Does Cast Iron Cookware Add Iron To Food? Discover The Health Benefits Of Cooking With Cast Iron Cookware In 2023!

Cast iron cookware is a type of cookware that uses iron, which is a heavy metal, to conduct heat. The idea behind cast iron cookware is to add iron to food and reduce the iron needed to make the food taste better.

But does cast iron cookware really add iron o food?

According to the Wall Street Journal, Cast-iron cooking can boost your iron intake significantly; The studies indicated that the iron level of spaghetti sauce rose by 2–5mg when cooked in cast iron skillets. Anyone at risk of iron deficiency, such as mothers and children, vegetarians, and those who don’t enjoy eating iron-rich foods like beef and spinach, may find this encouraging. Is it beneficial, though, to acquire your iron from kitchen tools? In this article, we will discuss the iron intake by cast iron cookware and its health impact.

What Is The Iron Requirement For The Body?

Children four to 13 years old require eight to ten milligrams of iron daily, whereas preteen boys require eleven milligrams, and preteen girls require fifteen milligrams. Here’s the iron content of different foods:

• Spinach (3 mg)
• lentils (3 mg)
• beef (2 mg)
• tuna (1 mg)
• and brown rice (1 mg) all have significantly more iron (1mg).

Although nonheme iron is only 2% to 20%, vitamin C-rich meals can dramatically boost iron absorption. Heme iron is exclusively found in animal sources.

Cooking in iron pots has been shown in multiple tests to increase one’s iron stores and, consequently, one’s hemoglobin levels.

The Evolution 

The amount of nonheme iron in foods cooked in cast iron is significantly higher than that of dishes cooked in other methods. Iron content was measured before and after cooking in cast iron pans for 20 dishes (3.5 oz portions each). Compared to cooking with non-iron glassware, 90% of foods retained more fantastic iron when prepared in iron cookware. According to the study’s authors, iron content in particular foods increased during cooking.

Here’s The Result:

• Foods with a higher acidity also tend to have a higher vitamin C content.
• Around 7 milligrams were added to the apple sauce.
• Five milligrams were added to beef and bean chili.
• About 3mg was added to scrambled eggs, whereas only 1.5mg was added to fried eggs.
• Beef stew gained 2.8 milligrams of iron while cooking, suggesting that the longer the beef and iron were in contact, the better the absorption.
• Newer cookware, with its smooth, hardened surfaces, contributed to the more excellent absorption of iron in these foods when compared to older, seasoned cast iron.
• Cooking applesauce and spaghetti sauce in cast iron were both analyzed similarly. Cooking with cast iron, even after 50 uses, increases the iron content of food,

What Are The Scientific Evidences For Cast Iron And Iron Consumption?

According to Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN, a nutrition expert,

“Cooking on cast-iron cookware can enhance blood hemoglobin levels and boost the iron content of foods,” as was found in a systematic review published in the National Library Of Medicine 2021. According to this meta-analysis, “blood hemoglobin levels, or iron indicators, significantly increased from 0.3 g/dl to 1.7 g/dl after cooking food in cast-iron cookware.”

The most significant increase occurred while using a cast-iron skillet for cooking; in certain situations, the iron intake of the participants more than doubled.

In addition to being crucial to many processes within the body, Feller claims that iron is an essential nutrient that cannot be produced by the body and must be obtained through diet or other means. Hemoglobin is a protein that transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, and iron is a necessary component of this protein. Hormone synthesis, cell maintenance, and nervous system maturation require it, and it plays a vital role in myoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen to the muscles in the body.

These are the reasons why the iron intake is vital for human beings.

Is It Safe To Intake Iron From Cast Iron Cookware?

Cast iron cooking produces nonheme iron, which is not toxic to humans. Plant foods like beans, spinach, and tofu all contain similar to iron.

Cooking only some meals for children under three in cast iron is recommended, as they only need 7mg each day.

What Are The Health Impact Of Iron Absorption From Cast Iron Cookware?

Individuals in the USA or any other country with the genetic disorder hemochromatosis may need to be very careful. Hemochromatosis is a disorder in which the body absorbs excessive amounts of iron from the foods eaten; cast-iron cooking may risk this people.

Hemochromatosis is characterized by iron accumulation in the liver, heart, and pancreas; this increases the chance of developing severe conditions such as liver disease, heart disease, and diabetes.

Most persons with the inherited illness hemochromatosis don’t start showing symptoms until they’re well into middle age, beyond age 40 for those who were designated male at birth and after age 60 for those who were given female. For instance, postmenopausal women, who no longer have periods, may exhibit symptoms due to a lack of iron loss.

The Lakatos twins (also known as The Nutrition Twins) suggest that anyone can find out if they have the condition by having their blood tested for it.

Can Cast Iron Skillet Cause Cancer?

High heat resistance in cast-iron cookware raises concerns that it can produce cancer-causing heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

The National Cancer Institute claims that high-temperature cooking methods, such as pan-frying and grilling over an open flame, create these compounds in all types of meat, including beef, hog, fish, and chicken.

Yet, Gellman claims that grilling is the only cooking method where PAHs and HCAs are a real danger. As animal fat and fluids flow over an open fire or hot surface, producing flames and smoke, PAHs are produced. According to the National Cancer Institute, PAHs are present in the smoke and can be found on the surface of the meat.

Cast-iron pans are safe since they can tolerate high temperatures, but Gellman points out that this doesn’t guarantee you’ll be cooking at a level that will produce carcinogens on the stove or in the oven.

