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You do good work. This is honestly the best pan I have ever used. It was not cheap, but worth every penny.
I'm being totally serious here. I take an odd sense of pride in making good food with the absolute cheapest of tools. I really hem and haw over the decision to purchase an "expensive" kitchen tool, partly because I'm a cheapskate, and partly because I feel like I have an image to protect. But this pan is a seriously high-quality bit of hardware which I very much respect.
Sometimes, that's a good way to be.
So that's an interesting conversation in its own right. There are so many lines of thought on cheap vs expensive, thick vs thin, material type, coatings, metal vs ceramic, tall vs shallow, shape and so on. I've had Calphalon that I've bought at a big department store many years ago, but it's gone at this point. My spouse buys expensive cookware (by my cheap-*** standards). At the same time, my favorites are actually simple
Lodge Cast Iron pans (2)
Lodge griddle
All-clad stainless pan (because it had a thick bottom, spreads and retains heat well)
No-name stainless pots
I like the idea of Ceramic coated cookware, but it doesn't last as far as non-stick properties go. Teflon is a very cool invention that requires some extremely toxic and highly carcinogenic materials in order to be made (did you know that C8/fluoropolymers/PFOAs used in manufacturing Teflon are found in more than 98% of the entire US population and similarly high levels in other nations?). A single drop of this chemical will make an olympic sized pool of water too toxic for consumption, yet they are still dumped into our environment on regular basis.
At the end, I feel that cast iron and stainless pans and pots are my trusty go-to tools for cooking. It takes a bit more care and skill to cook with them, but they are easy to maintain, relatively easy to clean, last forever and are probably safer than most other options.
This is what I bought two years ago when I moved to OKC. Only complaint is the larger french skillet has warped a bit, and since I have ceramic glasstop stove, just a bit more attention must be paid to keep things browning evenly before being finishing in the oven.
1 - 10" Lodge CI pan
1 - 12" Lodge CI pan
1 - 12" Lodge skillet
1 - Stainless Frying pan 14" give or take that I rarely use because it's a pita to clean (to my standards I guess)
I took the time to season the CI stuff and maintain the seasoning when it needs to be refreshed. It's like cooking on non-stick... and will go into a 450 deg oven without issues.
and 1- 8" old Ikea non-stick that looks like it should be thrown out that's my "goto" for a couple eggs or quick sauteing.
I've been using my instant pot a whole lot recently. Gonna make some korean style pork in it today. Recipe calls for finishing the pork on a cast iron skillet to get it justttt right!
I actually find stainless steel pan the easiest to take care of.
If something burns and sticks to it - pour hot water in the pan and a small amount of dish soap. Let is sit for 10-30 minutes depending on how bad it is. Take a metal scrubbing pad and you will have a clean pan in a minute. Everything will come off mostly by itself and the pan will be like new.
I actually find stainless steel pan the easiest to take care of.
If something burns and sticks to it - pour hot water in the pan and a small amount of dish soap. Let is sit for 10-30 minutes depending on how bad it is. Take a metal scrubbing pad and you will have a clean pan in a minute. Everything will come off mostly by itself and the pan will be like new.
i'm gonna try this. yesterday morning i spent ~25 minutes scrubbing with a red scotchbrite. got a blister on the tip of my index finger. this sounds easier. metal scrubbing pad == brillo, right?
The real trick is not the pad though, but letting the pan soak a bit. Sitting in hot water shortens the time, but it gets loose in any temp water given enough time. You may even use a spatula to just lift all the stuff after it soaked.
hot soapy water like above, or just something acidic like vinegar to help dissolve the stuff a bit.
Then go at it with a scourer or some kind.
Easiest method by far is to not let the stuff dry on in the first place. If i;ve cooked something that's going to stick as soon as the food is out i'll pour some boiling water from the kettle into the still hot pan.
Usually lifts off 90% of the baked on stuff in an instant, and softens the rest while you go eat dinner.
