Clearing up some myths about cast iron cookery

My vintage #9 Wagner cast iron skillet is my kitchen's most used piece of cookware. It may also be the easiest to maintain.

People have a lot of misconceptions about cast iron cookware. This cheerful video shatters most, if not all, of them. I've never understood the misconception that cast iron cooked with old food or oil. I thought if people wanted to get scared, it'd be around the fact you were cooking on a DIY polymer.

I use a chainmail scrubber when kosher salt doesn't do the trick. Soap and water are seldom needed, but sometimes they are what does the trick. Compared to my SECOND most used piece of cookware, an enameled cast iron pan, the clean-up is simple.

Cast iron's high thermal mass makes it great for cooking. The Maillard reaction is much easier to achieve in cast iron than lighter pans. I also find searing, frying, and sauteing all the better in cast iron. I love being able to move the skillet from a burner to the oven, or vice versa and think it makes the best steaks.

Previously:
How to restore cast-iron waffle irons for fun (and waffles)
Is antique cast iron cookware really better than new?
Cast iron skillets: seasoned vs enameled
The easy way to season cast iron
Bake brown soda bread in a cast iron skillet
Cowboy Kent Rollins tells us how to fix sticky cast iron