“Grilling is the only time this is ever an issue. You risk intense heat, charring, and leaking fat into flames when cooking on a grill. These issues are crucial when considering carcinogens. No such cancer-causing problems should arise from using a cast-iron pan in the kitchen.”

So, exposure to certain PAHs and HCAs is possible if you cook your meat in cast iron over a grill.

The Lakatos twins recommend reducing the cooking time by pre-heating the microwave before using the cast-iron skillet. It will reduce your intake of potentially carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs)

The National Cancer Institute also notes that studies have not proven a clear association between HCA and PAH exposure from cooked meats and cancer in people. Much of the research that links HCAs and PAHs to cancer have been conducted in animal models, and the doses given to the mice were one thousand times higher than what a human would eat in a typical diet.

So, What’s The Conclusion? Can We Intake Iron Released By Cast Iron Cookware?

You don’t have to worry about getting too much iron from cast iron unless you have a condition like a hemochromatosis that requires you to be more careful about your iron intake.

Additionally, there is little to worry about while using cast iron for home cooking regarding the formation of PAHs and HCAs. PAHs and HCAs generally occur during extremely high-temperature cooking, like grilling or frying.

One must exercise caution when using cast iron cookware because the pans are heavy and hot (including the handle).

What Kind Of Meals Are Ideal To Cook In The Cast Iron Cookware?

• Cast iron is ideal for cooking because of how well it retains heat. Prepare foods in bulk, like pancakes (iron increased by almost 1mg after frying in cast iron).
• When you add many pieces of cold meat, the dense metal won’t cool down, making it ideal for searing.
• Cast iron is perfect for one-pan meals that move straight from the stove to the oven. You may use a well-seasoned cast iron pan to make delicious cornbread or a deep-dish pizza.

What To Not Cook In Cast Iron Cookware?

Cast iron can release trace chemicals and leach into food when used to cook acidic substances for a long time. Little amounts like this aren’t dangerous to consume, but they can ruin the seasoning on your skillet and leave your food tasting metallic.

The Experiment and the Result

Researchers prepared a highly acidic tomato sauce and cooked it in a well-seasoned skillet, tasting it every 15 minutes to check for off-flavors and pan damage to determine how quickly this occurs and how obvious it is.

While cooking with acid tends to improve the iron content of dishes cooked in cast iron, foods cooked with acid can taste metallic. It typically happens when food is cooked for a very long time. Shakshuka cooked in cast iron for 20 minutes does not taste metallic, but the identical tomato-based meal cooked for more than 30 minutes tastes slightly tinny.

Can you absorb iron from a cast iron pan?

Scientific studies show that iron may be transmitted to food when using cast iron. However, the amount transferred and how efficiently the body can absorb it varies greatly and depends on the meal’s acidity and cooking duration.

How much iron do you ingest from a cast iron skillet?

One cup of iron-rich meals can absorb an additional 6-8 milligrams of iron when cooked in cast iron. Foods that are dry and low in acidity, including pancakes, rice, and green beans, don’t absorb much iron from a cast iron pan.

What are the disadvantages of cast iron cookware?

• The handles warm up quickly.
• In comparison to other types of cookware, cast iron is hefty.
• It would help if you didn’t use bare cast iron for boiling water or cooking acidic meals.
• Re-seasoning is required for cast iron cookware.
• Cast-iron cookware needs more time to reach the desired cooking temperature.
• You can’t break it with your toes or kitchen tiles. It hurts if you drop it.

Does cooking in cast iron help anemia?

The iron content of meals cooked in cast-iron cookware may rise by as much as 16%. This long-lasting cookware has the potential to efficiently increase iron levels in persons who have been diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia, especially young children.

Does enamel cast iron add iron to food?

Unlike their non-coated counterparts, enamel-coated cast-iron skillets won’t taint your food with iron. It’s more long-lasting, keeps your pan from rusting, and doesn’t call for seasoning. An enameled cast iron pan can be used for cooking, from boiling water to preparing acidic meals.

Why can’t you cook tomatoes in cast iron?

Cast iron can release trace chemicals and leach into food when used to cook acidic substances for a long time.

Can you get too much iron from cast iron?

Food cooked on cast-iron skillets may absorb so much iron that it exceeds the recommended daily intake. A newer pan will leach more iron from acidic foods, while an older, well-seasoned one would leach considerably less.

Is cooking in cast iron healthy?

Cast-iron frying pans are widely used because they are durable and, in most cases, risk-free. Nevertheless, iron, a powerful pro-oxidant, can be leached. Those predisposed to iron overload should familiarise themselves with cast iron safety precautions. Cast iron has been a dependable cooking surface for over a thousand years.

What is the best-cast iron skillet for iron deficiency?

• Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
• Le Creuset. Le Creuset Skillet
• Staub, Enameled Cast Iron Traditional Deep Skillet

What is the iron content of food cooked in iron utensils?

Many studies found that, depending on the acidity, moisture level, and cooking duration of food, iron content increased dramatically when cooked in iron kitchenware. If an iron pot or pan is used for cooking, the average person’s daily iron consumption could range from 11 mg to 6 mg.

Conclusion

A correctly seasoned cast-iron skillet can be inherently non-stick, easy to clean, and even impart trace amounts of iron into meals. Other factors include the food’s acidity, the duration of cooking in cast iron, and the food’s moisture content. Yet, cooking with cast iron is a cheap and easy way to increase your iron intake, especially if you are a woman or a child.

Does cast iron cookware add iron to food? I hope the question will not bother you again!

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comment section.