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I’d be worried about excessive iron intake from a cast iron pan. Too much dietary iron can cause all sorts of problems. How about enameled (glass coated) pans

I’d be worried about excessive iron intake from a cast iron pan. Too much dietary iron can cause all sorts of problems. How about enameled (glass coated) pans instead?

shagie 3y ago
I'll note the parent comment: > It was difficult because of a stereotype in my brain that cast iron == gas stoves == meat. This suggests a diet that is more on the vegetarian side... and in that case, cast iron can be helpful as a supplement if you don't have any iron intake from meat. Food prepared in iron cooking pots as an intervention for reducing iron deficiency anaemia in developing countries: a systematic review - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12859709/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12859709/ While I'm having trouble finding it (and thus it may only be folklore) - the cast iron skillets used by early American pioneers where helpful in supplementing their diet that was otherwise low in meats. https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/an-introduction-to-nutrition/s14-nutrients-important-for-metabo.html https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/an-introduction-to-nu... is one such mention of it: > Unbeknownst to the American pioneers, the cookware also leaches iron, an essential mineral, into foods as they are cooked in cast-iron hardware. > ... > Dietary sources of iron include red meats, poultry, leafy green vegetables, prunes, raisins, egg yolks, lentils, oysters, clams, artichokes, and enriched cereal grains. While there are many food sources of iron, only a small fraction of dietary iron is absorbed. One method of increasing dietary intake of iron is cooking foods in an iron skillet. Acidic foods high in moisture content, such as tomatoes, absorb more iron during cooking than nonacidic foods. For example, cooking spaghetti sauce in iron cookware can increase the iron content ten-fold. How much iron leaches into food is also dependent on cooking times; the longer food is in the pan the more iron is absorbed into the food. Stirring food more often increases contact time and thus more iron is absorbed from the cookware. The utility of iron cookware in increasing dietary intake of iron has prompted some international public health organizations to distribute iron cookware to high-risk populations in developing countries as a strategy to reduce the prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia worldwide. --- So yes, too much dietary iron is a problem. Iron deficiency is also problem and for people with a vegetarian, vegan, and women of childbearing age, additional iron may be a good thing.
- SrslyJosh 3y ago
  The idea that you're going to be absorbing a measurable amount of extra iron from cooking in cast iron is silly; the entire cooking surface is coated in natural polymers created with oil/wax during the seasoning process.
  - shagie 3y ago
    Effect of cooking food in iron-containing cookware on increase in blood hemoglobin level and iron content of the food: A systematic review - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8266402/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8266402/ > Thirteen researches were found to be suitable for inclusion in this systematic review. Four studies reported significant increase in blood hemoglobin levels while others reported only a minor increase. Significant improvement in amount of iron in food and iron bioavailability was also observed when food was cooked using iron pot or ingots. https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/cook-it-in-cast-iron/busting-cast-iron-myths https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/cook-it-in-cast-i... > The Myth: When you cook in a cast-iron skillet, your food will absorb a lot of extra iron so you can effectively supplement your diet by using this type of pan. > THE TESTING: We simmered tomato sauce in a stainless-steel pan and in seasoned and unseasoned cast-iron pans. We then sent samples of each sauce to an independent lab to test for the presence of iron. The unseasoned cast iron released the most molecules of metal. The sauce from this pot contained nearly 10 times as much iron (108 mg⁄kg) as the sauce from the seasoned cast-iron pot, which contained only a few more milligrams than the sauce from the stainless-steel pot. > THE TAKEAWAY: Since this occurs in pronounced amounts only with unseasoned skillets, which you wouldn’t use for cooking, we don’t consider this an issue. A seasoned cast-iron skillet will not leach any appreciable amount of iron into food cooked in it. http://www.wsj.com/articles/can-a-pan-add-iron-to-your-diet-1462810219?reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink http://www.wsj.com/articles/can-a-pan-add-iron-to-your-diet-... > A 1986 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that a cast-iron pan used daily for a week transferred less iron to certain foods than a nearly new pan. The same study found widely varying levels of iron transferred to 20 test foods. > There was hardly any transfer of iron from frying potatoes and cooking green beans compared with cooking in a glass-ceramic control. But cooking apple sauce in the iron skillet added seven milligrams of iron to each 3.5-ounce serving. Cooking spaghetti sauce added five milligrams. Adult women should consume 18 milligrams of iron a day, and men and women over 50 need eight milligrams, according to government guidelines. The referenced study: Iron content of food cooked in iron utensils - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3722654/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3722654/ > Twenty foods were cooked in iron and non-iron utensils. Also, three foods were cooked in two iron skillets. Three replications were made, and cooking time and pH for each food were determined. Duplicate samples of the raw and the cooked foods were dried, ashed, and analyzed for moisture and iron content. Iron content was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Most of the foods (90%) contained significantly more iron when cooked in iron utensils than when cooked in non-iron utensils. Acidity, moisture content, and cooking time of food significantly affected the iron content of food cooked in iron utensils. Perhaps because of differing amounts of previous use, cooking in different iron skillets resulted in some variation in the iron content of food. --- Yes, if you've got well seasoned cookware, it's not significant (compared to cooking with stainless steel). However, if it is a regular cast iron cookware that is poorly or unseasoned, there can be a significant amount of iron leaching into certain foods.
myself248 3y ago
If you weigh the pan and figure out how much iron it loses over a year, you could compare that to your dietary iron intake needs. If it's not over, don't worry about it. If it's over, then you have to estimate how much of that iron is going down the drain during scrubbing vs how much is going into your food. My gut feeling is that, since cast iron pans seem to last quite a long time, they're probably not shedding much iron into your food, and the amount of iron the body can handle is pretty significant, on the order of tens of milligrams per day. Throw some Wheaties in a blender until they're dust, then take a magnet to the resulting pile. If we're not hearing about iron toxicity from breakfast cereals, I'm not inclined to worry about the pans.
- SrslyJosh 3y ago
  The food doesn't even come into contact with the iron. There's a layer of natural polymers that coat the inside of a properly seasoned pan.
  - Arrath 3y ago
    > properly seasoned pan Important operative words in a world where the unknowing are too quick to apply dish detergent, scrub brush, and elbow grease.
SrslyJosh 3y ago
Unless you are doing something truly stupid to your cast iron cookware, the amount of additional iron in your diet should be zero. Please learn about cast iron and the seasoning process before spreading FUD.
dennis_jeeves2 3y ago
>I’d be worried about excessive iron intake from a cast iron pan This is really underappreciated, iron overload is very common.

