We have ancient China to thank for cast-iron pans. In fact, the earliest cast-iron pieces were found in a cemetery in Shanxi, northern China, dating all the way back to the 8th century BC. At first, the iron was likely used for weaponry and farming tools, but over the centuries it became a go-to cookware material. And it still is today.
According to Statista, the global cast-iron cookware market was valued at $2.5 billion in 2017. Many of the pans sold today are made just like they were in ancient China—molten metal is poured into a sand mold, which allows the entire pan to form in one go in one piece. The result is one of the most durable, long-lasting, versatile pieces of cookware that you can invest in. It even has the nod of approval from some of the world’s most renowned chefs.
“For the rest of my life, cast iron,” Ramsay once wrote in a Reddit AMA. He is joined by the…