Cast iron is back — chefs say it lasts generations and makes food taste better

Cast iron cookware, once a household staple, is seeing a major revival in India. Professional chefs, home cooks and even nutrition-conscious families are rediscovering its durability, versatility and ability to create meals with rich flavour. For many Indians, cast iron is not just cookware, it is a memory of food cooked by grandparents in heavy kadais, dosa tawas that stood the test of time and slow-cooked curries that tasted better with every passing hour. But what exactly is cast-iron cookware? So what makes it different from regular iron cookware?What exactly is cast ironIron cookware is made by melting iron with a small amount of carbon (usually 2-4%) and pouring the molten metal into moulds. The cookware is very hard, dense and durable when it is cooled. Unlike thinner metal pans that are stamped or pressed into shape, cast iron is “cast,” literally, in its final form.