1. Will out live you!
Cast iron is made of three components, iron (duh), silicon, and carbon. Making a strong alloyed metal. There is a reason vintage cast iron pans are at yard sales, and flee markets. They last a very long time! Sure, they are brittle so DO NOT get the skillet screaming hot on the stove then throw it under cold water in your sink to rinse it off. Not smart to do with any, type of pot or pan. With the right love and care, you will have a new family air-loom to pass down to your kids some day (if your into kids).
2 Bake, sear, braise, pretty much anything and everything.
Bake up some sweet Cornbread, sear a thick marbled porterhouse steak, or braise a bottom round. This metal is versatile, it can replace any pot, pan, or tray you have. Cast iron retains heat tremendously well. You can heat it up, and it will take 15-25 minuets for it too cool down fully. Cast iron is like a grill, in the sense it does have hot spots and cold spots, but it makes up for it by staying hot! Cast iron pans are great for braising (since it retains a constant temperature) so don't be too afraid to sneak a peak in the oven. Now when it comes to searing, cast iron is number one. I recommend heating the skillet in the oven when you are searing. Turn the oven up, hot as it can go, for 20 mins, transfer the skillet to the stove on med high, add your favorite oil, wait till it smokes just a little , then throw that steak or chicken in, and listen, to the sweat sound of caramelization!
3 Want to be healthy? Get yourself some cast iron love.
This might be surprising, but low iron intake is the most common nutrient deficiency in the United States , affecting more woman then men! (Hear that ladies who needs a man, when a cast iron pan, takes better care of you). Iron helps create red blood cells that carry oxygen to your lungs, and the rest of your body. Without enough iron intake, you might feel sluggish, your immune system might slow down, and can even affect brain functions. When cooking with cast iron, the food picks up the mineral, thus putting iron in your body! So put down the spinach kale, wheat grass smoothie, and instead saute up the spinach in your new cast iron. A side dish even Popeye would be proud of. theirs your health food for ya, cowboy style.
3 No need to break out the soap, or fill up the sink!
Okay, first off lets dispel the rumors we all hear about "DO NOT use soap!!!" on cast iron. Cast iron is seasoned, like I previously talked about, and In order to keep this seasoned coating of oily nonstick goodness, you must refrain from using soap on the pan, as much as possible. You can use soap if you really need to, like if there is burnt food, but the best way to clean a cast iron is to let the pan cool down, to the point it can be handled safely. Poor a table spoon of salt, and a table spoon of oil, ( any fat or oil that will not go rancid fast) and rub the pan with a towel, or paper towel. The salt will work as a abrasive and get the food particles off, and the oil will help season the pan. Once all the food is loose, whip the pan out with a dry towel, and put it back on the stove on a med heat, and bake the oil for 15 mins (I personally do this ever time I use my cast iron, so the skillet builds up a good layer of seasoning).
4 Its got more hair on its chest then the a manly man.
I don't know if this is just me, but there's something manly and rustic about cast iron ."Do you even lift bro?" Because you could practically use this pans as weights and pump some iron (literally). This skillet would be a better work out buddy then your friend who drinks strawberry flavored protein drinks for breakfast lunch and dinner, and wears muscle shirts that say "YOLO" and has a pug wearing ray-bands, holding a Corona in its paw, on it! This manly pan is made by heating pig iron up to 2768 degrees F, hotter then the tan on a lifeguards chiseled abs. Then the hot mutant metal is then pored into a sand mold. once it cools down, the molds, with the pans in them, are broken apart exposing the pans. The skillet then go down a conveyor belt where they are blasted with thousands of small steel balls to get off any sand, or ruff edges. Hard core if you ask me, that is why I'm giving this pan the "manly man lumber jack" of the year award.
5 Nonstick! Egg-celent
Get ride of those cheep aluminum "nonstick" pans that rust once scraped accidentally (happens to all of us) Invest in something that will last a lifetime, and will not break the bank! Lodge cast irons for example already come "seasoned" . No they didn't rub thyme, sage, and truffles on it, but oil is baked onto the cast iron. When the oil is heated, it hardens into a polymerized coating. This gives the pan a almost nonstick coating (a process that should repeat once you buy a cast iron). In order to do this, simply set your oven to 350 F. rinse the skillet out with warm water ( to get any dust or germs off, because of all the people who probably touched it as it laid in the store) dry it out, with a towel. then rub the whole pan with your favorite oil, just enough to lightly coat it. Then place it in the oven upside down for 2 hours. This will ensure you have a perfectly seasoned pan.
6. Cheaper then a first date!
I've found Lodge cast irons (U.S.A made) for as low as 10.00 at target (link below) A high quality name brand pan, for a low price! Name brand, and cheap, never though you would hear those words together right? Some cast irons can run 50 dollar and 80 dollar mark, these cast irons have an enamel coating, so you don't have to worry about seasoning them, and they can be washed every use. To me, that just takes away from the cast iron experience. If comparing stainless to cast iron, some stainless steel pans can run you 30.00 to hundreds of dollars, and stainless pans don't last hundreds of years like cast irons do! A cast iron skillet is a pretty good return on investment I'd say.
7. Cook over any heat source
Cook on electric, gas, or right over the campfire with a cast iron. Since cast iron skillets retain heat very well, it is great for campfire cooking. Once it is heated, it takes a lot for it to fluctuate in temperature. This means, that when you notice the fire burning out slowly, you can take your time adding more wood. I've personally cooked over campfires with cast irons, and it makes some great campfire stews, and braises! If your into hiking and your thinking "hmm sounds great, but its too heavy to carry around on my back all day", FALSE! Cast iron skillets come in all shapes and sizes, you can easily buy a small 8 inch cast iron, to save some weight on your back.