Penny: The title of the book that started this whole discussion is "Cook It In
Cast Iron" and I forget what the subtitle is, but Rob gave it to us in an
earlier message.
Jon
----- Original Message -----
From: Penny Golden
To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2016 10:25 PM
Subject: [blindcooks] Re: New cookbook
Jon, I'm sorry. Of course you're in Vegas, and I just forgot. You know why
I couldn't find the cookbook you got on bookshare?
I was looking the word castiron as one word. Once I made it two words,
there, indeed, is your book. I'm so pleased to have a copy of it. I will
say, though, to any of you who get cookbooks from bookshare: to my knowledge,
these aren't proofread; so if you're reading a recipe and things sound just
wild or unbelievable, better it would be to check the recipe against a print
copy.
Sometimes reading the braille can pose some trouble. It's not a big thing if
you're reading a story, but when you're reading numbers, amounts, and the like,
well, just be aware of that.
It's really fun to have jon's book. Well, the one he purchased. I think it
is called The Cast Iron Cookbook. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong.
In fact, after I had downloaded a copy of it tonight, I realized that I
already had it in my folder of Bookshare books.
Someone's havingmentioned a cast iron frypan on Amazon, I guess I'll look for
one. Or maybe I'll be lucky enough to find one on a sale or something.
Okay, enough of my chatter.
Hug baby for us.
Penny
On 3/18/2016 10:54 PM, Jonathan Rawlings wrote:
Penny:
I am in Las Vegas, which is not in Arizona, though the AZ boarder is
not far from my house. I just use solid vegetable shortening from Crisco in
the round cylinder containers found in the baking section of the grocery store.
I like the shortening because it is a very refined, pure fat, and is very easy
for me to feel where the pan has been coated and where it has not, unlike oil,
which can run down the sides and pool in the bottom of the pan and in the
corners. To others reading this reply; I know there are ways of seasoning the
cookware on top of the stove by placing it over high heat and constantly
brushing with oil, but I don't like this method because the sides don't
generally get as much oil as the bottom of the pan, and oil is harder for me to
see and I certainly can't use my hands to feel what I am doing.
Jon
----- Original Message -----
From: Penny Golden
To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2016 8:13 PM
Subject: [blindcooks] Re: New cookbook
What sort of shortening do you use, jon, I'm a total novice.
Penny
On 3/18/2016 6:11 PM, Jonathan Rawlings wrote:
Caring for cast iron is not complex at all. To season it, simply coat
the inside of the skillet with a thin film of shortening and bake it in a
preheated 350-degree oven for about an hour. The more often you do this, the
more resistant to rust and the more nonstick it becomes. As far as difficult
to use as a blind person, yes, the nandle can get very hot depending on how you
are using it, which is why I keep a heat-resistant glove nearby at all times.
If it goes into the oven, you can bet that glove is right there with me. I am
not totally blind, but have some usable vision, so I can usually see the
handle. To clean it, I either use a soft brush, or, if needed, a little kosher
salt. If there's a bit of food stuck on there that doesn't want to come off, I
can set it on the stove and bring some water to a boil and usually scrape it
off with a wooden spoon or spatula.
----- Original Message -----
From: Sharon
To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2016 4:03 PM
Subject: [blindcooks] Re: New cookbook
John, how can you as a blind person use cast iron? The handle is hot.
I guess you could use an oven mit. But isn’t care complex?
Sharon
From: blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jonathan Rawlings
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2016 4:17 PM
To: Blind Cooks List
Subject: [blindcooks] New cookbook
Hello all:
I just thought I would tout a new cookbook I recently bought for
myself, since our finances seem to be improving a bit lately. It is called
"Cook It In Cast Iron" by "Cooks' Country" magazine, and there are a lot of
recipes I am looking forward to making from this book.
I developed a love of cast iron some years ago because of its
ability to get hot and stay hot, even in the face of relatively-cold food. I
like how it is naturally-nonstick with proper care and use, its durability, how
it helps foods cook more evenly, how it doesn't warp, and how it only improves
with time. One of my cast iron skillets was passed down from my Grandma, who
used it for over 60 years. Yes, cast iron is heavy, but that's exactly what
gives it the heat-retention properties that make it so valuable.
But back to the book. Most of the recipes in this book are
fairly-simple and straightforward, as is the whole idea behind the "Cooks'
Country" magazine. For example, the recipes I look forward to trying from the
chapter titled "Sear it" include Crisp-skin salmon with honey lime sauce,
Blackened chicken with pineapple cucumber salsa, and Thick-cut steaks with blue
cheese and chive butter. From the chapter on one-dish dinners, there's
Pan-seared flank steak with crispy potatoes and chimachuri, and marinated steak
tips with charred peppers and onions. In the sandwiches and burgers chapter,
there's a recipe for a smoked turkey panini that is made with a sun-dried
tomato mayo, and the oil from the jar of tomatoes is brushed on the outside of
the bread before cooking that I can't wait to try. There's also something here
called a Baltimore pit beef sandwich that sounds really good and is served with
a horseradish spread, flank steak tacos with a charred corn salsa, and Italian
sausage and pepper subs. There is even a desserts chapter, and Emily was almost
drueling over the recipe for the easy chocolate pudding cake, and this recipe
for a skillet chocolate chip cookie sounds odd enough that I just might have to
make it soon. I guess you'd cut it into wedges to serve with some vanilla ice
cream? Many fun and tasty dinners are waiting to be made from this book. And
last night, I made the recipe for the buffalo chicken salad, and we actually
went to the trouble to make our own creamy blue cheese dressing. The blue
cheese we had was an unusual smoked variety, which made for an irrestistable
dressing. I will definitely let you know which recipes turn out the best as I
make them.
Jon
