Add these droolworthy cast iron cookware pieces to your kitchen.

Once regulated to campfire cooking or something passed down to you from your great-grandmother, it seems like cast iron cookware is once again gaining in popularity. From cooking shows and online how-to videos to cooking magazine, cast iron is everywhere.

Why Cast Iron Cookware?

Whether cooking your morning eggs to roasting a chicken in the evening, cast iron cookware is the workhorse of the kitchen. There are a variety of benefits of cooking with cast iron cookware making it a no-brainer. Cast iron cookware is healthier for you and the environment. There are a variety of chemicals utilized in the manufacture of those ubiquitous nonstick coatings found on many types of cookware. These chemicals raise concerns about exposure (both for the people making the pans in the factory and when they are used in cooking). That’s also not to mention the durability of cast iron cookware. It is cookware that will last you (and your children) a lifetime making it a more sustainable choice. But most importantly to those who take their cooking seriously is cooking with cast iron produces amazing results!

Beyond the basics of a cast iron skillet and a cast iron enamel dutch oven, what are some unique cast iron cookware pieces to add to your kitchen?

Cast Iron Cookware Must Haves

1. Le Creuset Cast Iron Heart Cocotte

This sweet, heart-shaped casserole dish is the perfect vessel to make a special dinner or dessert in. It’s also perfect to show off the next time you are invited to a covered dish supper.

2. Lodge Panini Press

Pair the Lodge Square Grill Pan and this Panini Press to make the most awesome grilled sandwiches ever. Both are available in red or blue enameled cast iron.

3. Cast Iron Tortilla Press

If you have never made homemade tortillas, you are missing out. While a tortilla press isn’t required, it sure does make the job a whole lot easier. Of course, if you plan on buying a tortilla press, you do want it to be made from durable cast iron.

4. Staub Cast Iron Covered Fish Pan

Never wrap another piece of fish in aluminum foil again with this cast iron pan. Not only does it brown fish perfectly, but it will also help to keep your delicious fish from drying out.

5. Utopia Kitchen Cast Iron Wok

Believe it or not, but one does not make the best stir-fry with a nonstick wok. For a tasty treat, cook your next stir-fry in a cast iron wok and discover a trick that serious chefs have known for years. Plus, a cast iron wok can even be used on grills or campfires.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

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The post 5 Super Sturdy Cast Iron Cookware Pieces That’ll Last a Lifetime appeared first on EcoSalon.

Looking to start a new collection? Or maybe you want to make a more sustainable kitchenware choice? Consider starting a vintage kitchenware collection.

Not everything new is better. In fact, many old things are downright fantastic and that goes for vintage kitchenware collectibles. Whether you’re looking for practical additions to your kitchen or you’ve caught the collecting bug, vintage kitchenware is ubiquitous. And not only is it a more sustainable choice than buying new, it’s also a less expensive choice and one with a cool retro vibe, too!

Not sure you can tell the difference between Milk Glass and Jadeite? Read on to learn more about the most common types of vintage kitchenware you are likely to come across.

A Vintage Kitchenware Collection Primer

Depression Glass

Depression glass is machine-pressed tinted or clear translucent glassware that was produced during the 1920s – 1940s. It was widely distributed for free or at a low cost as giveaways or initiatives by companies looking to lure in customers. It became a popular collectible in the 1960s.

Ironstone Pottery

Ironstone pottery is often referred to as “poor man’s pottery” because it was the mass-produced alternative to pottery. First produced in the UK in the early nineteenth-century, ironstone collectibles are prized for their heft and stunning whiteness.

Pyrex

Everyone loves vintage brightly-colored and patterned Pyrex dishes from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Not only are they appropriately kitschy, but they are still quite functional in the kitchen! Pyrex is also ubiquitous on Etsy, on Ebay, and at thrift stores, estate sales, and yard sales.

Jadeite

Jadeite kitchenware comes in a stunning color of green. Jadeite is nothing more than milk glass that has color added to it. Produced by the Anchor Hocking Company it first hit American shelves in 1942. Martha Stewart has an envious collection of Jadeite.

Teacups

While not unique to a specific era or time period, many like to collect vintage teacups for the unique patterns and colors they feature. Your collection starts with just one!

