Very impressed by the black carbon steel saucepan.
And the potatoes look absolutely delicious.
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What is/was for dinner?
- Thread starter Gutwrench
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And the potatoes look absolutely delicious.
I just made a batch of deviled ham that one could eat without chewing and its darn good and easy. No cooking.
First you have to locate some good ham, sometimes they have spiral ham ends/pieces packaged up for sale. Ham slices work too but not as flavorful. Now you can go whole hog and actually break open the package and smoke it for an hour or so to give it super flavor or use as is.
Deviled Ham spread
Chop up the the ham and then put it into a food processor and pulse until fine mince. Put into a bowl.
Pulse the pepper and onion until a fine mince, put that into bowl with the ham.
mix it together with all the other ingredients.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened ( you can 1/2 this and the next ingredient or any combination )
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 small chopped sweet onion about a cup
- 1 or two peppers of your liking (red bell, jalapeño etc... ) chopped about 1/2 cup or more
- Tablespoon mustard
- teaspoon hot sauce, I use Tabasco Sauce
- teaspoon pepper
- teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-1/2 to 3 cups minced Ham depending on what you want
- teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, not optional.
In the end you should have a spreadable meat product that you can enjoy on crackers, bread, with egg etc....
You can keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
This batch has a little more cheese than I usually use and it has not firmed up at all in the fridge yet.
That sounds delicious.
Reading your recipe, I have a feeling that some (fresh) finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan) cheese would go very well in this mix.
Sizzled baby bok choi with baked chicken and couscous.
Tonight was a use up what’s in the fridge night. Made some refried bean and beef tacos for the kiddos with some chimichangas with the left over filling (made a bit too much for the 12 taco shells I had) and for the adults, I made some stacked enchiladas filled with minced rst chicken, sautéed bell pepper, onion and garlic, shredded extra sharp cheddar between some flash fried corn tortillas. Those get baked in the over for about 20 minutes while I used up some green chile Mornay that I stretched with a few tablespoons of salsa. Pulled out the enchiladas, topped each with a generous tablespoon of the cheese sauce/salsa mixer and back in the oven for a few more minutes under the broiler. It was a hit with the Mrs. so I’ll be making that again. I think next time I’ll include some fire roasted jalapeño & refried beans or calabacitas to the filling and plate it with a traditional New Mexican green chile sauce.
Anyhow, it was good.
Anyhow, it was good.
That sounds absolutely delicious.
I am not normally much of a fan of American cuisine, but I do envy your ease with, familiarity with, and mastery of, the various classics of Mexican cuisine.
I must say that I love that (black carbon steel) pan.
Does it need special treatment?
I write as someone with Italian - Lagostina, - and German - Fissler - stainless steel cookware, and French copper - Le Mauviel, and cast iron - Le Creuset - cookware.
However, I have never had carbon steel, still less black carbon steel, although I have read that it is frequently used when manufacturing high quality woks, and does need to be looked after.
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Nice collection! I still use 30+ year Calpahlon Commercial anodized aluminum cookware the most. Its consistent non-stick qualities surpass any pans that I've ever used. Cast iron works reasonably well but eggs, fish and other things have a tendency to setup hard on the cook surface (particularly when using less oil) had me leaning toward trying something else.
Carbon steel is cared for similar to cast iron and both have a limitation that when cooking acidic ingredients, the seasoning on the pan can be weakened or stripped off. I like cooking things with tomatoes, etc. I used Calphalon for that (or Le Creuset enameled dutch oven for those applications).
These pans will take over more of what I've used cast iron for in the past. The 14" is essentially doing double duty for wok cooking as well. I prefer carbon steel over cast iron: more even heat distribution, flat and smooth surface and the pans can be placed in the oven or on a grill at any temperature.
1. Many manufacturers do not pre-season so an initial layer needs to be put down. In the case of Matfer, they recommend cooking potato peels and salt (stirred frequently) over medium-high heat twice for 15 minutes with a higher smoke point oil. This also removes any lingering chemicals from the manufacturing process. You can also apply oil and bake in the oven for ~1 hour at around 350 degrees F.
2. Clean by wiping out the interior with a cloth or paper towel. If there are residual bits or remaining smell of what cooked in it, light sponge cleaning with minimal soap on the sponge, rinse with water and dry by heating on the stove.
3. Re-season as needed by heating pan, adding a fine coating of high smoke point oil then remove any excess.
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Calphalon was carried at one mall store when I was a teenager, and it was my dream cookware. Although, at that time, my kitchen ability was pretty much limited to boiling water. On a good day... 😂
I see the stuff turn up at Goodwill sometimes, but the inside coating is almost always destroyed. I'm glad someone has gotten 30+ years of good service. (I imagine a lot that I see was just simply abused.)
