Do you cook with a cast-iron skillet? You should!

If you don’t own a cast-iron skillet – put that at the top of your wish list this year...

Cast-iron is a great heat conductor, goes from stovetop to oven with no problem and lasts forever. Kerri-Ann Jennings, from Eating Well Magazine, has a few more reasons why we should all be cooking with cast-iron:

• You’ll use less oil. Cast-iron gets better and better with use. After it’s been seasoned with oil and salt, those elements will be locked in and released each time it’s heated.

• There are no harmful chemicals in cast-iron cookware. However, it can leach some iron into you food – which is a good thing. Cooking food, especially something acidic like tomato sauce, in a cast-iron skillet can increase iron content by as much as 20 times.

Basic cast-iron cookware is really affordable – or you could get fancy with some high-end, enamel coated pieces. The pros prefer a pre-owned, heavily used pan. The surface of cast-iron gets smooth and glossy with use. You’ll find some of the best cast-iron on ebay or in Grandmas kitchen. If you buy a new one, just be sure to use it every day at first to build up layers of seasoning. Use a sharp-edge stainless steel spatula to help smooth things out and just wipe it clean.