If you’ve never cooked with a cast iron pan, you do not know what you’re missing. The cast iron pan is one of the most versatile, multi-use cooking mediums one could possibly use in the kitchen. Not only can it be used to perfectly sear meats and veggies, it can be used to fry, deep fry, and even bake. Even more impressive, there are hundreds of tasty and decadent dessert recipes that feature the use of a cast iron pan!

Coming in a number of sizes, cast iron cooking pans are a MUST HAVE for the cooking enthusiast. Here are some ways you can put it to use:

1. Use your cast iron pan to cook a perfect steak. Cooking a steak in your cast iron pan is a great alternative to grilling that can produce the same juicy tenderness that you want with a steak. Use butter, garlic cloves, and a stem of rosemary to season your steak while you sear. Be sure to constantly pour the melted butter over your steak to add great flavor!
   
   
2. While roasting veggies is healthy and tasty, switch things up a bit and toss them into your cast iron skillet at a high temperature for a few minutes. The high temperature of the pan will cook the outside of your veggies quickly while maintaining their natural colors and flavors along with a hearty crunch.
   
   
3. Cast iron pans are naturally oven-safe; so don’t be afraid or hesitant to experiment a bit! For instance, you can use your cast iron pan to take a shot at Chicago Deep Dish pizza, a protein or veggie packed baked casserole, or a delicious baked brownie/cookie dessert pie!

This versatile cooking medium will open up new doors to your cooking process. They are sold as round pans, longer skillets, and with grill grooves to add a bit of texture to your seared meats and veggies!