The CRON Pantry | Cast in Iron

Dulse Flakes: The Most-Used Ingredient in the CRON Pantry

map[name:Cast in Iron] — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dulse (Palmaria palmata) is a red seaweed harvested primarily from the cold waters of the North Atlantic — the coasts of Iceland, Ireland, Maine, and the Canadian Maritimes. It has been a food source in these regions for over a thousand years. Dried and sold as flakes, it functions as a mineral-dense salt replacement that dissolves on contact with warm food.

On this site, dulse appears in more recipes than any other CRON ingredient. It shows up in 35 dishes — on eggs, roasted vegetables, sardine toasts, sauces, and braised proteins. The reason is simple: no other single ingredient delivers this range of micronutrients per calorie.

Nutritional Yeast: The Best Food-Based B12 Source

map[name:Cast in Iron] — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Nutritional yeast — commonly called nooch — is deactivated Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown on a glucose medium, then heat-killed and dried into flakes or powder. It is not brewer’s yeast and it is not active baking yeast. The deactivation process is what makes it shelf-stable and gives it a distinctive cheesy, nutty, savory flavor that works as a finishing ingredient on almost anything.

On this site, nooch appears in 20 recipes. It goes on egg white scrambles, roasted vegetables, chickpeas, cauliflower, flatbreads, and into sauces. It is the single most efficient way to add B12, folate, zinc, and selenium to a meal without adding meaningful calories.

Wakame Seaweed: Calcium and Folate from the Sea

map[name:Cast in Iron] — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) is an edible brown seaweed native to the cold waters of the Northwest Pacific. It has been a dietary staple in Japan, Korea, and China for centuries — most commonly in miso soup, but also in salads, rice dishes, and broths. Dried wakame rehydrates in under 5 minutes, expanding to roughly 10 times its dry volume.

On this site, wakame appears in cowboy caviar variations, seaweed salads, rice paper rolls, and cream sauces. It provides structural texture and a clean, mild ocean flavor that works in cold dishes where other seaweeds would overpower.

White Miso Paste: Fermented Flavor and Probiotic Density

map[name:Cast in Iron] — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

White miso (shiro miso) is a fermented paste made from soybeans, rice koji (Aspergillus oryzae), and salt. The fermentation period for white miso is shorter than red or dark varieties — typically 3-6 months versus 1-3 years. This produces a milder, sweeter paste that works in glazes, dressings, marinades, and cream sauces without overwhelming other flavors.

On this site, miso appears in 21 recipes. It is the most-used fermented ingredient in the Cast in Iron kitchen, functioning as both a flavor base and a delivery mechanism for probiotics and trace minerals.