My Bayou brand cast iron pans came in Friday, and I've had the damndest time "seasoning" them. I washed them in hot soapy water to remove the paraffin protectant, then rubbed them down in lard and placed them in the oven for two hours at 300, per instructions. But the coating is so uneven and it still feels like some of the wax is still on there. I don't want them to start rusting again.....can anyone help me please?
My mom says yes - African-Americans make soul food and whites make Southern. But methinks that isn't it. I think Southern food uses more expensive cuts of meat, and soul food tends to be spicier.
What do you think?
It's the Navy version of Sh*t on Shingles, but I simply love this. You are supposed to put it on toast. But when I was working for the Navy SEALS, it was put on top of hash browns, with poached or baked eggs on top.
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
cooking oil, if needed
salt and pepper
5 tablespoons flour, approximate
1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes, diced
5 1/2 ounces tomato juice
2 cups hot water, approximate
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar, to taste
1. Crumble the ground beef into a skillet and brown with the onions.
2. If beef is very lean, add a tablespoon or two of cooking oil.
3. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add flour, one tablespoon at a time, stirring and cooking each spoonful, before adding the next.
5. The flour must be cooked to preclude a starchy taste through out.
6. Add enough flour to absorb most of the oil.
7. Stir in the tomatoes and the tomato juice, followed by the water.
8. Allow to simmer on low heat to thicken.
9. Adjust consistency as necessary.
10. Add nutmeg and sugar and adjust to taste.
Can you cook a dish with like, say, Southern Comfort or whisky? I've had vodka marinara sauce, fish and chicken with rum, white wine and chicken marinated in Belgian ale - what else can one use?
Real Jambalaya?? I was told today at my office by an accountant from Baton Rouge today that jambalaya is not authentic 1) when you use andouille and not chorizo; and 2) when you use chicken, ham AND shrimp. You can have two meats but not three.....I laughed him off, but is he right? I always thought that is how you made it - it's how I make mine.
Do we have any Canadians on board? What is the main difference between Canadian and US cuisine....there are similarities, but I want to know the differences. From what I can see, there is a strong emphasis on seafood and game. Please weigh in.
PS - I so wanna make Nanaimo Bars. I read about them on Wiki and simply cannot get them out of my head....so if any of y'all have a recipe for this dish, by all means, share!!!
I love Hump Day Happy Hour, but HATEHATEHATE the aftermath. I find a couple of Egg McMuffins and a good energy drink usually do me right. What about you guys. Imbibers only LOL.
These Seafood Enchiladas came out PERFECT! I'm so proud! I omitted the toasted walnuts; that just seemed weird to me; maybe someone can explain why they were put into the recipe. Anywhooo, here is the recipe:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1645,156173-242200,00.html
I want to throw out my lamb torte I mentioned earlier this month; it was majorly disappointing, even after letting it sit overnight in the fridge so the flavors could meld more. I'm going to throw it out tonight.
So do any seriouseats.comers do this? Make a dish and when it doesn't turn out right, trash it? I mean, that leg of lamb wasn't cheap.
I know ham and cheddar is a good match, but what about other meats, seafoods and poultry? I'm attempting to make a lamb confit & potato torte this weekend (it's rather labor intensive) and I was thinking of a creamy cheese to put on the potatoes. Any ideas, or would that be too rich?? Discuss.
Thanks, guys. I will try again this weekend. Should I wash them again?
You should try Barclay Rittenhouse. Their sides aren't included ($15 for creamed spinach - egads!), but their porterhouses are amazing and they have a decent wine selection. The only way I got to eat there was b/c a friend of mine works at Morton's and knows some of the people at Barclay's, so we were able to get "comped". Our bill came to over $300, including a $60 tip.
IMO, a close second would be The Capital Grille. Their steaks are almost as good, and they have great sides. And homemade potato chips at the bar (schwing). Morton's is okay, but their breads and sides are kind of lame and they don't have porterhouse.
Never tried Ruth Chris; my restaurant cronies told me not to, that it's rather average.
yes, fried chicken(La Jolla had fried chicken for lunch for about two months before we decided it was just too embarassing).
What could possibly be embarassing about fried chicken?
Shrimp tempura and miso soup from Bento Tokyo....it is in the concourse of the Suburban Station in Philly....
@1stmakearoux, the only place I can think of is Cafe Habana, which is the only Cuban restaurant close to the river...their tres leches is awesome as well.
I also happen to be part Cuban too, 1stmakearoux and make a mean picadillo!!!
Right now, I'm craving some shrimp and grits. My bad back has me out from work today, but I can stand at the stove for a l'il bit. I've got some shrimp and andouille (sp?) in the fridge. So tempting.
