Cast Iron Enamel Cookware is the Perfect Choice for Fall Comfort Food
On a recent chilly fall day I had a hankering for beef stew, and the process of preparing it re-acquainted me with the old cast iron Dutch oven found years ago by my mother in an antique store, which I had since ignored and allowed to accumulate dust in the basement.

While vigorously scrubbing it with steel wool, I was reminded of the whole reason the thing was banished to the basement in the first place. It’s very difficult to clean, and like all cast iron cookware, it needs proper seasoning before you can use it. It can’t be put in the dishwasher because the iron will rust, and must always be coated with a layer of fat in order to keep it properly seasoned. Cast iron enthusiasts regularly debate the merits of shortening versus vegetable oil as the perfect seasoning. In fact, the process of properly seasoning cast iron cookware is an art unto itself. Maybe achieving the perfectly seasoned cast iron pans is a rewarding experience, but who has the time?

You may wonder why anyone would go to all that trouble. Cast iron has excellent heat retention properties that make it very energy efficient. You can achieve ideal cooking temperatures on medium and low heat settings, reducing the risk of burning or drying out your food. It is perfect for the long, slow cooking of our favorite comfort foods. When you remove the cast iron pot or pan from the heat source, it retains the heat for a long period of time, so your food will stay hot longer than food prepared in cookware made of other materials. The heavy, thick metal resists warping and lasts forever. These properties are why so many people, undaunted by hand washing and the need to keep it properly seasoned, swear by cast iron cookware.

Fortunately, there is another kind of cast iron cookware that gives the cook all the benefits of cast iron cooking without the drawbacks. Cast iron can be enameled, a process that seals the iron in layers of vitrified enamel. This process has numerous benefits. It eliminates the need to keep the iron properly seasoned. The smooth, glassy finish of the enamel is much easier to clean, and cast iron enamel cookware can be placed in the dishwasher. The smooth finish also allows you to safely use this type of cookware on all types of heat sources including ceramic and induction cook tops. The enamel layer allows you to cook with tomatoes and other acidic ingredients that usually react unfavorably with cast iron. And the enamel can be produced in any number of colors, like fire engine red or lemon yellow, making it a perfect choice for today’s design-conscious kitchen. It’s so attractive that your stew or roast cooked in a cast iron enamel Dutch oven can go right from the oven to the tabletop.

Cast iron cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com

Original source : http://ezinearticles.com/

Bring Rusted Cast Iron Cookware Back to Life
The process of restoring rusted cast iron cookware can bring a family heirloom back to life and make it a fully functional asset in your kitchen. You can even salvage a garage sale or flea market find that looks too far gone. The beauty of cast iron cookware lies in it's rugged durability and versatility. Cast irons durability results from the quality and thickness of the material from which the pan was made. Older cast iron is especially tough since it was made before the time of cheap imports that do suffer some quality issues. But, nonetheless any piece of cast iron that is structurally sound can be restored and put to use in your kitchen.

Before beginning the restoration process, you must carefully inspect the pot or pan and make sure it is truly structurally sound. Look for cracking or pitting in the surface of the pan. If the pan is cracked or severely pitted then it would be best to set that pan aside and not proceed with restoration. a cracked cast iron pan is very hard to repair and requires a process called brazing to fix the pan. This is usually an expensive process and even with repair the possibility of contamination of your food from the repair process makes the pan pretty much useless for use in the kitchen. If you would like you can restore the damaged pan and use it as a decorative reminder of days gone by in your kitchen.

Once you have established the soundness of the cast iron, you can begin the process of restoration. Start by using steel wool or a wire brush to remove as much surface rust from the pan as possible. You can then soak the pan in a solution of 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water for a day or so. This will help to finish dissolving any rust that remains on the surface of the pan. If you run into a pan with severe rusting, then you may have to use a product like spray on oven cleaner to remove a heavy layer of rust. Be careful when using caustic chemicals like oven cleaner. Wear personal protection such as gloves and a mask to prevent personal injury. Also, avoid using any other highly caustic chemicals on your cast iron. Solvents and similar chemicals can soak into the loose pores of the iron and then leach into your food at a later time. After you are sufficiently satisfied with the initial phase of restoration of your cast iron, then you can proceed to the seasoning step. seasoning is a simple process whereby the clean pan is coated with either lard or bacon grease and repeatedly heated in an oven.

