'Back in the day' when most main meals were cooked in cast iron - it was rare people suffered from iron deficiency."...iron pan..." is the full version "...cast iron pan..."?
the usual reason is the "heat holding" thing....
as for 'the rust' - that's iron oxide - clean it up and launch it into service.
absolutely no "health threat" - and regular use keeps up your iron intake so you don't have to eat so much spinach . . .
What's 'a bread charger'?. I do use cast iron baking molds all the time though including 1 bread charger.
A bread oven basically. It's like a fry pan with a domed lid.What's 'a bread charger'?