In the early days of Our Simplicity Project, we cooked on old, worn out pans. They had started out as fairly good quality Teflon, but after so many years of use, the Teflon coating was chipped on most of them. We started wondering where the missing Teflon flakes went. Did they end up down the drain…or in our food?
Suspecting the answer was probably both, we wanted new pans, but really couldn’t afford expensive, ostensibly higher-quality cookware.
My great-grandmother’s pans
We took advice from my Aunt Jerry, who’d cooked on cast iron all her life. We also took a couple of old cast iron pans she wasn’t using. She described the process she used to season them and keep them non-stick and in good shape for decades.
Eventually we ended up with a 12″ skillet, a 10″ skillet, two 8” skillets, one 6″ skillet, and a Dutch oven. It took some time to get the rust off of one or two of them and cure them all enough times to make them truly functional for everyday use, but once we did, and after some practice, we were able to cook with them on a daily basis.
We learned to love cooking with them. Cast iron takes a little longer to heat up, but the heat is distributed more evenly and they’re as versatile as any cookware.
Cast iron pans are the most practical long-term solution, sustainable over potentially many lifetimes. Theoretically, we will never have to buy cookware again.
From a simplicity perspective, they are heavy in terms of weight, but light in terms of longevity and durability.
And my children cook meals in pans their great-great grandmothers cooked meals in. How cool is that?
Our Simplicity Project 
timethief
/ February 17, 2013It’s definitely cool. My husband and I are using second hand cast iron frying pans that we got over 30 years ago. Nothing beats cats iron for cooking.
mike and brandy
/ February 17, 2013me and my family have been using castiron and stainless steel for 20yrs as the more healthful and non-toxic alternative to ‘non-stick’ teflon or anodized aluminum cookware. awesome to see how long the stuff lasts and how well it wears.
mike+brandy
mike and brandy
/ February 17, 2013Reblogged this on Purposeful Pruning and commented:
Cast Iron pans are the BOMB !! Healthier and non-toxic, they last and last when taken care of and when they are well seasoned (and reseasoned when necessary) they last for Decades. Great Choice for the Simple Life minded family. -mike