Tim Love Cast Iron Cookware By Alice on Oct 25, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

I'm guilty of late night shopping again, HSN, on line this time. I needed new pots and pans and have always wanted to try cast iron cooking. My only experience was with one piece which I seasoned and smoked up the house with, then put through the dishwasher and it came out all rusty!! I decided to try this porcelain enamel finish (inside and out) cookware set instead. This set I purchased included a skillet, steamer, griddle/pizza pan, sauce pot, 2 mini casseroles (my favorite), a dutch oven, and a set of cooking tools. I can use this cookware on the range or in the oven to 650 degrees. It does need to be handwashed but I would think it would be way too heavy for the dishwasher racks anyway. I found cooking with this cast iron to be better than my old stainless steel. The heat distribution seems to cook everything very evenly, no dead or overcooked spots. I have to admit it is much heavier and took me a while to get used to. I partly solved that problem by moving my storage spot to a higher location so I don't have to bend and heave a pot out (bad for the back and murder on my arms). I haven't had too much of a problem with the food sticking so clean up has been easy. The best feature is that my set is a beautiful orange color, one of 5 I had to choose from, and made my poor husband repaint the kitchen for!!