How Useful Is a Cast Iron

South American Burger Recipes

2011-10-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

Burgers are perhaps one of the most popular and most convenient foods around the world. Since the South American concept of burgers is among the specialties that I have tried delicious and unique, allow me to share some of these burger recipes and let me know how you find them.

Bori-Bori Burgers, a South American specialty, this recipe for hamburger combines lamb and corn.

Ingredients

¾ pound lean ground lamb
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup drained canned or cooked frozen whole kernel corn
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, very finely chopped
½ cup white bread crumbs
2 tablespoons corn oil

Directions

Put the ground lamb into a bowl, followed by corn and parsley then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine. Add the eggs and knead the mixture lightly with damp hands, adding enough bread crumbs so the mixture holds together. Shape meat mixture into four burgers, each about 1-inch thick. In a heavy-based, non-stick skillet heat the oil over medium heat until it sizzles. Add the burgers and pan fry for about 10 minutes or until brown enough, turning once at half-time.

Colombian Burger

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (90% lean)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
4 ounces manchego cheese sliced

4 soft burger buns
salted butter
lettuce
Aji Sauce
Pineapple Sauce
1 large tomato sliced thin
1 onion sliced thin
Pink Sauce
Wavy Lays or other thick potato chip (pounded into coarse crumbs)
Garlic Sauce for dipping

Directions

Mix ground beef with salt, pepper and onion powder. Separate into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and flatten into as thin a patty as you can (max ¼ inch). In a large non-stick pan, fry the first 4 patties until cooked through. Put them on a platter and cover with foil. Cook the other four patties adding the cheese after you turn them and cover to melt the cheese. These patties cook really quickly so while your cooking them, if you have a helper, have them butter and grill the buns and get all of the other ingredients lined up.

Enjoy the burger recipes!

Reviewing the Cast Iron Dutch Oven

2011-09-06T04:04:00.000-07:00

There's only one thing I have to say now and again, cast iron lasts for years when cared for properly. It's amazing it never warps or dents no matter the temperature you use. It can be used to fry foods on top of the stove or to bake in the oven. The uniform conductivity of a cast iron makes it very much the number one choice for slow-cooking and frying.

This cookware material is perhaps the most popular and memorable item in everyone's kitchen. Aside from its hundreds of years of existence, home cooks find them still the best piece of cookware they rather use for all cooking techniques, even with baking bread. Perhaps these are among the wonders of having a genuine quality cast iron in your kitchen.

As far as my research has found, Dutch ovens rank next to the king of cast iron, the skillets. Chasseur and Le Creuset Dutch ovens are what I find the leading brands. I'm very attracted with the beautiful colors of Chasseur. In addition, it's very versatile that you can use it both for both indoor and outdoor cooking. Another bonus is its double-enamel property that evenly distributes and retains heat for consistent cooking, plus, a matching lid with knobs that are heat resistant up to 400 degrees.

Get to Know Your Grill

2011-06-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

You want your grill to be successful at grilling your foods. BBQ for example, this has been the mans' domain, however, women are becoming masters with barbecuing as well. But, it still can be a little tricky when cooking fish, especially using dry heat methods.

The design of the grill and the fuel source all play in the factors of grilling fish. You can use electric, gas, charcoal, or wood. The moment you can determine the intensity of heat at the surface of the grill, you also can determine how long it will take to cook the fish, and how much of the smokey flavor will be infused in it. That's an edge. A stovetop grill pan is ideal, at least for me.

Your grilling surface should have bars spaced no wider than 3/4 of an inch apart and it should be clean. You can rub the grill with oil to help create a non-stick surface. I like to coat the fish itself with butter before placing it on the grill.

Completely preheating the grill for about 10 minutes before grilling fish on it will ensure that it won't stick. It will quickly sear and firm up on the outside, and become flaky and moist inside.

Searing Steaks - My Friend's Winning Pan Seared Ribeye

2011-06-17T02:43:00.000-07:00

It's father's Day and time to sear a great steak, ribeyes!

Just typing the word makes me drool for that seared steak in a great sauce. Ribeyes are, in my humble opinion, the best steaks on the steer, it's even Dad's favorite. Me and a friend will be getting together this Father's Day and she's bringing along her Weber kettle charcoal grills to answer the kind of question that keeps me so intrigued. Dueling grills, dueling ribeyes cut from the same roast side-by-side. I hope her steak wins.

