The Complete Guide to Cast Iron Cookware | Skeppshult
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# The Complete Guide to Cast Iron Cookware
Cast iron has been used for cooking for centuries. It fell out of fashion when non-stick pans arrived in the 1960s, and it's been making a comeback ever since — for good reason. Once you understand how cast iron works, most other cookware starts to feel like a compromise.
This guide covers everything: what cast iron actually is, why it cooks differently from other materials, how to look after it, and what to look for when buying.
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## What is cast iron?
Cast iron is iron that has been melted down and poured into a mould. The result is a dense, heavy material with properties that are genuinely useful in a kitchen — it holds heat exceptionally well, it can handle very high temperatures, and it gets better the more you use it.
The process hasn't changed much in over a hundred years. At Skeppshult, we still use sand moulds compressed under several tons of pressure, and the iron is poured by hand. Each mould is used only once, which means no two pieces are exactly alike.
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## Why cast iron cooks better
The main difference between cast iron and most modern cookware comes down to heat retention.
Stainless steel and aluminium heat up quickly but also lose heat quickly — the moment you add cold food to the pan, the temperature drops sharply. Cast iron takes longer to heat up, but once it's hot, it stays hot. That's why a cast iron pan gives you a better sear on a steak than almost anything else. The surface temperature barely drops when the meat hits it.
This also makes cast iron excellent for:
- **Braising** — steady, even heat for hours without hot spots
- **Baking** — bread, cornbread, and cobblers develop a crust that's hard to replicate in a regular baking tin
- **Frying** — consistent oil temperature means more consistent results
- **Cooking over fire** — cast iron handles open flame, campfires, and outdoor grills without any issues
The one thing cast iron is not ideal for is quick, delicate cooking where you need precise temperature control — thin fish fillets, eggs on a low heat, that kind of thing. For those, a lighter pan works better.
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## The seasoning — what it is and why it matters
Seasoning is the layer of polymerised oil that builds up on the surface of cast iron over time. It's what gives cast iron its natural non-stick properties, and it's also what protects the iron from rust.
When cast iron is brand new, the seasoning is thin. The more you cook with it — especially with fats and oils — the more the seasoning builds up and the better the surface becomes. A well-used cast iron pan from ten years ago will outperform a new one on almost every measure.
At Skeppshult, every pan leaves the foundry pre-seasoned with rapeseed oil from Österlen. This gives it a good starting point, but the seasoning will develop further with use.
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## Cast iron vs other cookware materials
**Cast iron vs non-stick**
Non-stick pans are convenient, but the coating wears out. Most need replacing every few years, and there are legitimate concerns about the synthetic coatings used in many of them — particularly PFAS chemicals, which have been linked to health and environmental issues.
Cast iron has no coating. The non-stick effect comes from seasoning — a layer of baked-on oil, nothing else. It lasts indefinitely and gets better over time rather than worse.
**Cast iron vs stainless steel**
Stainless steel is durable and doesn't react with acidic foods. It's a good all-purpose material. But it doesn't hold heat the way cast iron does, and food is more likely to stick unless you use plenty of fat or heat the pan properly first.
Cast iron takes more effort to maintain than stainless steel, but it rewards that effort with better cooking performance — particularly for high-heat cooking.
**Cast iron vs enamelled cast iron**
Enamelled cast iron (like many Dutch ovens) has a glass coating over the iron. This makes it easier to clean and means you don't need to worry about seasoning. The trade-off is that the enamel can chip, and enamelled pieces can't be used over an open fire or at the extreme temperatures that plain cast iron handles easily.
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## How to look after cast iron
Cast iron has a reputation for being difficult to maintain. It isn't — but it does need a different approach than most cookware.
**Cleaning**
Wash with warm water and a small amount of dish soap if needed. Despite what you may have heard, a little soap won't strip seasoning — the seasoning is polymerised oil, not a simple coating that washes away. What you want to avoid is leaving the pan wet or soaking it in water, which leads to rust.
Dry it immediately after washing, either with a cloth or by putting it briefly on a low heat on the stove.
**What to avoid**
- Putting cast iron in the dishwasher
- Leaving it to soak in water
- Cooking very acidic foods (like tomato sauce) for long periods in a pan that isn't well seasoned — acid can react with the iron and affect both the seasoning and the taste of the food
- Dropping it — cast iron is dense and durable, but it can crack or chip if dropped on a hard floor
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## What to look for when buying cast iron
**Weight**
Cast iron is heavy. A 28cm frying pan typically weighs around 2–3kg. This is part of what makes it effective, but it's worth considering if you find heavy pans difficult to handle. Smaller sizes are more manageable and often more versatile.
**Handle design**
Some cast iron handles get very hot during cooking — particularly shorter handles close to the pan. Longer handles stay cooler. Wooden handles (like those on Skeppshult's Traditional collection) stay cool but can't go in the oven. Bare iron or stainless handles can go anywhere.
**Surface finish**
Modern cast iron often has a slightly rough surface texture. This is normal and doesn't affect performance — the seasoning smooths out over time with use. If you prefer a smoother starting surface, look for hand-finished pieces.
**Collections**
At Skeppshult we make cast iron in several collections:
- **Traditional** — Swedish beech wood handles, classic design that hasn't changed in decades
- **Noir** — a cleaner, more contemporary look with stainless steel handles
- **JÄRN by Note Design Studio** — a collaboration with Stockholm design studio Note, with a distinctive hexagonal form
All collections use the same iron, the same production process, and carry the same 25-year guarantee.
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## How long does cast iron last?
Properly looked after, cast iron lasts generations. This isn't marketing language — there are cast iron pans in regular use today that are 50, 80, 100 years old. The iron doesn't degrade. The seasoning can always be restored if it's damaged. Even a badly rusted pan can usually be brought back to full working condition.
This is why we offer a 25-year guarantee on every piece of Skeppshult cast iron. In practice, the cast iron will outlast the guarantee by a long way.
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## Getting started
If you're new to cast iron, start with a frying pan in a size you'll use regularly — a 24cm or 28cm pan covers most everyday cooking. Use it for things that benefit from high heat: searing meat, frying potatoes, cooking eggs once the seasoning has built up.
The more you use it, the better it gets. That's the thing about cast iron that's hardest to explain until you've experienced it. Most cookware gets worse over time. Cast iron gets better.