I remember being curious about trying carbon steel, although I can't remember why. Part of it was seeing some affordable carbon steel made by Lodge, but I think I probably only noticed it/paid attention because of something or other that I'd read. Part of me is still curious, but these days, I'm trying to limit fat, which makes plain cast iron--and I'd assume carbon steel--a poor match for my cooking.
I see the stuff turn up at Goodwill sometimes, but the inside coating is almost always destroyed. I'm glad someone has gotten 30+ years of good service. (I imagine a lot that I see was just simply abused.)
I remember being curious about trying carbon steel, although I can't remember why. Part of it was seeing some affordable carbon steel made by Lodge, but I think I probably only noticed it/paid attention because of something or other that I'd read. Part of me is still curious, but these days, I'm trying to limit fat, which makes plain cast iron--and I'd assume carbon steel--a poor match for my cooking.
What a thoughtful and detailed reply; thank you; that is wonderful.
I hear you re coating, or seasoning, on pans that can be stripped off by repeated contact with the acidic delights of tomatoes (among other foods, but tomatoes are the most common culprit, in my experience).
Around twenty years ago, on a holiday with fellow foodies to north Italy, to the Cheese Festival in Bra, Piedmont, I treated myself to what was then a sort of holy grail pan - a hand made copper sauté pan.
The pan was (is) gorgeous, and superb, - I loved cooking with it - but came, as I subsequently discovered, with a fatal flaw, in that it was lined with tin, and our world no longer caters for such products, in that the cooking surface needs to be relined on a regular basis; yes, the pan has made subsequent return journeys to Italy, and has been relined, but I will never again buy a pan with that classic copper and tin combination, even though cooking with it was an amazing and much loved experience - the pan handled superbly, and was a real joy and pleasure, if something of a nuisance.
Instead, for copper, for the future, I have since selected Le Mauviel, where the copper is lined with steel; these are superb saucepans, sturdy, exceptionally well put-together, wonderful to use, but, yes, eye-watering re expense.
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Thanks.
I do have one copper Le Mauviel... (porcelain inner) double boiler that my wife uses extensively when making holiday cookies every year. Also have a larger Calphalon one that is just too big for 99% of our needs.
My all-time favorite sauce pans are Calpahalon Commercial "Windsor's" with sloped sides. I can cook rice with water only and nothing sticks to the sides or bottom (unless I choose to crank up the heat to make Tahdig, crispy Persian rice).
It is quite common to see them stripped of the anodized finish. Many toss them in the dishwasher or use steel wool to clean them I guess...
Only one of my Calphalon pots lost the inner finish below the handle rivets. The retired chef I purchased all of them from forgot that he left boiling salted water on the stove for hours. I called Calphalon and asked if it remained food safe. They first offered to send me a free warranty replacement if I preferred and said if not of interest getting a new mismatched pot, it was safe to continue using.
Dinner took the form of pasta, served with homemade blue cheese sauce, (which comprised two different blues that I wished to use up, a generous amount of double cream, and a few ladles of that glorious starchy pasta cooking broth), and a salad of mixed greens, with my own dressing (sherry vinegar, French mustard, local runny honey, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil).
Making dinner now, chickpeas, different peppers, a generous amount of curry and hot pepper paste plus, unusually for me, some soy protein chunks and with buckwheat as a base. Nice to go vegan sometimes.
While I am 110% American, my culinary wheel house is fundamentally European - think Classic French Brigade, Escoffier, Careme, Scappi etc. My use of "Mexican" cuisine is because I live in the desert southwest and my wife's family is from the region - her ancestry part of the original Spanish conquistador Juan de Onate's entourage, generations traveling up through Mexico and settling into what is now New Mexico. Anyhow, it is a deep, and intrinsic part of my own food culture at this point. I couldn't not include and return to it often (and my kids wouldn't let me as they are all big taco/chimichanga/beans & rice eaters lol)
I have yet to buy a carbon steel pan although I keep meaning to. They look fantastic and everyone speaks as you do - that they are superior to CI in some key ways, so I am very interested in experiencing that for myself. I am a big CI fan with many seasoned skillets of various makers and circumferences, bread/loaf pans & dutch ovens as well as enameled ones for those pesky acids lol. I will get a couple CS however. They look like so much fun to cook with.
The challenge is deciding which CI manufacturer upon which to attach your chuck wagon
There are some stellar American boutique ones but $200-$300 price range are too rich for my blood.
The French know a thing or two in the cullinary scene for ages now and that's fine by me!
