What is the difference between cast iron and the iron we use in staples or nails? And is the iron we use in staples , steel , and nails wrought iron? Why is cast iron black , and the iron we use in nails staples etc. silvery?

Recently I saw a cast iron pan that had spikes in it. The spikes are for cored apples to be placed and cooked. The pan is made of cast iron. Does anyone know where I may purchase such a pan?

I have cast iron bookends, which read Jesus never fails. I also have a cast iron man picking apples off a tree, and two open rings in shape of fry pans with a man and a women inside standing at a gate, and an axe, fry pan and 7 other plagues like the bookends

I've recently started using a cast iron skillet for searing steaks and chops. Afterwards, I try to clean the pan just with a sponge and hot water, but there always seems to be residue on the pan. I don't want to use detergent or a scouring pad because that would take off the seasoned coating that I baked on. How clean does the pan have to be anyway?

My mother's vintage home burned recently... it had solid pine car siding on the interior walls and ceilings. Anything that wasn't consumed by the fire was left coated with a mixture of black soot and pine oil that cooked out of the car siding. It was a particularly hot fire since her home also had a solid tin roof and that held the fire and heat in rather than allowing it to burn through and vent out. The fire was so hot that even the china and earthenware dishes incinerated turning to a powder. So I am concerned that the cast iron she salvaged might be contaminated. It is porous and I am concerned that it might have absorbed chemicals from the fire that would be at best unpleasant if they seeped into her food and at worst might be poisonous. Can anyone advise me about this?

My new stove should be here any minute, and I'm wondering if you can still use your cast iron skillets on them, or if you have to use different ones? I don't want to scratch the shiny pretty top, but I really love my cast iron.

This will be my first cast iron skillet. I will be purchasing a Lodge Cast Iron Skillet made in the USA. Just not sure of size/type. Which is the most universal? Lodge brand comes seasoned. By novice I mean I can cook basic homecooked foods. I have been cooking for years. I guess I should have said intermediate.

I have two cast iron skillets and I can not seem to get them clean. No matter how hard I scrub there is always a black residue when I dry them off. I am also not sure about how often I need to season them, wether it is every time I use them or once a week or what. I have looked online but some of the suggestions seem a little scary! I've read that I should use oven cleaner, lye and ammonia just to name a few. I started using cast iron to get away from the chemicals found in Teflon, so naturally I don't want to use these chemical containing cleaners on my cast iron pans. I don't even use oven cleaner or ammonia when I clean my house, too many toxic fumes. The woman who said to use lye even warned not to breath the fumes because they are lethal. That's not something I want on a pan that I use to prepare my children's food!!!!! I would appreciate any suggestions.

I have a cast iron skillet with grill bumps and a cast iron press to go with it [for paninis]. I use it all the time but I have no idea how to clean it properly. I am always left with residue and melted cheese all over it. Is there something I need to buy?

Leaving out price and maintenance, and considering only performance, copper has similar heat retention to cast iron cookware and can be bought at similar weights and thicknesses. Not only that, it has incredible heat conduction as well. So you have cookware that has superior heat conduction, excellent heat retention, doesn't have to be seasoned, and last a long time. Why do people still buy cast iron? Is there something about cast iron that is better than copper? Well from research, since copper has superior conduction and is sold thick and heavy, it has even more superior even heating than cast iron. It can also be lined with stainless steel to make it last forever. I am talking purely of performance here, not maintenance or price.