The programme “What’s good for you” aired on Monday nights on Channel Nine (Australia) did a segment called “Are Teflon coated pans harmful?”

Anyone who has used non-stick pans will know that they don’t last and will need replacing especially if you use them regularly.

I even bought my pans from a catering shop hoping the commercial quality would last longer. It quickly came to light that it didn’t matter where you got it from or how much you paid for it, a non-stick pan would need to be replaced every couple of years.

On reading several articles about the wonders of a cast iron pan, I decided to buy one from the local camping shop for AUS$9.00. My theory was if it worked, great! If it didn’t, it was hardly going to break the bank. It was the best nine dollars I have ever spent, I now have a non-stick pan for life.

It will take you a little bit of time and patience to season it. There are many instructions that involve baking cast iron pans for two hours to season it. I simply cooked oily foods a few times in my pan and it built up a coating in no time.

Once seasoned the pan will develop a natural non-stick coating that allows you to cook at a high heat using metal utensils, even melting cheese escaping from an omelette will come off with ease.

I could have used one of these Cupcake Courier back in May when my daughter had her sixth birthday. Let’s just say it was no mean feat getting thirty cupcakes to school and having them arrive looking the same as they did when they left home!

The flower cupcakes were made for the girls and the worm cupcakes for the boys. As it turned out everyone wanted the flower cupcake because marshmallows were the preferred topping!

This is a gadget called cup-a-cake that I found a little while ago, particularly useful if you like cupcakes getting to their destination without ending up partially crumbed and the icing slightly rearranged.