I’d be worried about excessive iron intake from a cast iron pan. Too much dietary iron can cause all sorts of problems. How about enameled (glass coated) pans instead?

shagie 3y ago

I'll note the parent comment: > It was difficult because of a stereotype in my brain that cast iron == gas stoves == meat. This suggests a diet that is more on the vegetarian side... and in that case, cast iron can be helpful as a supplement if you don't have any iron intake from meat. Food prepared in iron cooking pots as an intervention for reducing iron deficiency anaemia in developing countries: a systematic review - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12859709/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12859709/ While I'm having trouble finding it (and thus it may only be folklore) - the cast iron skillets used by early American pioneers where helpful in supplementing their diet that was otherwise low in meats. https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/an-introduction-to-nutrition/s14-nutrients-important-for-metabo.html https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/an-introduction-to-nu... is one such mention of it: > Unbeknownst to the American pioneers, the cookware also leaches iron, an essential mineral, into foods as they are cooked in cast-iron hardware. > ... > Dietary sources of iron include red meats, poultry, leafy green vegetables, prunes, raisins, egg yolks, lentils, oysters, clams, artichokes, and enriched cereal grains. While there are many food sources of iron, only a small fraction of dietary iron is absorbed. One method of increasing dietary intake of iron is cooking foods in an iron skillet. Acidic foods high in moisture content, such as tomatoes, absorb more iron during cooking than nonacidic foods. For example, cooking spaghetti sauce in iron cookware can increase the iron content ten-fold. How much iron leaches into food is also dependent on cooking times; the longer food is in the pan the more iron is absorbed into the food. Stirring food more often increases contact time and thus more iron is absorbed from the cookware. The utility of iron cookware in increasing dietary intake of iron has prompted some international public health organizations to distribute iron cookware to high-risk populations in developing countries as a strategy to reduce the prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia worldwide. --- So yes, too much dietary iron is a problem. Iron deficiency is also problem and for people with a vegetarian, vegan, and women of childbearing age, additional iron may be a good thing.