The real trick is not the pad though, but letting the pan soak a bit. Sitting in hot water shortens the time, but it gets loose in any temp water given enough time. You may even use a spatula to just lift all the stuff after it soaked.
I'll try those. Been using the "green" scotchbrite pads. While I get the pan clean when it's dry there's this dull "haze" that the inside of the pan takes on that bugs the hell out of my OCD.
as soon as the food is out i'll pour some boiling water from the kettle into the still hot pan.
Usually lifts off 90% of the baked on stuff in an instant, and softens the rest while you go eat dinner.
I finally tried the cast iron sear on a NY strip last night... turned out pretty good though I still prefer the grill outside. No pics though, sadly.
And today was sweet onion/tomato focaccia day at the house.
One can of San Marzano tomatoes, drained and crushed, plus a half of sweet onion thinly sliced, plus dried basil, red pepper flake, and a drizzle of garlic/chile olive oil.
I actually broke out the Japanese usuba to slice the onions... a rare event as I never did get used to the cutting motion of the single-bevel edge it has.
Seared the steak in cast iron. Turned out very well.
what's the Gordon Ramsey way? I'd believe the Ina Garten way is good too, basically sears in a cast iron tops with a huge block of butter, and finishes in the oven. But there is something to be said for a little char and smoke.
Last edited by Braineack; Feb 21, 2019 at 09:21 AM.
Those tortillas with grilled steak and sauce sound really good.
I'm going for the old breakfast favorite - Shakshuka (eggs in tomato sauce with spices). I've already posted the process previously I believe, so won't be repeating the steps.
This is a really flavorful, satisfying meal that i recommend plating at the table and directly from the pan. Lots of onions, harissa and a decent amount of smoked paprika make this dish great, but be careful not to overcook the eggs. They are best enjoyed with cooked whites, but runny yolks.
Slightly off topic, I just made a really nice mango cocktail to supplement the fresh fruit in my diet.
One large ripe mango
6 cl (2oz) Tito's vodka
12 cl (4oz) macadamia nut milk (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz cup of cubed ice
1 tsp monkfruit sweetener
Peel and separate the mango flesh from the seed and put in blender with all other ingredients and blend until desired consistency is reached. Consume with pleasure.
*If using vanilla flavored macadamia nut milk the additional vanilla extract is unnecessary.
Lots of good stuff above. I feel like I've been slacking.
Decided to go simple tonight:
The neighbors have made it known to me that the aesthetic genius behind my installing a Crown D75 amplifier and a pair of JBL 4408 speakers in the kitchen has not been universally appreciated. So we're back to headphones. On the plus side, the new Sony MDR-7506s work well with the lil' Android amp. (I need to cut away some of the rubber from the phone casing to better accommodate the larger-than-Samsung plug.)
Our aural menu consists of Audioslave, Matchbox 20, Alice in Chains, Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Perfect Circle, and the like. Music to prep by.
The prep is simple. 1/2 yellow onion, diced. 1 bunch green onions, chopped, with the greener half and the whiter half in separate bowls. 1" of finely grated ginger, and 4 cloves garlic, smooshed. (How do you describe what a garlic press does? "Pressing" seems inadequate. That's what you do to Cubanos and tortas. I'm going with "smoosh.")
The topping is just a bag of store-bought coleslaw mix (dry, no mayo ****, just shredded cabbage and carrot), atop which the greener half of the green onion is tossed. And then other stuff is added:
Rice vinegar, Sriracha, honey, hot chili oil, crushed red pepper, and mirin. I'm not going to disrespect you by pretending that I made even the slightest effort at taking measurements. This is totally a to-taste thing, where you get to balance between sweet, savory and spicy. Just try to keep the thinner liquids to a minimum, to avoid making the mix runny.
The only other thing to do is to cook 1 lb ground turkey in a skillet, with the diced yellow onion, the whiter-half of the green onion, the ginger and the garlic. A spoonful or so of brown sugar. About 8-9 minutes, stirring constantly to break up the turkey.
A few romaine leaves, and that's it. Plate. Eat. Bon Appétit.
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