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Types Of Cookware: Pots And Pans
Pots and pans make the most essential part of your cookware. There are lots of various types available for each particular cooking method or a few different methods. Skillet/frying pan has a flat bottom with short sides that are flared or sloped, which makes it easier to toss and turn food with a spatula. The pan is usually made of a responsive to heat material such as lined copper, stainless steel with a copper or aluminum core, anodized aluminum or cast iron. Non-stick surface is also popular in such pans. They are available in different sizes and generally come with a cover. Roasting pan is usually of a rectangular shape with low sides allowing the heat from the oven to expose the entire surface of the meat. Roasting pan is generally used with a rack to prevent the meat from sitting in its own juices and stewing instead of browning. The pans are available made of different materials including stainless steel, aluminum with non-stick surface, clay and granite.

Saucepan is a round pot with high straight sides and a flat bottom, can be used for several purposes, such as cooking soup, stewing vegetables, making sauces. There are a few styles to suit special purposes. A saucepan known as a Windsor has sides that flare out and another known as a saucier has sides that are rounded. There are also different sizes and materials of saucepans. Most of them have a snug fitting cover. Stir-fry pan is a round, deep pan that may have straight sides with a slightly rounded base or more commonly a round base that slopes out and upward. Sizes and handle length can vary to match the cooking process. Heat is evenly distributed across the base while the sloping sides make it easier to stir and turn the ingredients. Wok is a bowl shaped version of stir-fry pan, best for quick cooking food over high heat. It is available with rounded or flat bottom. Some varieties of woks have one long handle, some have two short handles and others have a long handle on one side and a short one on the opposite side. The materials used are carbon steel, cast iron, and metals with non-stick coating.

Stockpot is a deep, tall, straight-sided pot with two big, loop handles. It is used for simmering large amount of liquid, such as stock, soup and stews, but also works well for thick soups, chili and for boiling pasta. Sometimes comes along with pasta insert - made of stainless steel perforated insert that fits inside a stockpot and acts as a colander for draining pasta. Grill pan is a heavy metal pan that consists of ridges spaced evenly across the bottom, that closely simulate the grilling process when cooking various meats and foods. Can be with shallow sides or with deeper sides similar to a frying pan. Many grill pans are made of cast iron and are available in different shapes and sizes. Double boiler consists of two pans - one inside of the other. The bottom pan contains hot water and the top pan holds the ingredients that are being cooked. Generally used for making delicate sauces that have a tendency to separate if cooked on direct heat. Double boilers can be made of stainless steel, enameled steel, glass and aluminum.

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Get To Know Your Cookware
Selecting the cookware for your kitchen implies a few certain points you should consider: budget, cooking and eating habits, your family size, etc. One of the most essential points in choosing cookware is the material it is made of. Often, such an important detail is simply overlooked or is considered to be minor. In fact, proper understanding of differences between cookware materials will assist you in making the best choice and further on, will help maintain your cookware in a good shape. Stainless steel cookware is very common thank to its moderate price and a number of qualities, such as good tensile strength, excellent corrosion resistance and non-reaction with alkaline or acidic materials. Using stainless steel cookware allows using less oil and it better preserves the nutritious value of food. The drawback is that stainless steel does not conduct heat well, so the cookware requires a thick aluminum or copper core in the bottom and, sometimes, the sides to conduct heat more evenly and make the cookware more responsive to heat. Stainless steel cookware care is quite simple as it can be washed in a dishwasher and scraped with nylon pads. Special stainless steel cleaners will help bring the shine back.