SrslyJosh 3y ago
The idea that you're going to be absorbing a measurable amount of extra iron from cooking in cast iron is silly; the entire cooking surface is coated in natural polymers created with oil/wax during the seasoning process.
- shagie 3y ago
  Effect of cooking food in iron-containing cookware on increase in blood hemoglobin level and iron content of the food: A systematic review - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8266402/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8266402/ > Thirteen researches were found to be suitable for inclusion in this systematic review. Four studies reported significant increase in blood hemoglobin levels while others reported only a minor increase. Significant improvement in amount of iron in food and iron bioavailability was also observed when food was cooked using iron pot or ingots. https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/cook-it-in-cast-iron/busting-cast-iron-myths https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/cook-it-in-cast-i... > The Myth: When you cook in a cast-iron skillet, your food will absorb a lot of extra iron so you can effectively supplement your diet by using this type of pan. > THE TESTING: We simmered tomato sauce in a stainless-steel pan and in seasoned and unseasoned cast-iron pans. We then sent samples of each sauce to an independent lab to test for the presence of iron. The unseasoned cast iron released the most molecules of metal. The sauce from this pot contained nearly 10 times as much iron (108 mg⁄kg) as the sauce from the seasoned cast-iron pot, which contained only a few more milligrams than the sauce from the stainless-steel pot. > THE TAKEAWAY: Since this occurs in pronounced amounts only with unseasoned skillets, which you wouldn’t use for cooking, we don’t consider this an issue. A seasoned cast-iron skillet will not leach any appreciable amount of iron into food cooked in it. http://www.wsj.com/articles/can-a-pan-add-iron-to-your-diet-1462810219?reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink http://www.wsj.com/articles/can-a-pan-add-iron-to-your-diet-... > A 1986 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that a cast-iron pan used daily for a week transferred less iron to certain foods than a nearly new pan. The same study found widely varying levels of iron transferred to 20 test foods. > There was hardly any transfer of iron from frying potatoes and cooking green beans compared with cooking in a glass-ceramic control. But cooking apple sauce in the iron skillet added seven milligrams of iron to each 3.5-ounce serving. Cooking spaghetti sauce added five milligrams. Adult women should consume 18 milligrams of iron a day, and men and women over 50 need eight milligrams, according to government guidelines. The referenced study: Iron content of food cooked in iron utensils - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3722654/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3722654/ > Twenty foods were cooked in iron and non-iron utensils. Also, three foods were cooked in two iron skillets. Three replications were made, and cooking time and pH for each food were determined. Duplicate samples of the raw and the cooked foods were dried, ashed, and analyzed for moisture and iron content. Iron content was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Most of the foods (90%) contained significantly more iron when cooked in iron utensils than when cooked in non-iron utensils. Acidity, moisture content, and cooking time of food significantly affected the iron content of food cooked in iron utensils. Perhaps because of differing amounts of previous use, cooking in different iron skillets resulted in some variation in the iron content of food. --- Yes, if you've got well seasoned cookware, it's not significant (compared to cooking with stainless steel). However, if it is a regular cast iron cookware that is poorly or unseasoned, there can be a significant amount of iron leaching into certain foods.

myself248 3y ago

If you weigh the pan and figure out how much iron it loses over a year, you could compare that to your dietary iron intake needs. If it's not over, don't worry about it. If it's over, then you have to estimate how much of that iron is going down the drain during scrubbing vs how much is going into your food. My gut feeling is that, since cast iron pans seem to last quite a long time, they're probably not shedding much iron into your food, and the amount of iron the body can handle is pretty significant, on the order of tens of milligrams per day. Throw some Wheaties in a blender until they're dust, then take a magnet to the resulting pile. If we're not hearing about iron toxicity from breakfast cereals, I'm not inclined to worry about the pans.

SrslyJosh 3y ago
The food doesn't even come into contact with the iron. There's a layer of natural polymers that coat the inside of a properly seasoned pan.
- Arrath 3y ago
  > properly seasoned pan Important operative words in a world where the unknowing are too quick to apply dish detergent, scrub brush, and elbow grease.

SrslyJosh 3y ago

Unless you are doing something truly stupid to your cast iron cookware, the amount of additional iron in your diet should be zero. Please learn about cast iron and the seasoning process before spreading FUD.

dennis_jeeves2 3y ago

>I’d be worried about excessive iron intake from a cast iron pan This is really underappreciated, iron overload is very common.