Cast Iron Chatter

Cast iron cookware has been used for hundreds of years in the preparation of food.  Since mealtime in many cultures is a time of family communion and sharing, most of the tools involved become an integral part of the experience, providing ever more ways to associate our daily lives with our shared family experience.  The cast iron pan has been perhaps the most recognizable of these tools for centuries.  Despite modern innovations in creative cooking surfaces or the development of newer, “improved” alloys the popularity of cast iron persists unabated.

In my own experience a cast iron pan always brings to mind the feelings and emotions associated with quality time with my family, almost like the experiences associated with photographs or home movies.  Whenever I see a cast iron pan I know family is there.  There is a family that enjoys its own unique culture and frequently celebrates its members and their experiences through the sharing of meals.

Its uses in cooking are too many to count, its advantages equally beyond number.  Its significance as an icon of American culture only grows as almost every child in almost every family comes to associate the cast iron pan with the cherished memories and occasions of families breaking bread in unity, companionship and conviviality.