The blog greenopolis just featured a post about cast iron being the greenest method for non-stick cooking. How could I not re-post it?
Top 5 Reasons Why Cast Iron Is The Greenest Choice For Non-Stick Cooking
Cast iron is naturally non-stick. Properly seasoned (see below) nothing will stick to it. Cast iron eliminates the need for the costly, toxic chemicals used to create the non-stick surfaces in modern cookware.
Eco-easy clean up. All cast iron cookware requires for clean up is hot water and a stiff brush, so you avoid any harmful chemicals in detergent or solvents.
Cast iron can take the heat. It can withstand much hotter temperatures and will distribute the heat more evenly than traditional cookware. And since it holds heat well, you can use less energy to cook. Plus it’s perfect for outdoor cooking. Just remember that cast iron gets hot. so use an oven mitt when handling a hot pan.
It’s a great upcycling opportunity. Don’t ever worry about buying a cast iron skillet or other cast iron cooking vessel—like a dutch oven—from a resale shop or garage sale. Even if it looks rusty and dirty, it can be cleaned and re-seasoned and continue on cooking, forever.It’s good for you. Cast iron cookware leaches small amounts of iron into food, so you get a little extra iron each time you use it. Almost anyone, especially women in their child bearing years, will benefit from this.
I have a cast iron skillet on semi-permanent loan to me from my mom and it’s my favorite skillet to use for just about everything. When properly greased and seasoned, I’ve found that it works just as well as (and probably better than) any Teflon coated competitor. I’ve never given it’s potential “greenness” much consideration but I’m glad to hear that my cookware is not only good for my culinary experiments but good for the environment as well (or at least not bad for it). I’m especially happy because we added some new cast iron cookware to the ranks recently, as Nate received a large Dutch oven for Christmas. It has a few rust spots, but with a little TLC I expect that it will soon become our new BFF in the kitchen.
