Cast iron excels at dishes needing high, even heat for searing, crisping, or slow cooking, making it perfect for steaks, fried chicken, cornbread, skillet cookies, Dutch babies, and deep-dish pizza, plus one-pot comfort foods like shepherd's pie, braised meats, and rustic hashes, leveraging its heat retention for crusts and rich browning.
Cast iron shines when it comes to high-heat cooking, like searing steaks or charring vegetables, but it goes beyond that—you can use cast iron to sauté, bake bread, or even or make a table-worthy dessert.
👀5 Things to Avoid Cooking In Cast Iron👀 1. Tomato sauce or anything acidic like tomatoes, lemons, limes etc as the acid can damage the ``seasoning'' of your skillet. 2. Wine Braised Meats 3. Deserts 4. Omelettes 5.
People stopped using cast iron pans primarily due to the rise of lighter, easier-to-clean, and more responsive non-stick aluminum and stainless steel cookware in the mid-20th century, especially with the invention of Teflon; cast iron's weight, maintenance needs (seasoning, rust prevention), and brittleness made it less convenient for modern kitchens despite its superior heat retention and durability.
Every cook has a favorite pan—or two—that they reach for again and again. Some lean on nonstick for quick cleanup. Others swear by stainless steel for sauces and searing. But ask many professional chefs what they can't live without, and cast iron almost always makes the list.
You shouldn't cook eggs in a cast-iron skillet, especially if it's new or not well-seasoned, because they tend to stick badly, leading to messy cleanup and potential damage to the pan's seasoning. While a perfectly seasoned, older pan can cook eggs with proper low-heat technique, eggs are delicate and can easily pull off the polymerized fat layer, especially scrambled eggs or omelets, making a nonstick pan a better choice for this food.
The healthiest cookware options are generally stainless steel, cast iron, ceramic, and glass, as they are durable, non-reactive, and don't leach harmful chemicals like PFAS or PFOA into food, even at high heat. For non-stick convenience without chemicals, high-quality ceramic-coated pans (derived from sand) are good, while uncoated cast iron and carbon steel offer excellent performance but require seasoning and special care, especially with acidic foods, to maintain their natural surfaces.
Stainless steel is generally considered safe for cooking, even for those sensitive to these metals. Cooking with cast iron can increase iron intake, potentially benefiting iron-deficiency anemia. However, frying in cast iron can lead to the formation of trans fats.
All cast iron, whether natural or coated, has a much higher carbon concentration than other popular food-safe metals like stainless steel and aluminum. This means that natural cast iron is more susceptible to corrosion because when carbon combines with oxygen and water, rust forms.
Traditionally, lard was used to season cast iron, and while that is still okay, we do not recommend it unless you frequently use your cookware. If the cookware is stored for too long, lard and other animal-based fats can go rancid. Using flaxseed oil to season cast iron pans is a growing trend.
Tomatoes
"Cooking these foods in neglected cast iron can produce a metallic taste. If the pan is well seasoned and cleaned out after each use, it isn't a problem." To be safe, cook some bacon in your skillet afterward to give the seasoning extra protection.
If you'd like to add vibrancy to your meal with a squeeze of lemon, it's perfectly safe to do so! Just don't leave the lemon juice in the pan for a long time. Here are a few acidic meals you want to avoid cooking in your cast iron pan, and instead choose an enamel based cast iron or stainless steel.
Start with Vegetables
Any seared, sautéed, or pan-roasted vegetable recipe is a great place to start breaking in your skillet.
After years of experimentation with dozens of techniques, we've found the best combination for achieving scrambled egg Nirvana: a cast iron skillet and patience.
You should avoid cooking highly acidic foods (tomatoes, wine sauces), delicate fish (tilapia, flounder), and eggs in cast iron, especially if the pan isn't perfectly seasoned, as these can stick or damage the non-stick seasoning, leading to metallic tastes or stuck food. Sticky desserts and strong-flavored foods can also be problematic as cast iron retains flavors.
On the con side, cast iron is extremely heavy and not that easy to take care of (at least until it's older and well-seasoned). Carbon steel pans are similar in function, but around 25% lighter.
The best cast iron brand depends on your needs: Lodge is the top choice for budget-friendly, reliable, everyday use with excellent performance, while Le Creuset and Staub are premium picks for enameled cookware, favored for their beauty and durability, with Staub being favored by pros for heavy-duty tasks and Le Creuset for its lighter feel and stylish finish. Other great options include Smithey for classic quality and Field for lighter weight, with vintage Griswold offering smooth surfaces.
Stainless steel shines in versatility, offering even heat distribution and an easy-clean surface perfect for sautéing and deglazing. Meanwhile, cast iron excels at retaining heat, making it a go-to for slow-cooked dishes and searing meats to perfection.
You should avoid non-stick pans with older PTFE/PFOA coatings, aluminum pans, unlined copper cookware, and chipped ceramic or enameled pans, as these can leach harmful chemicals like PFAS, aluminum, or heavy metals (lead, cadmium) into food, especially with acidic ingredients or high heat. Also, be cautious with "non-toxic" claims on new non-stick pans, and avoid vintage cookware or pans with flaking painted surfaces due to unknown materials.
For the safest cookware in Australia, choose materials like stainless steel, cast iron, carbon steel, or ceramic-coated options to avoid harmful PFAS chemicals, with brands like Solidteknics (Australian-made) and GreenPan offering PFAS-free ceramic non-stick choices. The best choice depends on your needs: stainless steel offers durability, cast iron provides excellent heat retention (but requires seasoning), while ceramic non-stick is easy to clean, but ensure it's PFAS-free and replace if scratched.
If you've decided to swear off PTFE-coated nonstick cookware, there are several good alternatives, including ceramic, cast-iron, carbon steel, and stainless steel pans that perform well in our tests.
Eggs fall into the category of sticky foods that are not ideal for cast iron skillets that haven't built up their seasoning yet. While cast iron can become non-stick with sufficient use over time, a newer skillet will almost certainly cause your eggs to stick to its porous surface.