With all the latest innovations in cooking gadgets that are out in the market today, it is amazing that the cast iron skillet has surpassed the test of time. Nothing seems to last as long in the kitchen as that old iron skillet. Cast iron cookware is a heat conductor, which means it heats consistently and evenly. Hence, it is the old fashioned way to cook fat-free food. In addition, investing in a complete set of cast iron cookware will not affect your budget because it is quite affordable and will last a lifetime.

A cast iron skillet can go from stove to oven, and you don’t need any special utensils to cook with it, compared to Teflon type cooking pans. They are easy to clean and don’t warp. No wonder most our grandmothers had cast iron skillets. They were usually passed down to the next generation. There are many dependable brands out there, but I prefer Old Mountain cookware.

As most parents will readily attest, kids have simple, unsophisticated tastes in food. Their taste buds haven’t fully matured, and in many cases they cling to their old favorites more out of a sense of comfort and security than anything else. It’s in the best interest of kids to try new things, of course, and parents should convince them to do so in subtle ways. Why not start with a traditional childhood favorite: pizza.

Rather than ordering a few pies for delivery, take out a few cast iron baking pans and allow the kids to decorate the dough with their favorite toppings. Mushrooms, onions, green peppers and tomatoes are healthy additions that shouldn’t prove too jarring to a child’s palate. Make a deal with them beforehand that they must try at least one new ingredient before regressing back to cheese and pepperoni.

Ingredients
~ 1 ¾ cups flour
~ ½ tsp. salt
~ 2 tsp. baking powder
~ 1 tsp. sugar
~ ½ tsp. baking soda
~ ¼ cup shortening or 5 tablespoons butter
~ ¾ cup buttermilk

Directions
1.) Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.
2.) Cut in shortening or batter.
3.) Add in and lightly mix buttermilk.
4.) Knead dough on a floured surface for 30 seconds
5.) Pat dough into 1/4” thickness
6.) Cut into rounds
7.) Cook the biscuits on a lightly greased cast iron cookware skillet about one inch apart.
8.) Brown biscuits 3 to 4 minutes on each side

A cast iron pan is a great accessory when you go camping in the woods because of its durability. When you don’t have a fancy kitchen to cook from, and the space is not as orderly as you would like, other pans just don’t cut it. People bring cast iron cookware to these occasions because you can whip up a fire and throw the cast iron right on top of the coals and you have a pan ready to cook anything. Cast iron will withstand over a hundred degrees more heat than other leading pans.

They last forever because they were made to be tough. Forget taking a pan with a layer of non stick Teflon on it camping. Not only is that a quick way to ruin your cookware, but it is also a way to ruin your health. Teflon is not meant to be used with a heavy hand, and some doctors say Teflon is not meant to be used at all. So when you are going camping take Cast Iron instead.