Jan
27
Cooking in cast-iron cookware
Filed Under iron intake, research | Leave a Comment
Via: NutritionData.com
Q. I enjoy using cast-iron cookware and I have heard that it can increase the iron content of some foods during cooking. Is this a safe source of iron and are there any foods that I shouldn’t be cooking in cast-iron?A. It’s true! Acidic foods like tomatoes can react with the metal in a cast-iron skillet and actually absorb some of the iron molecules. This is a safe and effective way to increase your iron intake.
So, how much of a difference does this make in the iron content of foods? Potentially, a lot.
Researchers cooked several foods in new cast iron skillets and found, for example, that the amount of iron in spaghetti sauce increased from less than a milligram to almost 6 mg per serving. Applesauce absorbed even more, going from 0.35 mg to 7.3 mg per 100g serving. Scrambling eggs in a new iron skillet increased the iron content from 1.5 mg to almost 5mg. (Brittin HC, Nossaman CE. Iron content of food cooked in iron utensils. J Am Diet Assoc. 1986;86:897–901.)
