Currents

Cast-Iron Comeback

Versatile, time-tested cookware is reclaiming its spot among home chefs

STORY AND PHOTOS BY RUSSELL A. GRAVES

From inside my home,

I could smell the wood smoke wafting across the lawn. It’s a delightful blend of post oak and some fruitwood, and just the aroma makes me hungry.

With my smoker keeping a steady temperature of 350 degrees, I preheat a seasoned, 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Because it’s an all-metal piece of cookware, I don’t have to worry about plastic handles or Teflon coatings getting ruined by the heat.

Soon I’ve placed some homemade dough, tomato sauce, cheese and pepperoni in the skillet and back into the smoker. The woodsmoke-infused pizza will taste great, and the crunch provided by the cast-iron pan will give the pizza the texture I’m after.

Fifteen minutes later I have (at least in my estimation) pizza perfection, and it was made possible by a piece of cast iron handed down through my family over a couple of generations.

Cast-iron cookware is the ultimate utilitarian piece for the home chef, and while it’s been used for nearly 2,000 years in one iteration or another, the venerated cookware is making a comeback because of its versatility and durability.

OPPOSITE Cast iron gives cornbread a crust you can’t get in a baking dish. ABOVE The cookware can be used on the stovetop or in the oven—paths to a perfect egg.