Clams Oreganata
Caprese Salad
Shrimp/Crab Ravioli, with a Lobster Cream Sauce
Rosemary Garlic Bread
Copious amounts of Butter
Caprese Salad
Shrimp/Crab Ravioli, with a Lobster Cream Sauce
Rosemary Garlic Bread
Copious amounts of Butter
I learned of a small operation in Turkey that hand-forged pots and pans of solid silver, with tin lining (was even on their mailing list for awhile). Silver is the only metal that conducts heat even better than copper, I was intrigued, but those eye-watering prices kept them a pipe dream. They offered a re-tinning service for their wares, but for once common sense prevailed.
The challenge is deciding which CI manufacturer upon which to attach your chuck wagon
There are some stellar American boutique ones but $200-$300 price range are too rich for my blood.
I am a habitual junk junkie, so collecting is what I do lol. Most of my CI is old BSR, Wagner & some Lodge with some Griswold sprinkled in for street cred. Most of the Wagner I inherited from my grandma and great grandmas over the years and the others I found dirt cheap garage saling around southern Ohio and into Kentucky (where I grew up as a kid). As far as modern CI, my sister in law bought me some Colombian made CI branded as Victoria that is really quite nice and affordably priced. My least valuable CI is also my first that I originally bought for camping from Walmart around 1998 and is a rough cast 10” pan from Vietnam lol. It’s not worth anything money-wise but wow can it fry an egg & hold a season. Very useful pan.
Definitely excited to try CS.
I always love items that deliver much more than one would expect possible for the price.
Part of me loves the idea of cast iron in general for this reason. One can get a new skillet for the price of a cheap non-stick skillet that could work well and last generations. Past that, there is a feeling of history with cast iron. Unfortunately, iron doesn't work with my current cooking model... Sigh...
Personally, I love good quality items (such as excellent quality cookware) that one can obtain during a sale.
The problem with CI (and there are a few) that make it problematic for some folks include:
1.) The weight. For some smaller stature folks or folks with wrist/arm injuries, the weight is a big problem. They're heavy and that is before we put food in it LOL
2.) Seasoning is tough to manage if you dont know how to do it. The learning curve isnt easy. Its way better now with YT and the internet as a resource, but this is a deal breaker for some folks - example: my beautiful wife cant stand the smell of seasoning CI. She leaves the house when I do it. Conversely, if you dont have the space or knowhow to build an electrolysis tank to remove old season, the only way to do this is with Lye or oven cleaner and that stuff is equally gross to work with. So you have to be willing to do this and many are not - not when you have cheap-ish teflon coated non stick pans or stainless that does not require a season.
3.) Storage is an issue: When I use my CI skillets I leave a coating of food grade oil on the pan. To store this, hanging the skillets on the wall is really the best way IMO - it keeps the food contact surface up against the wall minimizing stuff getting in it. Stacking them causes food and dust and particulate to fall into the pan and that gets glued on from said oil coating. This is exasperated by pans that are used less and tend to sit around. So if you dont have the space or know how to build a CI rack to hang your CI, or space for one of those pyramid shaped counter top racks, this can be an annoying pain point. Obviously dutch ovens and the like with lids are less of an issue lol. I store my lidded dutch ovens on top of my refirgerator.
I mean does any of this stop me? No of course not but I can see busy & weak-wristed or folks with bad injuries or arthritis like my mom choosing another pan option. Thats where CS comes in. It looks like it is ALOT lighter with the same season/nonstick benefits as CI. I mentioned my desire to try one to my wife and she said "send me the link" LOL
Pretty much my favorite person in the world
Yesterday's dinner was Spaghetti and meatballs with gralic bread.
Easy breezy dinner option that everyone eats LOL. I wish there were more of those
Easy breezy dinner option that everyone eats LOL. I wish there were more of those
Pasta All'amatriciana is another one of those "easy, breezy, dinner option" (yet delicious) pasta dishes.Yesterday's dinner was Spaghetti and meatballs with gralic bread.
Easy breezy dinner option that everyone eats LOL. I wish there were more of those
When preparing it, I use diced guanciale (rather than pancetta, though that will do, at a pinch; however, I do think that the guanciale is better), tinned Italian San Marzano tomatoes (the number of tins used will depend on how many people need to be fed), grated Pecorino Romano cheese (rather than the more usual Parmigiano Reggiano), a little white wine (a small glass, or half glass, though this step can be skipped for those who prefer not to use alcohol; the actual alcohol is burned off in the sauté pan, in any case), and - though this is also optional, I will also use a finely diced white onion, and/or a few finely minced cloves of garlic (and a few for me, - given that usually, I have a very generous hand indeed with garlic, means one or two cloves, which I consider next to nothing), in a large sauté pan, - that lot (minus the cheese) sautéed in olive oil, plus pasta, (again, the amount is calculated depending on how many people need to be fed) and a few ladles of that glorious and starchy pasta cooking broth.