Why cast iron is so great to cook with. Cast Iron has been around forever, and for good reason. Cast iron is great because it is very versatile and it is very forgiving. You can cook most anything in cast iron and it works on the stovetop and in the oven. Cast iron is also very forgiving. There is basically nothing you can do to ruin a cast iron pan. you might need some elbow grease to get everything running but you won't destroy your pan