11/08/2025
If you’ve been looking for a way to take your cooking to the next level, this is it. There are things you can do with cast iron and stoneware that cannot be achieved with regular non-stick pans.
Cast iron, enameled cast iron, and stoneware all develop and retain heat differently than non-stick pans, creating deeper, richer flavours. These materials help to create natural caramelization, they work wonderfully at low and high temperatures and they distribute heat evenly.
The nature of these items will inherently change the way you cook because you can’t just put it on the stove and crack an egg into it. Cast iron needs to be sufficiently heated and seasoned to become non-stick… so before you’ve even started you’ve been forced to slow down.
These are the pans I’ve collected over the years, a collection that will last me a lifetime. I also have a pizza stone which totally transforms homemade pizza! I’m not completely medieval though. I also have a set of heavy bottom stainless steel pots and a couple of non-stick ceramic pans but they serve a totally different purpose. I will use the stainless pots to quickly reheat soup, or boil potatoes for example. Things that don’t require a depth of flavour. And the non-stick pan is almost exclusively for scrambled eggs. If there is a way to make a perfect fluffy scrambled egg in cast iron, I have yet to figure it out.
My last thing I need to mention is that I don’t believe these need to be expensive to be good. Reputable brands like Le Creuset and Lodge are great but there’s also a $35 slow cooker at wal-mart that will do the same thing. 😙
