Virtually Non stick cast iron cookware

[Frank S]

Things like skillet scalloped potatoes with onions garlic sliced kielbasa sausage grated sharp cheddar and mozzarella is the hardest thing I've found to cook in any skillet but if during the cooking process you keep the potatoes from sticking while they cook then once you are finished if you will run a little hot water in it you can usually clean it using a paper towel as a dish rag. My cast iron skillets and pots are cleaned and put away almost the moment they come off the stove and are emptied.
And NEVER NEVER EVER ever ever use detergent to clean them with. Did I mention never use detergent on them? If you happen to leave food in them or it gets baked on from being in the oven then fill them with hot water place on a burner and boil use a stainless steel spatula to loosen the food then rinse and repeat if necessary I've never had that problem.
Recently I bought a new 4 qt round pot so I filled it with water and set it outside to allow the water to evaporate and cause the pot to rust I want it to age for a few months with surface rust in it before I clean it up polish and season it

[cemransh]

What about ceramic cookware? I mean what is the difference between cast-iron cookware and ceramic cookware? And what is the defination of healthy ceramic cookware!

[Frank S]

What about ceramic cookware? I mean what is the difference between cast-iron cookware and ceramic cookware?

I guess the main difference is that cast iron cookware is not just come coating that is infused onto a metal base.
I do in fact have one of those ceramicoat copper colored pans and the ceramic coated ones that came with both of my nuwave cook tops, I bought the copper one because when I was having to use a portable induction cook top it heated faster than the cast iron plus it was larger than the ones that came with the cook tops. My cast iron cookware is mostly Lodge brand and has a ridge ring on the bottom that is mostly there to direct the heat from a gas flame and it did not allow a large enough area of the induction cook top to heat perfectly.
But I find that since ceramic is a coating it begins to degrade from the very first use even if using silicone tools and not using a metal spatula Where as cast iron is through and through not a coating.
After polishing mine then seasoning them the way I did, now several years later they have only improved with age

[blkadder]

What about ceramic cookware? I mean what is the difference between cast-iron cookware and ceramic cookware?

There are cast iron cookware that is ceramic coated, like the Le Creuset brand. We have a set of Le Creuset pots that are at least 50 years old, and nothing sticks to them. The price difference between a standard cast iron pan and the ceramic coated cast iron is like comparing a Yugo to a Ferrari.

[Jon]

Is there a good argument for enamel coating (essentially powdered glass) cast iron besides ease of cleaning? Does it have some properties that are beneficial for certain types of cooking? I've heard the "certain types of delicate sauces" argument in favor of enameled pans, but I don't know what those sauces are. I do see there is a legitimate but rarely applicable issue of iron leaching.

Per Frank S's method (which we've adopted successfully for our own cast iron pans), isn't the cleaning argument eliminated? I've found that cleaning enameled cast iron pans is difficult (both the fancy Le Creuset and the generic knock-offs), and even a thorough cleaning per manufacturer instructions never really returns the pan to a new appearance. Can I sand enamel coated pans to clean them? Can I wire wheel them and then just re-coat them?

[Frank S]

Jon there is an unfortunate truth to simmering certain sauces in cast iron like stewing tomatoes however I often make my pasta sauce in my cast iron skillets they have been used for so long that clean up has never been a problem I can usually just wipe out the remains with a paper towel then return to the stove and pour in a small amount of water once it turns to a steaming boil a quick wipe with a towel will remove any remaining residue then I will pour in a tbs of oil heat it then wipe it around then the skillet is ready for the next meal.
this is what 1 of my skillets looks like after 5 years of use

[Frank S]

Leaching is one of the subjects about cookware that was more or less thought up by a stainless steel water-less cookware salesman.
when 1 comes to your house the first thing he wants to do is try and scare the person who does most of the cooking in the family about all of the dangers of ingesting particles form their pots and pans.Usually they are referring to aluminum but even their analogies in that regards are flawed
What Everyone Needs to Know About Aluminum Cookware -

[bruce.desertrat]

Saw a good post on this on a blog Annals of commerce: product downgrades ...one reason those old skillet work so much better than the new ones is that companies like Lodge are cheaping out on production. Yustabe they did that 'grind the pan 'till it's smooth' step before they put on the factory 'seasoning' now you just get the rough cast surface.