Can cooking in cast iron add iron to your diet?

Search: cooking cast iron deficiency

Why: Spotted on Facebook:

I get pretty anemic, but that sounds totally dumb.

Answer: Yes! What! According to the Health Services Center at Columbia:

Researchers have found that cooking in an iron skillet greatly increases the iron content of many foods. Acidic foods that have a higher moisture content, such as applesauce and spaghetti sauce, absorb the most iron. One study published found that the iron content in 100 grams of spaghetti sauce jumped from 0.6 mg to 5.7 mg after being cooked in a cast iron pot. Other factors that boost the iron content of foods include longer cooking time, frequent stirring, and using a newer iron skillet.

But not always:

Not all foods benefit from cooking in an iron skillet. For example, hamburger, corn tortillas, cornbread, and liver with onions didn't absorb as much iron. This was probably due to the shorter cooking times, and the fact that they were either turned once or not at all, resulting in less contact with the iron.

In fact, here's a chart:

Source: Go Ask Alice!, Pyro-Energen, Vegan Health

The More You Know: Did someone say "rancid"?

Iron pots and deep-frying don't mix. Iron can oxidize fats, causing the cooking oil to become rancid. If you want to deep-fry foods, stick with an aluminum or stainless steel pot, or better yet, try a healthier cooking method that still packs a lot of flavor like roasting, grilling, or using a marinade.

Who's hungry?