How much iron do you get from an iron cast skillet?

really......

i am sorry. i am being mean. but this just made my day complete.

Here is a link to an article containing the results of study that examined total iron content in foods before and after cooking in a new, seasoned, cast iron skillet. it varied by food, but the most acidic foods tended to leach the most iron.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/IronCastIron.htm

The study was originally published in the Journal of the American diatetic association.

It's truly baffling to me that people will be so demeaning when they haven't even done a 2 second Google search to see if it might be true.

Seriously, look it up.

MakePeasNotWar wrote: »

It's truly baffling to me that people will be so demeaning when they haven't even done a 2 second Google search to see if it might be true.

Seriously, look it up.

NO KIDDING. You all just look like dumbasses for commenting snarkily and incorrectly on what you know clearly nothing about...

Anyway, OP, it is a substantial source of iron for sure. My mom has Hepatitis C and because her liver can't process iron very well, her doctor told her to get rid of all her cast iron pans asap. He didn't tell her to stay off red meat or anything - the cast iron was the main thing, in addition to multivitamins with iron in them. As for whether it would counteract a deficiency, I'm not sure.

Yes.
http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/does-cooking-cast-iron-pots-and-pans-add-iron-our-food

Myth #5: Cooking in cast iron will give you your daily amount of nutritional iron.

It's true that research has shown an increased level of iron in foods cooked in cast iron cookware — especially high-acid foods that encourage the leaching of iron out of the pan, like applesauce, eggs, and tomato-based recipes. The greater the acidity of the food and the longer you cook it, the more iron is transferred.

However, it's very hard to measure the actual quantities of iron being transferred to your food, and a well-seasoned pan is less reactive to the acid in food (hence the acid in tomatoes becoming less of an issue as a piece becomes well-seasoned). So if you are using a well-seasoned pan, the iron in the pan is going to cross over less.

If you want more iron in your diet, it's best not to count on the skillet for anything more than trace amounts and instead eat more high-iron foods, like liver!

OP has an iron deficiency and should not be counting a pan to help her.

But call me a dumbass...

jillmarie125 wrote: »

Myth #5: Cooking in cast iron will give you your daily amount of nutritional iron.

It's true that research has shown an increased level of iron in foods cooked in cast iron cookware — especially high-acid foods that encourage the leaching of iron out of the pan, like applesauce, eggs, and tomato-based recipes. The greater the acidity of the food and the longer you cook it, the more iron is transferred.

However, it's very hard to measure the actual quantities of iron being transferred to your food, and a well-seasoned pan is less reactive to the acid in food (hence the acid in tomatoes becoming less of an issue as a piece becomes well-seasoned). So if you are using a well-seasoned pan, the iron in the pan is going to cross over less.

If you want more iron in your diet, it's best not to count on the skillet for anything more than trace amounts and instead eat more high-iron foods, like liver!

OP has an iron deficiency and should not be counting a pan to help her.

But call me a dumbass...

What I took issue with was that people were writing mocking things like LMAO land "this just made my day", when she asked a perfectly valid question.

Also, that doesn't look like a medical journal article to me. But I'll wait. It'll probably take you some time to get through the "thousands" of published studies regarding cast iron cookware.

Some tips to help increase iron absorption:

Try to include a source of vitamin C with your iron sources. tomatoes are an excellent source and tend to go well in red meat dishes. Peppers, oranges, and potatoes are also very high in Vitamin C.

Avoid tea, red wine, and any other source of tannins, as they will block the absorption of iron from foods.

By the way if you don't want to cook with a cast iron skillet, you can always use an iron egg. It's just what it sounds like, an egg shaped lump of iron. They've been used for years by a lot of vegetarian cooks to add Iron to soups, sauces, etc.

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