What’s your most versatile item in your kitchen. For me it’s my
cast iron skillet. I can cook any type of food in it, and need be I
I can put it directly in the oven to bake without having to switch
pans. With my pre-seasoned skillet I don’t need as much oil or butter
to cook, which makes it a healthier meal. Mine also has pour spouts on
each side so if I have to pour out some liquid, I can do it without spilling
it all over the counter. What’s your favorite, let us know.

If you want to have an old fashioned Christmas dinner, put all your
shiny cookware away and pull out your cast iron. Cast iron has been
around for hundreds of years, stood the test of time and has
decorated the tables of Kings and Presidents alike. Instead of that ceramic
bowl, use cast iron kettles for your gravy. You can cook the gray in the kettle
and take it straight to the table. Not only will the gravy stay hot longer, but
the cast iron kettle will add a nice touch to your decor. For a finishing touch,
eat by candle light, it soothes the soul.

For making a grilled cheese sandwich, use a square
cast iron flat grill or skillet. With the right size you can easily get
4 sandwiches in it. The secret is to cook on a medium low heat.
That way the bread will not brown to fast and give the cheese a chance
to melt. If you cook on high heat, the bread will burn and you cheese still
won’t be melted. If you want kick up you cheese sandwich a notch, add
bacon already cooked into the sandwich. Have fun with it.

Cast iron cookware was highly valued in the 18th century. Did you know
that George Washington’s mother thought so much of her cookware she
made a special note to bequeath her cast iron cookware in her will.
In 1804 when Lewis and Clark made their expedition to the Louisiana
territory they indicated that their cast iron dutch oven was one of
their most important pieces of equipment. Cast iron lasts so long,
it wouldn’t surprise me if someone is using Washington’s cookware today.

We used to make our meatloaf in a teflon baking dish. Trouble was when you tried to cut it out
using a knife it scratched the teflon so bad the pan only lasted a few months. Now that we use a
cast iron loaf pan we never have to worry about that again. The Cast iron does not scratch and the
knife will not damage to the pan. Now we have something that will last a lifetime and not a few months.
With the economy today there is no better deal for cooking than cast iron cookware.

I love using my cast iron bacon press for bacon. If I am making a BLT sandwich I like my
bacon flat so the whole sandwich stays together better. What I like using it for the
most is making “Smash Burgers”. Just take your burger and make it into a
ball and then smash it with the bacon press. Make a really neat looking burger
that is fun to serve. Cook it in your cast iron griddle and you are good to go.
Try it, it’s fun!

Prep time 20 minutes  Cook time 20-25 minutes  Serves 9

Ingredients:
A pat of butter for greasing pan
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 1 1/2 cup corn, fresh or frozen (thawed)

Cooking Directions: Preheat oven to 425, butter a 9 ” cast iron skillet and put in oven to heat.

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, baking soda and black pepper in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk egg, sour cream, 1 cup cheese and corn together, add to flour mixture. Pour into pan and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over top. Can be served warm or at room temperature

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 your cast iron pizza pan 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.

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.