realized that there are some amazing things that we're already accomplishing and some new concepts yet to be tried. I'd like to chronicle some of this development weekly, in my Thoughtful Living Tuesdays, highlighting physical, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being. I realize that some of my new discoveries might be commonplace for some people, so feel free to comment and share your thoughts.

I've always thought of myself as a city girl and only connected cast iron skillets and cookware with the pioneers or country folk...until my wedding registry included a set of 3 cast iron pans and a cast iron Emril grilling pan. Jokingly and half-heartedly, I scanned those items to make my now husband happy and thinking that no one, in their right mind, would buy those for us. I was wrong! After getting settled after the wedding, my husband decided it would be grand to actually cook with those. What an experience! I had to remember:

1. Use a pot holder.
The handle gets hot with the pan.

2. Don't wash with soap.
Just boil, dry, and rub oil to keep pans seasoned.

3. Use grease, oil, butter, and perhaps lard because food might stick.


Why would anyone bother using cast iron when the commonplace Teflon/non-stick is non-stick, dishwasher safe, and specially crafted for easy handling? And these are the reasons why cooking with cast iron is part of my Thoughtful Living Tuesday.

1. No possible transmission of Teflon or other chemicals heated into foods.

2. More iron is cooked into foods.

3. Cast iron cookware tends to cost less than stainless steel and even Teflon pans.

4. Cast iron cookware is extremely durable and will likely last most of your lifetime.

5. Food can be baked in a cast iron skillet.

Almost every morning, my little one gets an organic egg, cooked in a cast iron skillet. She's getting an excellent source of protein, along with traces of iron -- no other strange chemicals. I'm still perfecting proper seasoning of my pans (as my food does stick some times), but overall, I'm going to try to integrate more cast iron into my cooking.