As mentioned, today's porcelain enamel clad cast iron is very easy to maintain. Almost as easy as cleaning non-stick pots and pans. I never used ceramic cookware, though it is lighter than cast iron, I cannot provide any other information. The food produced out of either should taste the same. If you have uncoated cast iron that is just seasoned, you may want to avoid cooking acidic foods, that require a long cook time such as making tomato sauce.