Kitchen Essentials...

Garlic Press FTW!

It is hard to beat a cast iron skillet. The Lodge pre-seasoned are very nice and a lot less work.
They are as non-stick as most teflon pans and last much longer and you don’t have to worry about the utensils so much.

I still use one I got in college in 1985 and it just keeps getting better.
I can put in a little butter, scramble some eggs and wipe it out with a paper towel - done.

-rkirkw
My grandma had one from the 60s, it was incredible. She never used b/c it took so long to heat up compared to the cheap saute pans she had. I haven’t had much luck w/ any “pre-seasoned” cast-irons, it’s just not the same as the old stuff.
Also, I doubt I’ll buy one anyway b/c the cracks and crevices, although very small, hold old/rancid oils in it that get oxidized. They aren’t hydrogenated, but are unhealthy still. There’s an article around here that talks about it somewhere, by Bowden maybe…

[quote]fmaurice wrote:
-rkirkw
My grandma had one from the 60s, it was incredible. She never used b/c it took so long to heat up compared to the cheap saute pans she had. I haven’t had much luck w/ any “pre-seasoned” cast-irons, it’s just not the same as the old stuff.
Also, I doubt I’ll buy one anyway b/c the cracks and crevices, although very small, hold old/rancid oils in it that get oxidized. They aren’t hydrogenated, but are unhealthy still. There’s an article around here that talks about it somewhere, by Bowden maybe…[/quote]

a thick/heavy cast iron skillet IS an essential (IMO)
-takes long to heat b/c it holdsthe heat so well
-makes frying much easier
-by far the BEST thing to use to cook a REAL piece of meat (like steak or the like)
-i wouldnt worry about the ‘germs’ or whatver stuck in the crevices - those things get so hot i think its pretty safe to say everything gets killed off

also, there is this one knife, really cheap, that all the chefs use for pretty much everything. i just have to find the link…

My summary of the article (I cannot find it now)…
The cast iron skillet is porous, the fats get in there and get oxidized and damaged from the heat over time, then get into your food… nothing to do w/ germs man, I eat too much raw egg to care (over easy or when my girl brings the home-made mint chip cookie dough, that I cannot fucking resist, good lord, that will be the end of me)

And I must disagree… a grill is the best way to cook some real meat. Or you can do like I do and -braise- the meat. It’s very fancy and the women like it a lot haha. Also turns out a lot juicier that way and cooks faster as well. then pour the would-be “au jus” sauce over everything…

[quote]fmaurice wrote:
My summary of the article (I cannot find it now)…
The cast iron skillet is porous, the fats get in there and get oxidized and damaged from the heat over time, then get into your food… nothing to do w/ germs man, I eat too much raw egg to care (over easy or when my girl brings the home-made mint chip cookie dough, that I cannot fucking resist, good lord, that will be the end of me)

And I must disagree… a grill is the best way to cook some real meat. Or you can do like I do and -braise- the meat. It’s very fancy and the women like it a lot haha. Also turns out a lot juicier that way and cooks faster as well. then pour the would-be “au jus” sauce over everything…[/quote]

well if you know how to use a cast iron WELL it will keep cuts of meat a lot juicier. a flat surface has TONS more surface area than a couple thin steel rods.

more surface area = better sear… ask any REAL chef or experienced cook like… oh i dont know… me? (not being a dick. just saying…)

this may help

My dad used to be a kitchen manager and ended up opening a restaurant a while back… A tip from someone who actually had a couple decades of experience told me that the high heat sear does not keep moisture in. All it does is, just that, make a sear. You don’t really expect heat to make a water proof seal in a steak, do you? Lol. Common controversy, just doesn’t add up if you actually think about it. And also, I have to say that a lot of the grilling is done in doors bc it’s too cold/windy where I live for 6mo out of the yr… just makes life easier to grill inside sometimes.

Not knocking your comment or anything, just putting out there what I have been told from experienced people. I do love a mean sear though, I’ll give you that.

-MAF14, I can’t seem to find a decent supply store like that, have tried looking, they just end up being over priced, thin/low quality items b/c they are super close to campus and look fancy. It blows. I’m forced to find random things in stores (glass 14x18 cutting board at walmart for $9) or go online…

[quote]fmaurice wrote:

-sam…
The egg thing can help a lot of my friends who struggle w that. Honestly tho, I learned the best tip for that. It’s fairly consistent, though varies depending on batch. I get a large sauce pan (14in) and layer it w full of one row of eggs, a little over a dozen I think. Bring the water to a boil for 1 min, turn off heat, leave it on coils and cover for 10 min or come back in an hr. Not sure how well it works on electrics though.

[/quote]

The whole reason I bought the egg cooker is to avoid workarounds like this. Heat, cover, cool come back later…fuck that lol. I put the eggs in the cooker, hit a button and ten minutes later it automatically shuts off. Voila, 8 perfect eggs waiting for me to come back to at my leisure. My only gripe is that they should’ve made it hold a dozen.

-Sam
I’ll give you that, that’s why I offered my idea, it’s too few eggs for me to drop $30 I guess when I would need to use it 2-3 times, which would be too much effort for me. I’m sure if you look around you can find something awesome for the eggs though…

Has anyone ever used this, or something like this?

Might work for eggs too, though I feel like you might have to have a couple trials… But could be used for a lot more I’m sure.