Friday, January 15, 2016

By John Voket I was recently mulling the idea of replacing some daily use kitchen ware for the New Year.

So we checked with Katie, AKA wellnessmama.com, who is a huge fan of X-trema Cookware since she received several pans for Christmas a few years ago. Katie says they are the most inert cookware she has found, meaning they don’t leach anything into food.

While she says they can break, they are the absolute easiest option to clean, and have a non-scratch cooking surface, heat evenly and hold in flavors in foods. Katie at wellnessmama.com says they are technically dishwasher, oven, microwave and stove safe, cook better than cast iron or stainless, and are easier to clean!

On the other hand, cast iron is great for cooking meats and for deep frying in coconut oil, and as long as you don’t scrub it with soap and a Brillo pad, a good cast iron skillet can be an excellent non-stick surface to cook on and cooks evenly and with good flavor.

Cast iron can be used in the oven or on the stove top (or on a campfire!) or all of the above.

The Michigan State University Extension offers some facts about using cast iron pans:

• Cast iron is tough. There’s a reason why there are old cast iron pans at yard sales and antique shops. It is very difficult to completely ruin them.
• Once cast iron is hot, it stays hot. So cast iron pans are great for searing meat.
• Cast iron is great for keeping food warm since it holds heat for a considerable length of time. (Michigan State University Extension suggests that you check to make sure that the food that you are keeping in your pan or dutch oven doesn’t get below 135 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours.)
• Every time you cook in your cast iron pans you are making them better by seasoning them.
• During the cooking process a small amount of iron is absorbed into the foods.Cast iron skillets and dutch ovens display your food beautifully. This is especially true when they are used for breads or pies.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com