Check out the Le Creuset Cast Iron Cookware Stand over here.
“I have two stands/shelves for my Le Crueset dutch ovens which are the back bone of my cookware. This stand does not hold any of my ovens over 5 quarts. The other stand holds my 9, 6 and 5 quart dutch ovens and this one holds ovens that range between 2-5 quarts. It's solid, attractive and does look great with the small-medium cookware, but will not fit the larger sizes. Because we live in an earthquake area, the sturdiness is really important -- heavy dutch ovens seem very safe on these shelves!”
“I can't say enough good things about this rack.
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<br />Storage - I use the bottom 4 shelves for pot storage, the top shelf for ramekins and a plant. If needed, smaller pots can be nestled inside the larger pots, I have 6 pots and a grill pan on mine. Makes it so convenient to retrieve.
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<br />Appearance - black matte cast iron shelves, I have had mine for 5 years, looks like it did when it was new. This is a great way to display Le Creuset pots, the colors just pop.
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<br />It is very stable, I wasn't sure what to expect, but there have not been any problems, even made it through a California earthquake and remained upright. Although the description states the shelves are adjustable, it is very limited in that regard. The shelf depths are fixed by the length of the posts provided with the unit, what you can do is arrange so that the deep shelves are on either the top or the bottom. I recommend the deep shelves be on the bottom, as shown in the picture.
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<br />This piece is made with the quality you would expect from Le Creuset.
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Check out the Emerilware 10-Inch Cast-Iron Square Grill Pan over here.
“I enjoy this grill pan, how ever, I have a glass top stove and it may be a little on the heavy side to cook on the glass top.”
“Absolute great grill pan.. I love this so much, I have been grilling steaks on this pan, I do believe it is the best investment in cookware that I have made.”
“I really like this grill pan. It makes lines on the meat just like an outdoor grill. Even though it says pre-seasoned, you still have to keep up with special care. It will smoke up the kitchen until it is properly seasoned. The food tastes great! This pan is probably for "old school" folks who have used cast iron cookware and know how to care for it.”
“EMERILWARE CAST IRON FROM AMAZON WAS THE BEST PRODUCT I EVER ORDERED,ALSO I REC. MY ORDER IN ONE WEEK. I WILL ONLY ORDER FROM AMAZON.COM FROM NOW ON.”
“Cooks great, cleaning takes a little more effort than non-stick, but hey, what do you expect? How hard is it to clean the grill surface of your outdoor grill?”
The Cast Iron Pan came about hundreds of years ago, and has lasted through to today because of the excellent heat retention and diffusion. The common use of cast iron pans is frying (the pans are able to heat up to a very high temperature and then retain that heat), but their application can extend much further.
There are many categories of pan, but the most popular are:
- Cast Iron Frying Pan / Skillets
- Flat Top Grils
- Griddles
There are also Dutch Ovens, which are seen less these days with the advent of cast iron casserole dishes.
Along with frying, cast iron pans can be used for:
- Searing / Sealing
- Stewing
- Braising
One use that sets cast iron pans above other pans, is that you can transfer them straight from the stove (gas, electric, ceramic hob) into the oven or grill and back again. Particularly useful if you are trying to sear some fish or meat, and then let it cook on a lower heat in the oven.
It is believed that there can be health benefits to cooking with cast iron pans, and that some iron will bleed into the food in very small amounts. However, the more seasoned a pan becomes (discussed later on), the less iron will get through seasoning.
Also of note is that the older a cast iron pan gets, the better it will perform. There are many different approaches to cleaning these pans, and some people advocate not cleaning them at all!
The next article outlines the Types of Cast Iron Pan, and should help you understand which type of pan is right for you.
There are a number of different types of cast iron pan, but chances are you will only come accross the griddle or skillet (frying pan).
The table below shows a picture of each different type of cast iron pan, the name of the pan and a brief description.
| Image |
Pan Type |
Description |
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Skillet / Frying Pan |
The skillet or frying pan is the most common type of cast iron pan, and will be found in many shops and |
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Griddle |
The skillet or frying pan is the most common type of cast iron pan, and will be found in many shops and |
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Dutch Oven / Casserole dish |
The traditional dutch oven has long since lost the large handle (used for cooking over an open fire), but the idea remains the same. In much of the world, they are termed casserole dishes. They are generally cast iron, or more modern ones can be enamled cast iron (makes them easier to clean and prevent seasoning of the iron).
The traditional use is for stewing and slow cooking, the pans are all iron which retains the heat and enables you to stew on really low temperatures. If you have the time, these pans can have an incredible affect on slow cooked meat.
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Given the variety in shapes and sizes in pans, and that cast iron pans have been around for hundreds of years, there are a number of manufacturers and models of cast iron pan. The most popular is the Le Creuset Cast Iron Pan, which I will talk about in my next article.