Cake Plates

By the same token, cake stands are also not limited to a specific time period, and a collection might feature milk glass, depression, and ironstone cake stands. The only limit to this collection is how much time and space you have.

Enamelware

Enamelware kitchenware is made from glass that is fused to steel or iron, which creates a smooth, hard glass finish over the metal. Enamelware got its start in the 1800s as a way to reduce the chemical reaction of cooking directly in iron pots. It was also lighter-weight and more affordable. Vintage enamelware can be found at estate sales, thrift stores, and more.

Milk Glass

Milk glass describes opaque white-colored glass that can be either blown or pressed. While white glass had been around for centuries before, it didn’t gain popularity until the late-nineteenth century and remained popular through the Depression.

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The post Vintage Kitchenware Collectibles from Depression Glass to Pyrex That Won’t Break the Bank appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnDo we really need all this stuff?

I think there should be a special place in hell for single use kitchen implements.

Bagel slicers. Avocado slicers. Egg slicers. And those are just the slicers. Who likes these bulky, cheap plastic uni-purpose utensils cluttering up the kitchen? Someone must, because marketers work themselves into a froth trying to convince people that they need a special appliance or tool to accomplish each kitchen task. And they’re upping the ante, with celebrities putting their names on everything from skillets to spatulas to food. Yes: Paula Deen has her own ham.

Here are my top nominations for most useless kitchen items:

Rachael Ray Garbage Bowl: (shown above)

I received a press release the other day that breathlessly informed me that a Rachael Ray “Garbage Bowl” would “reduce wasted time in the kitchen.” Rachael’s technique of keeping a bowl near your prep area to gather scraps and dispose of them all at once is a good idea, though hardly original. But I take issue first with the construction of this argument. Saying it “reduces wasted time in the kitchen” implies that all time spent in the kitchen is wasted. I just don’t believe that. Some people like to cook. Secondly, won’t any similarly sized bowl in my kitchen cupboard do the trick? Well, according to the press release, no.

Here are the selling points of this glorious bowl:

It’s lightweight melamine so it’s never too heavy to lift.

As regular bowls are too heavy to lift when full?

It can be easily cleaned by hand or in the dishwasher.

So amazingly versatile!

The retro speckled design hides unsightly peels and other scraps.

Are onion peels and carrot tops really more unsightly than that weird, flesh colored bowl?

A rubberized base keeps it from skidding off counters or tables.

Good point. You never know when a bowl is just going to up and skid off the counter.

In the event the Garbage Bowl drops to the floor, it won’t break.

Why not make everything plastic so it doesn’t break?

For cooks who are growing vegetables and composting this summer, the Garbage Bowl provides an aesthetically pleasing way to carry food scraps from the kitchen to the garden.

They’re serious. I think.

Hot Air Popcorn Poppers:

I thought those enormous, electric hot air popcorn poppers had gone the way of Fantasy Island, but evidently not everyone is eating microwave popcorn these days because they are still manufacturing them. Let’s not even talk about why people can’t make popcorn on top of the stove.

Electric Muffin Maker:

Are we now so incredibly lazy in the kitchen that we can’t make muffins or cupcakes in tins in the oven anymore, nor time their readiness? This snippet of sales copy should tell you how stupid the manufacturers think people are: “A red power light lets you know the unit is on. And a green light tells you it’s ready. So simple to use!”

Electric Pancake Maker:

Since it’s admittedly taxing to flip pancakes over after you cook them on one side, you’d better make sure you put a pancake maker on your wedding registry. And, since whisking, measuring, and ladling is such an unnecessary pain, this wedding gift wouldn’t be complete without a couple cans of Batter Blaster.

Recloseable Can Toppers:

For those times when you just can’t finish a can of soda or beer, here are these nifty toppers that make the cans look like bottles! And they’re colorful!

Countertop Paper Towel Holder:

One of this aesthetic train wreck’s crimes is overdesign. Look at all the parts on that thing! Do we really need our paper towel dispenser to help us tear it right, every time?

Leave a comment and tell us about your favorite wasteful or just plain silly gadget.

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate, on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

The post The Rachael Ray Garbage Bowl, and Other Ridiculous Kitchen Products appeared first on EcoSalon.