Buying Cookware

[Jason]

Grant

Well that is a whole lot better then i would have thought, i was thinking like you see in the movies and what not of simmering the sause for hrs and then getting to eat. I am really not sure why i am so scared of cooking sauces i know i will more then likely mess up one or twice and i have to deal with that. That recipe you gave me just now sounds so simple, and your i could do almost anything with it. I actually have a bottle of red ine at home already cause i use it to cook roast in the crock pot, it tastes really nice. so really all i am missing is the freash basil. I will see where i can get some come the weekend when i don;t have to work and will give that auce a try.

[grantmasterflas]

It really is easy and flexible. You can use your imagination and modify it without needing a whole lot of cooking knowledge. If you like more garlic (I do) than add more. Add enough olive oil to give it the flavor you like, Basil etc... You really can't screw it up, it just won't have as much flavor as you'd like. The only thing you can do is leave the dry spices in the pan for longer than 30 seconds and burn them or cook the tomatoes and burn them but that's easy to avoid.

Grant

[Jason]

Yeah i am pretty good about not burning things. I will try this weekend and let you know howit goes!

[Jason]

OK i now have the joy of cooking 75th Anniversary cookbook. And just want i have glanced through i can tell you i already love it!

[ED BUCHANAN]

I have Wearever heavy aluminum saucepans that I received when I graduated culinary school over 45 years ago. They cook great, clean easy can go in oven and dont warp. I would put them up against any of the pots made today

[sheffy]

I like using cast iron cookware but would not pay Le Creusets prices because I believe you are just paying for the name . You can buy the same thing much cheaper from other French firms.

[Jason]

Sheffy i havesome cast iron stuff and i love how it cooks but i am using a brand named "lodge" it is the same brand my mother and grand mother use. =)

[sheffy]

Yes, you don't have to pay the earth. We use and sell Normandy and it is absolutely brilliant. You can use the casseroles on top of the hob as well as in the oven which is a bonus. The cast iron distibutes the heat easily and also keeps the food warm.

[boar_d_laze]

Sheffy and Jason -- you guys are at cross purposes. Sheffy's talking about enamel over (fairly light) cast iron, and Jason's talking about (fairly heavy) naked cast iron. While they've got a lot in common, they're different beasts.

The cast/enamel cookware is impervious to acid, and can be cleaned fairly harsh detergents. The enamel surface is reasonably slick -- compared to most stainless anyway -- but cannot be said to be non-stick. The enamel inevitably (and fairly quickly) stains, and eventually cracks.

Plain cast iron, like Lodge, is usually made even heavier than enamel over cast. You can't cook high-acid foods, such as tomato, vinegar, or citrus based sauces in them. When seasoned, the surfaces become as non-stick as cookware gets. Seasoned cast iron should be cleaned very carefully. A rinse, some mild soap, a quick brush with a soft brush, a rinse and dry, dry, dry. Some people don't use soap at all for fear of ruining the "season."

One of the great virtues of cast iron is its ability to hold heat, but the obverse of this is that it's not very responsive. The Lodge-type is steadier but less responsive than the Normandy type.

Both types are useful and it's nice to have a few specimens of each -- especially plain cast skillets, and high-sided enamel over cast casseroles.

Hope this clarifies,
BDL

[Jason]

You know BDL sometimes i wonder what don't you have in that head of yours? haha I have seen enamel cast iron but wasn't sure what was different but nowi know! Thanks, oh yeah you gonna get back to me on the biscuits?? =)

[shel]

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze

The cast/enamel cookware is impervious to acid, and can be cleaned fairly harsh detergents. The enamel surface is reasonably slick -- compared to most stainless anyway -- but cannot be said to be non-stick. The enamel inevitably (and fairly quickly) stains, and eventually cracks.

Hi, I wasn't going to jump in here as one person's experience with just a few pots may not mean much, however, FWIW ...

I've a couple of Le Creuset Dutch/French ovens, both of which date back to around 1980 or so, both of which are white inside and out. Neither has any stains, and neither has cracked or shows any signs of cracking.

shel

[sheffy]

Our experience has been pretty much the same. Never heard of them cracking or anyhing detrimental at all.

[boar_d_laze]

Always good to learn something good.

BDL

[macic]

One point to bear in mind if you are thinking of cookware preferences is whether it will be for use on an induction cooktop. If so it needs a ferrous base - for more details check out induction-cooktop.com

[sheffy]

You can't get more ferrous based than cast iron. If you want to know if it is ferrous based i.e. iron then just test with a magnet. If it sticks then it is okay for induction.