Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Miracle material of the kitchen

I love cast iron. The old black skillets and dutch oven I've had for decades are my favorite tools in the kitchen, the indispensables. I fry in them, I pan-broil steaks in them, I make stews and beans in the dutch oven. You can put a scintilla of flame under it and keep a slow simmer going for hours without scorching, if you pay reasonable attention. Here, from the Cooks Illustrated Web site is a consideration of noble cast-iron cookware.
My wife tells a funny story about a time long ago when she was working in a store that handled cookware. A young woman came in looking for cast iron. When they showed her the new stuff, all gray, the woman said no, no, she wanted black cast-iron pots like her mother had. She learned you have to work for that look.

2 comments:

The Chic Geek said...

You should give the enameled cast iron a try. It's really cool. A certain hubby bought me an oval casserole dish for Christmas and I foresee that I will be using it a lot. No seasoning needed!

The Loon said...

This sort of present is what we call enlightened self interest ... herself brought to our union a wonderful orange enamel pot. I've always said if I'd known she had it, I would have sought her out years sooner.