#1. “… a smallish iron fry pan,”: For our size family, this would be a size 8- 101/4”ODx13/4”D (6lb). If your cooking for four or more on a regular basis then you might want to go up to a size 10-12”ODx2”D (8lb).

What It Does: Cooks bacon and eggs, fried potatoes, lightly fried garden vegetables (except tomatoes or other high acid foods), and cornbread to name a few – almost anything where the temperature doesn’t exceed “300-350 degrees F”.

#2. ” … a big iron fry pan,”: Here I’m going to defer to my wife’s preference for a “Chicken Fryer” over  just a simply larger fry pan. The ‘Fryer’ pan seems to handle anything a larger fry pan will handle while doing an exceptional job with fried chicken or other meats in larger quantities or pieces.

This seems to be due to the greater depth of the pan. They also generally come with an iron lid or cover which aids in the cooking process. For sizing, look to what harder times might require by way of quantities of food prepared: it might be better to get the larger size 10 if more folks are going to be eating.

Size 8, 3qt @ 3”D and Size 10, 5qt. @ 31/4”D (see #1 for OD’s)

What It Does: The “Chicken Fryer” does everything a comparable ‘big iron fry pan’ would do (more quantity than a small fry pan) and do more of it as well as handle the larger pieces of meat in larger quantities.

#3. “ … and a big Dutch oven …”: This last of the three basic pieces is the subject of entire books. It generally seems to be regarded as the “can do” piece of cast-iron cookware with experienced cooks swearing that they could, in a pinch, do ALL of their cooking with this one piece. It fries, roasts, bakes and stews and comes in a flat-bottom (for the kitchen) model or with three short legs (more suitable for the campfire).

Sizing: It’s described as a cast-iron pot or kettle with a handled, tight fitting, domed lid capable of holding in steam while able (in the camp model) to allow  coals to be placed on top to aid in cooking. Again when looking at size, think ahead: would the next larger size work better with three extra mouths to feed?

Size: Size 8, 5qt. @ 4”D, Size 10, 10 qt. @ 4 ½”D, and Size 12, 9qt. @ 4 ¾”D in Classic (Stove Top) Style with additional sizes and variations available in the ‘Camp Dutch Oven” style (three-legged).

Next time we’ll finish our cast-iron cookware discussion with Part III taking up seasoning of cookware, sources and cook books.

Until the end of the week: keep your eyes on the horizon as the weather’s changing fast.

Why Cast Iron Cookware?: A couple of days ago we were doing an inventory of some of our cast iron cookware noticing that we still didn’t have a large Dutch Oven, oh well, and continued on. We then checked our GTH (got-to-have) list to make sure that a large Dutch Oven was still listed there and continued on to our local used bookstore and magazine shop to pick up a requested magazine. And low-and-behold, Backwoods Home Magazine for June/July 2009 (#118) had an article by Jackie Clay on cast iron cookware and cooking entitled “Cast Iron”.

We read her great article, put it together with some of our notes and a nice listing  in Carla Emery’s “The Encyclopedia of Country Living
(Updated 9^th Edition) – pp40, 41 part of page 42 -  and here we are:

• Jackie Clay first -  Cast iron cookware, “… is the ultimate slow cooker.”
• “ …cast iron is heavy, and “…that is why it cooks so very well. The iron heats up quickly, distributes the heat evenly, and holds the temperature a long time. You have fewer burned meals where a spot on the pan scorches your  dinner, fewer “undone spots in your baked foods, and because you season the pans the surface is “stick free” without Teflon coating  to chip in your food.”
• “ The iron does leach minute amounts of iron into the food you cook, which is good for you, preventing iron deficiency without taking a vitamin supplement.”

Carla Emery notes: Cast-iron pans can be set in the middle of a campfire or in an underground oven with no damage.  Iron cookware is  is also good because it evens out the heat and holds it. And they don’t get lost because they are too heavy for the kids to lug away. They will however, crack if you overheat them, and rust if you haven’t coated (seasoned/PH) them and let them sit wet after washing.”

PrudentHome: For us there are three reasons to have cast-iron cookware:

1. Reliable/Durable: One hundred year old cast-iron pans are not unheard of and are still cooking!
2. Safe: They’ve been in use for hundreds of years with a good track record.
3. Flexible: They can be used on a glass top cooking stove (if you’re           reasonably gentle and the bottom of your pan is flat), on a grill, on an open fire, or on a bed of coals. You can boil, bake, stir fry, fry, heat and re-heat you food choices, at the least.

Note: We personally prefer cast-iron cookware made in the USA.

Also Note: Jackie Clay, Carla Emery and PrudentHome all recommend Lehman’s as an excellent source for your new cast-iron cookware. If your curious as to some of your choices, you can check-out Lehman’s catalog right here on PrudentHome before we discuss cookware in Part 2, towards the end of the month.

Find thousands of unique products for a simple lifestyle from Lehmans.com. Click here.

Until the end of the week: keep your eyes on the horizon as the weathers changing fast.