We have a fireplace in our living room that we never use because
it does not put out any heat. We thought about putting in a fireplace
insert, but the cost was to much when you add in the cost of the insert
and running a gas line. We could put in logs, but wanted something a bit
different. What we did was hang a bracket inside using cement screws and
then we hung our cast iron dutch oven on it. It gave a very warm feel to
our living room. Now if the power ever goes out in our house, we will still
have a place to cook.

If you are wanting to buy some cookware like skillets and are
not sure what size you need, you might want to consider buying
a set. Not only do you get a few sizes but the cost per skillet will be
cheaper. I prefer cast iron cookware sets because I like the durability
of the product and the ease of care. With cast iron you do not need to
worry about damaging the inside of the skillet like you do with teflon.
After all, when you buy something, you want to use it to it’s fullest
ability and not have to worry about damaging it every time you use it.

One of the biggest mainstays and important items to an outfitter
is his cast iron cookware. Imagine if you had to feed several clients
at one time out in the wilderness. Everybody is hungry and nobody
want to wait for the food. You need to cook it all at one time and the
best way to do it is in large cast iron post and pans. Not only can you
cook a lot of food, but with the durability of cast iron, it travels well
and can take lots of abuse. Even if you are not an outfitter and are having
a large party cast iron can to the same for you.

Cooking with your cast iron griddle on your barbecue grill is a great
way to go. Especially in the summer months when it is so hot. Instead
of heating up your house, just fire up the grill and do your cooking outside.
You can do bacon and eggs in the morning and even toast. Just butter your
bread before you put it on the griddle. Or how about some great grilled cheese
for lunch. There’s something about cooking food outside that just seems to
taste so much better than in the kitchen. Plus you also get to enjoy the outdoors
while you are cooking.

When camping, nothing beats cast iron cookware. That is
why it is important to take care of it. Cast Iron does not need
the special care that a teflon skillet will need because you do
not have to worry about scratching the teflon and ruining the
skillet forever. Even if you buy discount cast iron cookware,
you will want to take care of it so it lasts you many years. When
camping it is best to hang your skillets to keep them off the ground.
That way, if it rains the skillets will not fill up with water which may
cause rust. This will also keep them free of dirt and give you added
space on your cooking table.

Back in the 1860′s one of the most treasured and useful
items for a camp cook on a cattle drive or a cowboy traveling
across the prairie was his cast iron pots and pans. Built tough,
cast iron lasted a long time with minimal care. Today, cast iron
is as good as ever with a large selection of pots, pans and dutch
ovens that the cowboys did not have. Seeing as you won’t have to
store your cast in a chuck wagon or your saddle bags, the skies the
limit on what you can store in your house.

If you don’t like doing  a lot of cleaning up after a good meal,
try one pot cooking. A simple meal with lot of flavor can be
done in one pot. You can brown some chicken in your
cast iron pot with a little oil. Once the chicken is brown, add
some mushroom soup, carrots and celery and put it in the oven.
Cook until chicken is done. Simply take the pot to the table and serve.
Just make sure to put a trivet under the pot so you don’t hurt your
table. Now you only have 1 pot to clean instead of a pot, skillet and
serving dish.

]]> http://www.castironchatter.com/benefits-of-cast-iron/862-one-pot-cooking/feed/ 0 http://www.castironchatter.com/benefits-of-cast-iron/858-i-love-the-looks-of-a-cast-iron-tea-kettle/ http://www.castironchatter.com/benefits-of-cast-iron/858-i-love-the-looks-of-a-cast-iron-tea-kettle/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:50:57 +0000 Mark http://www.castironchatter.com/?p=858

We have lots of modern things in our house. Flat screen T.V.’s, cell phones, DVD
players, video games and such. Maybe that’s why I like to have a few items in the
house that are a bit more simplistic and get back to simpler times. One of my favorite
items is our cast iron tea kettle. They have come a long way from what your Grandma
used to have. Although they look like hers, the modern ones hold the heat better and have
a handle that won’t scorch your hand. I just love the looks of these whether their on the
stove brewing tea, on the wood stove adding humidity to the air or sitting on the kitchen
while you enjoy a great cup of tea with friends.

I’ll bet if you have a tea kettle you have never used it for more than making
water for tea. Guess what, you can use it for more than that. Here are a few
things to use your cast iron kettles for. In the morning when we make coffee in
the kitchen, we will fill the kettle up with coffee and take it downstairs and keep
it hot of the wood burning stove while we read the paper. That way we don’t have
to keep going upstairs for refills. Last weekend we had company over and cooked
french toast. Guess what we heated the syrup up in, you guessed it, the tea kettle. It
made a great impression on the table and stayed very warm. I think next we will
try gravy, I’ll let you know how it goes.

If you like to cook bacon and don’t like the way it curls up, you may want
to consider a cast iron grill press. By putting this on top of the bacon, with
it’s weight, it will stop the bacon from curling and cook it more evenly.
It will also stop the splatter of bacon grease that gets all over your kitchen.
Another way to use a grill press is to make smash burgers. Simply put the
hamburger in a ball and smash it with the grill press. It will make a unique
burger with the shape on the bottom of the press.