On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1488

damage.Noonewillbepoisonedbythe
occasionalmeringuewhippedinacopper
bowl,butbarecopperisn’tagoodcandidate
foreverydaycooking.Toovercomethismajor
drawback,manufacturerslinecopperutensils
withstainlesssteelor,moretraditionally,
withtin.Tinhasitsownlimitations(p.791).
IronandSteel

Ironwasarelativelylatediscoverybecauseit
exists in the earth’s crust primarily in the
form of oxides, and had to be encountered in
itspureformbyaccident,perhapswhenafire
was built on an outcropping of ore. Iron
artifactshavebeenfoundthatdatefrom3000
BCE, though the Iron Age, when the metal
came into regular use without replacing
copper and bronze (a copper-tin alloy) in
preeminence, is said to begin around 1200
BCE. Cast iron is alloyed with about 3%
carbontohardenthemetal,andalsocontains


some silicon;carbon steel contains less
carbon, and is heat-treated to obtain a less
brittle, tougher alloy that can be formed into
thinnerpans.Thechiefattractionsofcastiron
and carbon steel in kitchen work are their
cheapness and safety. Excess iron is readily
eliminated from the body, and most people
can actually benefit from additional dietary

iron.Theirgreatestdisadvantageisatendency
to corrode, though this can be avoided by
regularseasoning(below)andgentlecleaning.
Like aluminum, iron and carbon steel can
discolor foods. And iron turns out to be a
poorer conductor of heat than copper or
aluminum. But exactly for this reason, and
becauseit’sdenserthanaluminum,acastiron
pan will absorb more heat and hold it longer
thanasimilaraluminumpan.Thickcastiron
pansprovidesteady,evenheat.
“Seasoning” Cast Iron and Carbon Steel
Cooks who appreciate cast iron and carbon