We are moving away from food cooked with or around artificial chemicals and additives and cookware of the past seems to be making a come back.This is especially true with cast iron cookware.
I bought my first ever cast iron skillet about 2 years back because I wanted to reduce my dependency on non stick cookware and use something more eco friendly and human friendly.What I have is a 10.25 inch cast iron pan which I used for making dry sabzis,baking,sautéing etc.This review of the Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet is with respect to it's use in a classic indian kitchen.
Pros of Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
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- The biggest pro is that it doesn't have any harmful chemicals
- Its eco friendly
- It has a long long almost infinite lifetime.I can basically treat this as a heirloom cookware.
- I can cook on stove top, induction stove and bake in the oven with it.It can also be used directly over grills and barbecue.
- It's practically non stick if you take good care of it.
- Equal heating.
- There are many sizes and shapes available.
Cons of Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
- It's heavy
- Cleaning and maintaining it is a task
- It's costly- Similar sized non stick pan will be half the cost but also 1/10 the life.
Verdict on Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
Absolutely irrevocably YES!!buy it definitely!I totally recommend buying a cast iron pan from Lodge!
Now lets get into specifics.Does this work in an Indian Kitchen?given that Indian food can be oily, sticky and really resistant!Can we make sabzi in it?Does the iron leach into the food?
A BIG yes to all that.
It works very well in indian kitchens, in fact, if you ask your grand mothers and moms, you will find that they used cast iron tawas for making rotis and dosas and still do.
You can make any sabzi like normal pan or kadai in it.It may require more oil but haven't you heard? Fat is GOOD for you? but if you want to reduce the amount of fat in food and still use cast iron cookware, then you have to give it love and care and season it well.
And yes.Iron does leach into the food.In fact, it is a great way to enrich your diet with iron.So no worries there too!
Also!!! if you want me to write a post on how to clean and take care of the Cast iron skillet do leave me a comment!!
Also here is some stuff that I have made in the cast iron skillet
Baked Parmesan Hasselback Potatoes
Everyday Whole Wheat Italian Bread
Easy Creamy Chicken Curry
Kerala Prawn Curry ; Malabar Chemmeen Curry
Sneha says
Hi Chhavi!
Came across your blog and Instagram posts today, such a treasure!
The Lodge store is very close to my house and have been meaning to pay them a visit to buy skillets.
My only concern is I have had food that was cooked/ served in a cast iron and the taste was slightly different( almost rustic). Here's what I would love ti get your feedback on –
-. Preseasoned cast iron can be used to store food after it's cooked? Will the food get this rustic taste if left for long?
Thanks in advance!
foodcow says
Hi Sneha!!
I am sorry I took so long to reply.
So on your question- iron is a metal and reactive but unlike aluminium its good for us.USually iron reacts to acidic foods like tomato and tamarind so if its not well seasoned ,it can leach into the dish.
The trick is to make sure the cast iron pan is always well seasoned.A well seasoned pan has a natural coating on it which makes the pan non reactive.
Also- I would not suggest storing the food for long in a cast iron pan because it will lead to erosion of the coating but by long I mean several hours or in the fridge.
I hope this helps you!
Sneha says
Hi Chhavi!
Came across your blog and Instagram posts today, such a treasure!
The Lodge store is very close to my house and have been meaning to pay them a visit to buy skillets.
My only concern is I have had food that was cooked/ served in a cast iron and the taste was slightly different( almost rustic). Here’s what I would love ti get your feedback on –
-. Preseasoned cast iron can be used to store food after it’s cooked? Will the food get this rustic taste if left for long?
Thanks in advance!
foodcow says
Hi Sneha!!
I am sorry I took so long to reply.
So on your question- iron is a metal and reactive but unlike aluminium its good for us.USually iron reacts to acidic foods like tomato and tamarind so if its not well seasoned ,it can leach into the dish.
The trick is to make sure the cast iron pan is always well seasoned.A well seasoned pan has a natural coating on it which makes the pan non reactive.
Also- I would not suggest storing the food for long in a cast iron pan because it will lead to erosion of the coating but by long I mean several hours or in the fridge.
I hope this helps you!