One thing I miss is fatback. My maternal grands were from Saluda, South Carolina and they used to fry fatback on the weekends. My mom was their only girl, and they were devoted to her. We were their favorites. As soon as Mom parked the car, I'd run up the steps, into the house, kiss them, and then run into the kitchen to eat a piece of crispy, salty fatback. Fatback went into EVERYTHING -- oil for frying chicken, greens - even ice cream. LOL, just kidding.
Right now I reside in Center City Philly - pretty much lily-white, which I hardly have a problem with, except I always have to catch the bus and go to North Philly or West Philly to get the things I miss. I don't have a car, which makes getting the food I crave something of a challenge.
@RichardCrystal - Who is she, this Miss Dupree?
All I know is I love it, and unfortunately, it shows LOL.
No problem wookie.
Back OT, weren't the Chinese frying chicken as early as the Ming dynasty?
Now see, I heard that fried chicken was created by the Scots-Irish colonists, because it didn't spoil as quickly as boiled or baked chicken. After they prospered, they bought African slaves, who pretty much reinvented the dish by adding flour and spices.
And I am of African-American extraction, and I meant no harm.
Houston? What you have there is Tex-Mex. Chicago? I think not. I have lived in both cities. San Diego, CA which is 15 miles north of the Mexican border by far, has the best Mexican in the US. Old Town is dedicated to offering you one Mexican restaurant after another in addition to all the other Mexican restaurants and taco stands located around the city. Real Mexican food is found there.
Can't add anything on seasoning but if you stack your pans to store them. Put a sheet of wax paper between pans. It helps prevents rusting. Both of my grandmothers practiced it.
Short of the self-cleaning cycle, you can also put your pan on your charcoal grill with a full bucket of hot coals underneath it, put on the lid, then walk away. It saves your house from smelling. I did this with a Griswold pan I inherited, and it turned out spanking clean and ready to season.
You can put soap in a iron pan, but only if you're willing to start seasoning from scratch. If your first attempt is uneven, then it can't get any worse to scrub it completely clean with soapy water, and start all over again.
I always run it through the self-cleaning cycle in my oven.
@1stmakearoux - you should submit that to Fine Cooking as a tip.
I've found that a pre-seasoning preparation helps considerably. Before you attempt to season your cast iron, it has to be very, very clean! Whenever I get a new or used (much better choice, esp. WagnerWare or Griswold), I always run it through the self-cleaning cycle in my oven. This removes all the wax and/or old seasoning, even minor rust. Then give it a good scrub to remove the dust that may be left. Now is the time to start seasoning it! I prefer top-of-the-stove on a low burner rather than in the oven, and I use mostly bacon grease. It's worked for me for nearly forty years.
One last thing: I always prefer a smooth finish in my cast iron rather than the rough finish in most newer cast iron, such as Lodge. I think that's only available in the older pieces. Try an antique shop, yard sale, or flea market.
I have some really nice French crepe pans and my first attempt at seasoning them when I first got them was a miserable failure - so much so that the seasoning layer started to chip off. I sanded the very bottom inside of the pans and did that part of the seasoning over.
I think the trick is really gentle heat for a really long time. And of course you remember the best way to "season" a pan is to use it frequently (per kitchen folklore of generations).
It's going to take a while to get the good seasoning you're thinking about. Bobcatsteph is right--scrub out any uneven spots with kosher salt. Don't use soap again. Give it another slow oven treatment or three. I like the upside-down advice. That will keep any lard deposits from hardening into lumps.
Once you get the lumps out, make a few batches of cornbread. Heat several glugs of oil in the skillet (the amount depends on how big the skillet is--you want a good bit of oil) before slowly pouring in the batter. Get the oil hot. You want the batter to start frying as soon as it hits the surface of the oil! Then bake it. Whether it's edible or not, you're seasoning the skillet each time you bake like this.
After you dump out the cornbread (hopefully all intact), just wipe it out with a paper towel. If there are any stuck crumbs, scrape them off with a little salt and hot water if needed. Oil again and wipe with a towel.
When you store your cast-iron skillets, make sure air can circulate all around them. I hang mine on a sturdy pegboard. Never stack them. Don't even put a lid on top; store it separately. You're going to love them -- food tastes so much better cooked in cast iron!
there's a good cast iron video on the cook's illustrated podcast available through itunes for free. Check it out
I'm only familiar with Lodge cast iron, but definitely do as PerkyMac says and season the pan upside down. If I had lumps on mine I'd reseason it.
I never use soap on my cast iron but kosher salt as the "scrubber" and hot water. Dry off completely, rub on a coat of oil, and put on low burner (or the cooling down one you've just used) a few minutes to make sure it's totally dry before storing.
yes, fried chicken(La Jolla had fried chicken for lunch for about two months before we decided it was just too embarassing).
What could possibly be embarassing about fried chicken?
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