Iron and steel: pots, pans, kettles, and cauldrons

In Western magical traditions, Iron is the metal traditionally associated with the planet Mars. Globally, folklore associated with iron is as dense and rich as the metal itself. (Check back here for some great stories about Iron!) However, as romantic as it may seem, and as good as the Instagram photos may turn out, brewing your herbs in the old iron cauldron isn't the most practical or effective method for the modern kitchen witch. Below are my recommendations for kitchen witchery equipment.


Stainless steel. Stainless steel is not recommended by many magical herbalists because of the interaction the metal may have with the medicinal properties of certain herbs. This advice comes from the days when metal cooking equipment was of lower quality than it is today. There is also a concern in certain circles about beneficial spirits being shooed away by the use of steel spoons. In the past 30 years I have so far only read traditional folklore about fairies not liking iron, and nothing at all mentioned about stainless steel. Strictly scientific medicinal herbalists (like TCM practitioners) will commonly use stainless steel. Stainless steel is affordable and easy to sterilize. As long as you are sure your equipment is stainless steel and not a questionable lower-quality metal, it should not present an adverse interaction with any magical or medicinal work.

Cast iron. Cast iron is known to be the superior equipment type for cooking food. However, cast iron is not recommended in herbalism and kitchen witchery, for the legitimate concern over the iron content leeching out into the herbal formula and chemically altering it. Cast iron will also change the color of certain ingredients. This concern is based in scientific fact, and unless you know you want the cast iron to alter your concoction, and can control the results (for example, making a soup for someone who needs a diet rich in iron, or using vinegar and purple cabbage to make a bright teal blue dye) using cast iron is probably not practical for most herbal kitchen witchery.

Ceramic or ceramic-glazed cast iron. This type of pot or kettle is neutral, and in the case of ceramic-glazed cast iron, it has all of the superior even-heating and heat-retaining qualities that old-fashioned cast iron has, without the troublesome issue of actual iron leeching into creations. The drawback to ceramic-glazed cast iron is that it is often quite expensive. Like cast iron, this equipment often comes with a warranty and will usually outlive its original owner.

My formal recommendation is to save yourself some money, and use the stainless steel pots or kettle you probably already have. If you find that you are very invested in kitchen witchery as a long-term hobby, and are able to afford it, a ceramic-glazed piece of equipment will be the choice of highest quality and longevity.