There is nothing quite like the smell of bacon frying in a pan or on a grill. Add pancakes and eggs to the mix and you have one of my favorite meals.

I love especially when the pancakes and eggs are cooked in the same pan as the bacon. You get the bacon flavoring mixed in with the eggs and pancakes.

Perfection!

You can use any pan, but cast-iron pans are my family’s go to.

Cast iron has been used in a myriad of things outside of the kitchen. Sculptures, jewelry, pipes, machinery, among other industries. This material has been used for hundreds of years for it’s durability and reliability.

This is especially true in cooking. Good Housekeeping states “a cast-iron skillet is a versatile — and virtually indestructible — piece of cookware… It retains heat well and is safe for your stovetop (including induction ranges), oven and outdoor grill.” 

I have seen this durability up close and personal.

My husband and I had a garage fire back in May of 2023, and I had some of my grandfather’s cast iron pans that were in the inferno. When my husband and I went to clean them up they were coated with rust and soot. We used the age long seasoning process of heat, oil, and elbow grease. With a little bit of time we got my pans back in working order and looking brand new.

Any other non-stick pan might have been melted away in the fire. But my pans survived and continue to remain strong and durable.

I have found that cooking in certain pans elevate the flavor even more than others. Nothing quite matches the flavor of foods than the food that is cooked in cast iron. I think the seasoning process plays a huge role in that.

As my family explores and switches over to low to non-toxic living, I am ever grateful that we had a head start in the kitchen. We don’t have to worry about harmful chemicals leaching into our food. And we get iron added to our meals through using our pans.

There are several companies that sell cast iron pans. Campfires and Cast Iron compiled a list here.

Non-toxic living can be daunting, but let your kitchen be simple and easy. Make a lasting and sustainable switch by investing in cast iron cookware.

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Sources:

Cast Iron: A Historical and Green Material Worthy of Continuous Research

Ask a Metallurgist: Wrought Iron vs Cast Iron | Metal Casting Blog

4 Top-Tested Cast-Iron Skillets 2025