Subj : Cast Iron was: Tex-Mex was: Traffic
To : Carol Shenkenberger
From : Dave Drum
Date : Sat Jun 22 2024 06:41:10
-=> Carol Shenkenberger wrote to Dave Drum <=-
CS> On doing things simple, that's me! Simple stir frys rule!
CS> Here's a recent one. It's a spaghetti based garlic parmesan with
CS> slices of Kielbasa and a stir fry.
CS>
https://postimg.cc/YLKb1634
CS> I use the jar for the sauce most often enough just for speed. I chop
CS> various veggies for the stir fry in 5-7 minute spates starting about
CS> 2pm.
I have available to me a line of jarred sauces (Onofiro's) which require
little or no "tarting up" to be as good as I can make on a good day. The
guy behind the sauces (Joe Janazzo) is a local pub owner and friend, also
the nephew of the originator of the recipes used, Onofrio "Mimi" Vitale.
Their Basilico is a favourite.
CS> MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
CS> Title: Xxcarol's Breakfast Frittata (cast iron cookery)
CS> Categories: Xxcarol, Cast iron, Breakfast
CS> Yield: 8 Servings
CS> 1/4 lb Bulk Italian sausage/chorizo
CS> 6 ea Large eggs
CS> 1 c Heavy cream
CS> 2 ea Handfuls baby spinach*
CS> 8 oz Feta, crumbled
CS> 1 ea Large ripe tomato
CS> Salt, black and red pepper
CS> This is a sample of cooking with cast iron. With so many things
CS> built to not last, so you have to buy again, this isn't one of them.
CS> These are often passed down for generations. Like all, be sure your
CS> pan is well seasoned.
Here's a course on how to treat your cast iron .....
I do NOT follow the first part of the re-seasoning onstructions. I put
the item in a black plastic trash bag and add a quart of household
ammonia then close and seal the bag. Put it outdoors on the patio/picnic
table in the hot sun for a day (or more). When you open the bag all of
the nastiness on the iron will have turned t a brown sludge wheich can'
be rinsed away with the garden hose. Then you have a vessel in pristie
condition ready to be seasoned.
As we know a properly seasoned cast iron pot or pan is as non-stick as
the johnny-come-lately teflon stuff.
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
Title: Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware; w/Cautionary Notes
Categories: Info
Yield: 1 Text
Salt
Oil
When I got a new cast iron dutch oven a few years ago I
didn't know you had to season it. I just washed it, dried
it and filled it with chilli to take on a camping trip for
supper the first night. Everyone was waiting with
anticipation for this big pot of chili to heat up over the
fire. Well when I tasted it, it tasted like machine oil
smells and had to dump the whole mess. Found out later
that cast iron is coated with a machine type oil for
shipping. Some kind soul in this echo told me how to fix
it and I have been happy with my dutch oven ever since.
CLEANING AND RESEASONING CAST-IRON SKILLET
You're browsing the junk store or rummaging the neighbor's
garage sale and there it is - a good, old cast-iron
skillet, black and righteous from decades of use and
priced to sell. Once you get your treasure home and before
you crank up the heat, you'll need to clean and reseason
it.
Here's how:
1. Assemble a 1-pound box of salt and a quart of vegetable
oil.
2. Wash the cast iron with warm water and mild dish soap
inside and out. Rinse well, Dry.
3. Heat skillet over high heat, and when it's smoking hot,
cover bottom with a thick layer of salt. (This can get
smelly, so you'll want to turn on the fan.) Using an old
wooden spoon you don't mind scorching, and protecting both
hands with hot pads, scrape salt around the bottom and
sides of the pan. Keep the heat on high and keep scraping
salt until the salt starts to brown and you notice black
flecks in it. Scour the skillet for a good five minutes.
Turn off the heat, and as soon as the salt has cooled down
enough to dispose of safely, discard it, and, being
careful not to burn yourself, wipe out the skillet with a
paper towel.
4. Repeat salt-cleaning method if skillet still looks
cruddy.
Otherwise:
[SEE SAFETY NOTES BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH STEP 5]
5. Return skillet to burner and heat it until it's
red-hot. Turn off heat and fill skillet one-third with
vegetable oil. either tilt skillet, or use a non-plastic
brush, to coat sides with oil. Allow oil-filled skillet to
cool completely - at least an hour.
6. Heat skillet and oil again, to about frying temperature
(350-400ºF/175-205ºC). Turn off heat and again allow to
cool completely. Overnight is best.
7. The next morning, discard oil, wipe skillet out with a
paper towel and you're ready to go.
8. Some folks swear soap and hot water never touch their
cast iron. Others find an occasional mild sudsing
desirable. Everybody agrees, however, that scouring pads
or powders and dishwashers will ruin the seasoning. Use a
plastic scrubber, if necessary, to dislodge stuck-on
stuff.
9. For new cast iron, start with step 2 and then go to
step 5. Lots of manufacturers suggest heating the skillet
and oil in the oven a couple of times to season it.
From: Sharon Dibble
SAFETY NOTES by Greg Mayman
*1* do step 5 out-of-doors - if the pan cracks & breaks,
you don't want bits of red-hot metal falling about in the
kitchen.
*2* Before adding the oil, allow the pan to cool and test
with a single drop of oil; when the pan is cool enough so
the drop does not burn or vaporise, add the oil VERY
SLOWLY to avoid cracking the cast iron.
FROM: Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives
MMMMM
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