Because cast-iron cookware is an excellent conductor of heat, it can maintain high temperatures for long periods of time, promoting even cooking.

In general, cooking with a cast-iron pan works well with many foods, from a piece of meat, poultry or fish to veggies. But cast-iron pans aren’t only suited for savory dishes. Baking in a cast-iron skillet creates a crispy crust on baked goods, such as Dutch baby pancakes and cornbread.

Cast-iron cookware is particularly great for searing proteins, like seafood, beef, pork, poultry and even tofu. You can sear the food over the stovetop and then transfer it to the oven to finish cooking or cook it entirely on the stove, depending on the food, cut and size.

Plus, they lend well to cooking ground meat indoors, like when you’re preparing taco meat or burger patties. And if you’re looking for a quick, flavorful way to prepare vegetables, you can use cast-iron pans to saute spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers and whatever produce you have on hand. Just season with some of your favorite spices — and voila, a nutritious side dish.

Cast iron lends itself to healthy, lower-calorie cooking methods that keep food lean and doesn’t require much oil, like water-based methods, including poaching and braising, as well as grilling and quick broiling.

Another major benefit is that when you choose cast iron instead of non-stick cookware, you’ll avoid PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), which is a possible carcinogen.