IS CAST IRON COOKING GOOD FOR YOU?

Is cast iron cooking good for you?

Macrobiotics always looks at ‘constitution,’ ‘condition,’ ‘cooking styles,’ and even ‘cookware’ from a ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ perspective. Cast iron is a more ‘yang’ cookware, that implies: strong, sturdy, hardy, long-lasting, with a lot of qualities it would impart to the dish you create in it.

Here is why cast-iron cookware also works –

1. Some amount of the iron does get transferred to you, considering anemia is an issue with many people this is beneficial. Iron transports oxygen in the body, as a part of hemoglobin in the blood and a art of myoglobin in the muscles (RDA i.e., recommended daily allowance: 18 mg a day). For e.g., tomato sauce when cooked has 87 mg iron when cooked in a cast iron pan than when cooked in glass which is only 3 mg (for 100 g of sauce).
2. Cast iron cookware are chemical free, if not coated. Exposure to nasty chemicals is non-existent. A great alternative to nonstick pans.
3. They last a lifetime, considering how expensive good quality cookware is.
4. They are very easy to clean, as food lifts off easily from them.
5. Since they are strong, sturdy, long-lasting; those are the very qualities they will impart to your dish as well.

Tips to keep it all kosher with cast-iron

1. Don’t use harsh solvents to wash them which have bleach .
2. Oil them once in a while (I would use flax oil).
3. Use the sponge-portion of your scourer to clean, not a wiry one.
4. Leave some water in it once your dish has been cooked, or alternatively if there are food particles stuck to your pan boil off water in it.
5. Heat the pan first on a slow flame rather than staring the fire on full.
6. Drying you cast iron cookware completely will prevent it from rusting faster.

Happy cooking!!!