Monday, February 17, 2014

Fine Cooking For The Win!

Interested in learning a bit of the science behind cooking with butter, I came across finecooking.com. I've tried two articles - one on butter and the other on potatoes - and it looks to be outstanding! The articles are informative and written at a level everyone can understand. I've tried to read articles and blog posts from scientific cooking aficionados, but I've never been able to hack my way through the prose. Fine Cooking threads the needle just right.

I just thought I'd share. Enjoy!

Update: I just learned that I've been cleaning my cast iron skillets the wrong way. I'd been blasting them with steel wool SOS pads to get the things good and clean. Bad move. Here's how you do it:
Caring for cast iron is easier than you think. It’s all about keeping that seasoning intact. There are basically three steps: washing, drying, and coating with oil. Because detergents can degrade the seasoning, I simply wash my skillet out with hot water and a sponge or a natural- or nylon-bristle brush—never a scouring pad and never, ever in the dishwasher. If food sticks, a soak in hot water usually does the trick.

1 comment:

tim eisele said...

Yep, I got the cast iron lecture from one of my college housemates[1], and have been following it ever since. Just keep it wiped clean, bone-dry, and oiled (I always dry mine by heating it up on the stove, to make sure it doesn't rust). They're almost as non-stick as teflon if you look after them, particularly if you use butter to fry in. I haven't had to wash the skillet I use for pancakes in *years*.

Although, you do want to use your cast iron regularly, otherwise the seasoning gets "funny" after a while.

[1] Who says nobody learns anything useful at college?