You can buy new ones, as well; they aren't expensive, unless you're going for
expensive brand name, or getting the enamel-coated ones. I have one Lodge
enameled Dutch oven, and one plain cast iron, and the enameled gets more use.
But for skillets, the plain cast iron is great. We have one newer 12-inch Lodge
skillet that we bought about two years ago. My husband uses it often. I
don't have to worry that my pans are being destroyed, anymore! LOL This thing
is just about indestructible, if cleaned correctly and thoroughly dried, after.
Since my mother's
holding onto a skillet that my grandmother owned, I found two of the same brand
and size, smaller ones, maybe 7-8 inch, that I bought from thrift stores. They
date from the 40s, and are nice and smooth to the touch. The newer Lodge is
rougher in texture, which took some getting used to.
Christina
Original Message:
From: Penny Golden <pengold2@xxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: <blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: 3/18/2016 2:10:08 PM
Subject: [blindcooks] Re: New cookbook
Wow, I'm impressed. I have two castiron skillets both very small.
I'm going
to get me a larger one. Maybe I can find a used one.
But I'll listen to whatever you have to say on the subject. I can't have my
mother's; it's probably in the home of my sister Julie or my twin brother
Henry; or maybe my younger brother Larry.
So I
don't have any old family to beg one off of.
I love using mine. I like to start something really hot and then let it just
finish in the pan with the burner turned off. I've
done some nice eggs and veggies.
Ten days of no school are ahead of me. Maybe some will have something to
report.
Penny
On 3/18/2016 3:17 PM, Jonathan Rawlings wrote:
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