Ingredients

1 boneless rib eye steak, 1 1/2-inch thick
Canola oil to coat
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions

Place 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring steak(s) to room temperature. When oven reaches temperature, remove pan and place on range over high heat. Coat steak lightly with oil and season both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Grind on black pepper to taste.

Immediately place steak in the middle of hot, dry pan. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip steak and cook for another 2 minutes. (This time is for medium rare steaks. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.)

Remove steak from pan, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes. Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto plate.

The Cast Iron to the Highest Standards

2011-05-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

We are looking for the cast iron cookware for our kitchen that is of the highest standard possible. Perhaps you would not care for a little extra penny if you are sure your next cast iron cookware set comes from the world's leading manufacturer of enameled cast iron cookware.

A lot of us listens to professional advice which is a great thing. I for one if I hear my favorite chef to choose a certain quality, then I would be looking for that known standard for I know that my buy would be worth my money not only for its beauty but for its exceptional performance, as well.

Now let's talk Chasseur.

Chasseur enameled cast-iron cookware is manufactured in France, which has been widely used in home and commercial kitchens for decades. Constructed of double-enameled cast-iron, Chasseur cookware evenly distributes heat and retains heat for consistent cooking results and is suitable for all heat sources, including induction.

Each Chasseur baking dish features a double layer of enamel. The first layer seals edges and protects against corrosion, while the outer layer adds color and durability for years of service and is easy to clean. Dishwasher safe. Made to the highest standards, Chasseur cookware will last a lifetime if routine care is observed.

Chasseur cast iron cookware features extraordinary heat-retention. Once hot, only low heat is necessary for good cooking performance. This heat-retention makes the French cookware perfect for tabletop serving. Its enamel coating will prevent the cast iron from reacting to various foods so cooking is guaranteed safe. It also makes for quick and easy clean-up.

Cast Iron Restaurants in the World - Worth a Visit

2011-03-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of a cast iron kitchen? Does it mean everything cast iron?

Cast Iron Kitchen, Maynard, MA
One specializes in serving “creative comfort food” in a polished, casual atmosphere with pride in using fresh, healthy ingredients. They boast their chicken as free-roam organic and their meats all natural with no antibiotics whatsoever. If you happen to be in Maynard, MA, it's your chance to see this Cast Iron Kitchen and see it for yourself. http://www.castironkitchen.net/index.php?link=gallery

Cast Iron at the Omni Fort Worth, TX
Cast iron creations are featured in a standing nightly signatures of a “Family Style” setting with a thoughtful sampling menu to suit your palette and occasion.I've never been here and all these makes me curious. I think I'd love to meet their culinary team who focuses on seasonality to make quality driven home-style cooking with flair. Blackened Shrimp with Creamy Blue Cheese Grits, Fried Green Tomatoes, Shiner Brined Center Cut Pork Chop, chipotle-fig compote"... sounds interesting, really. Find out, you'll find them at Fort Worth.

http://www.opentable.com/cast-iron-at-the-omni-fort-worth

Cast Iron Steakhouse, Jeffersonville, IND
A casual, mid-priced, independent steakhouse with chef-driven values, Cast Iron Steakhouse, in Jeffersonville (in a location revered by many Jeffersonvillians as the old home of Rocky's Sub Pub), has stepped into that cast iron vacuum — much to the delight of the folks who've been filling the parking lot almost from the day the place opened. Owners Curtis Rader and Susan Naiser have given the place a warm, comfortable finish with tan walls, booths and tables in a very attractive bar that's nicely separated from the dining room.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20101225/SCENE02/312250041/Restaurant-Review-Cast-Iron-Steakhouse

Pancake Day - Getaway to Spirituality

2011-02-20T20:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas...Valentines... now time to cook pancakes!

I'm not a fanatic but I believe that the passion of pancakes began with the old custom of a day of pancake which is eminent all over the world. It's history! It was said to have started in England on the start of Lent leading to Shrove Tuesday and now being celebrated as Pancake Day. It is a day distinguished by different countries on different dates associating with the beginning of Lent, a time of fasting in the Christian datebook.

For many people, Pancake day is the start of Lent that could also be a great opportunity to combine with spiritual adventure. Spending time alone or with the family during Lent are what families do to give themselves a break from daily chores, rush, phone, meeting and traffic. It could be days or a week of quietness commemorating the real reason of Lent. As Star Rewards suggests a seductive stretch alongside the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Amalfi Coast is widely regarded as among the favorite family adventure being in one of Europe's most beautiful coastlines. Every thrilling twist in the famous coastal road offers up a different discovery, at times clinging to jagged cliffs that sink hundreds of feet into the foaming spray below, at others slicing through aromatic lemon mangroves and vineyards.

Although this idea is a kind of spiritual getaway for some, still many Christians mark the season by marking a spiritual commitment that helps them focus more on Jesus Christ, by giving up a habit of luxury and perhaps spend the season reading a daily devotional or doing volunteer work. One simple but powerful way to prepare this is to spend time in the Scriptures. One site has just put a Lent daily Bible reading plan online to help—it walks through all four of the Gospels between today and Easter, so by the time Easter arrives you’ll have read the entire account of Jesus’ life, ministry, death and resurrection.

If you've not made a Lent pledge before, daily Scripture reading is a great place to start along with a great Pancake day to open the season. Take a look at the Lent reading plan and see it helps you focus your thoughts on Jesus as Easter approaches! No matter what you plan for your Lenten getaway, the most important thing we should bear by heart is to pray, and contemplate the meaning of Lent and Christmas and apply the meaning to our life.

Spending my the season of Lent beginning on Pancake day will be a good time for the whole family to stay together doing things together and praying together.

Skillets for You

2010-09-10T01:15:00.000-07:00

Skillets are used in many ways, so they are manufactured in various models and styles. A larger skillet is ideal for bigger meals to get the cooking done faster. Large capacity skillets usually measure 12 to 14 inches in diameter giving you more space for sautéing veggies, browning chops, tossing pasta and more.

An aluminum skillet is a good conductor of heat and is used frequently with non-stick pots and pans. The makers of aluminum cookware warn against storing highly acidic or salty foods in aluminum cookware. Foods such as tomato sauce or citrus fruits that are in contact with cookware for a long period of time will absorb aluminum.

A stainless steel skillet is very resistant to corrosion and is easy to maintain. It does not react to the acid or alkaline in food. Moreover, it cannot be dented or scratched easily. However, they are poor heat conductors, and they do not distribute heat evenly.

A cast iron skillet is slow to heat but distributes heat evenly. It is ideal for slow cooking. Cast iron skillets withstand high temperatures and heat evenly. They also retain heat well. Your meats will be perfectly seared and your fried food will be golden brown.

A copper skillet provides the best thermal conductivity and even heating. However, it is heavy, expensive, and requires occasional retinning.

Cast Iron Skillet As Perfect Give-Away

2010-09-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

The holidays are fast approaching! Everybody may soon start to get busy shopping for gifts. If you are looking for the most unique and perfect gift, but do not know where to start, think back yesterday.

Perhaps one of the favorite things you like giving away are kitchen items. There are actually different collection of quality kitchenware you will find from both online and offline. If you are looking for something unique, a cast iron skillet is a perfect choice. It comes not just handy useful but it carries the living legend of a beautiful yesterday. Isn't that unique enough to give away?

Years ago, cast-iron cookware was generally considered the best available, and many of today's great chefs still agree that cast-iron pots and pans, in a number of ways, second to none. Many cooking implements of our childhood usually have been superseded by the ultramodern ones of today. However, there are people who are returning to the appliances and utensils of years ago.

So an idea of a cast iron skillet as gift may be accumulated for nostalgic and decorative purposes.

You don't have to limit your search on vintage iron cookware and utensils for your give away project. There are many new ironware in varieties of colors, sizes, styles and which are coated inside and out. Old utensils, on the other hand, should be black inside and out. If the inner surfaces are smooth, with a slight dry sheen, you'll know the pan has been well seasoned through frequent use and good care.

Now what follows is all up to you. Just bear in mind that cast iron cookware is an inexpensive investment that carries a very expensive living tradition that is sure to last in the next generations.