Non-stick cookware is a blessing when cooking and reheating sticky kinds of food. This coated surface also means you will need less oil or fat while frying on it. But you have to be careful while using and washing non-stick cookware. Avoid scratches on the surface or it’ll lose its properties. Use only wooden, plastic, or coated utensils when cooking. Wash in hot soapy water but never in a dishwasher. Cast iron is comparatively inexpensive, conducts heat evenly and once heated, keeps it for a long time. Such cookware is good for deep-frying and slow cooking. The main problem is that it rusts, stains and becomes pitted when exposed to air, moisture and certain foods. Do not wash cast-iron cookware in soapy water, instead try wiping clean with a paper towel. To prevent rusting, remove any excess moisture from the surface and coat with oil before storing.

Aluminum cookware is quite cheap compared to other materials. It’s very lightweight yet strong. It is a good conductor of heat and does not easily distort when exposed to high temperatures. The obvious drawback is its reaction to acidic and alkaline foods leading to corrosion and spoiling the taste of the food cooked. That’s why it is often coated with stainless steel or anodized coating to protect the food. It doesn’t require any special care, usual washing in a soapy water is enough. However, if the surface has anodized coating, you better avoid washing the cookware in a dishwasher and be careful not to scratch the finish. Lined copper cookware is quite expensive, though has a number of advantages. It conducts and responses to heat very well, cools down quickly when removed from the heat, preventing food from burning and becoming overdone. Copper cookware is a good choice for many cooking methods. The main problem is that copper interacts with everything it comes in contact with. Moisture in the air causes it to form a film on it that is poisonous and salty food causes a chemical reaction that can make food have a metallic taste. For that reason copper cookware is lined with tin, silver or stainless steel to enhance its qualities. Care includes delicate washing with soapy water and regular polishing with special copper polish to keep its bright copper shine.

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Cookware : Are They Your Best Buy?
Blueshoot may indeed be the best way to buy cookware. You can find quality sets for good prices when you are willing to purchase cookware in sets rather than from open stock. Think about what type of cookware you are interested in. Also ask yourself what you are willing to spend. You may find that the difference in price between mediocre cookware and really good sets is not as much as you think. It is often worth it to make an initial investment that costs you a little more. Have you thought about copper cookware? When you purchase copper cookware you can be assured of having a set that provides the best conductor of heat possible. This is especially true for those who use their cookware on top of the stove.

If you choose copper cookware you should look for pots and pans that have a stainless steel or tin lining. This lining is important because copper can react with food if a lining is not used. When you buy copper cookware that have been lined with stainless steel you will pay more for them than for sets lined with tin but you will have a cookware that will not need to have the tin replaced. Some people shy away from copper cookware because of the upkeep required. A copper cookware should not be washed in a dishwasher or be air dried. Aluminum cookware sets are another possibility. Aluminum also conducts heat well. Because aluminum is a soft metal every piece in an aluminum cookware set should be lined and have a hard exterior finish. This will eliminate any food reaction problems and will also lessen scratching of the cookware. Good aluminum cookware sets have an aluminum core sandwiched between layers of other metals like stainless steel or these cookware sets may have been treated with a process called hard anodization.

You could look for cookware sets made from stainless steel. These cookware are easy to care for and last quite awhile. They are lightweight and won't tarnish or corrode. The downside to aluminum cookware sets is that they do not conduct heat very well. If you decide on one of these cookware sets you should make sure the bottoms have a core of copper with stainless steel forming layers. Cookware made from cast iron are another choice. Cast iron evenly distributes heat and retains heat well, too. Cast iron cookware sets are very heavy and sometimes that is a drawback. If you decide on cast iron cookware you will need to "season" the pieces before you use them so that food does not react with the cookware.

Cast iron cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com

Cookware - What's New In Cookware?

As in most other industries, the cookware industry are constantly coming out with new lines and innovations. Some of the new lines are only available in gourmet or specialty shops and are sure to be expensive. Regalware has a new cast iron cookware with a twice-fired ceramic exterior. It's available in Royale Blue or Brick Red. As opposed to older cast iron cookware, this new ceramic exterior will work on any cooking surface, including glass top stoves. I had to give up my old-fashioned black cast iron skillets when I bought my new stove because I didn't realize how badly they could scratch the surface. Ceramic coating keeps its good looks for years. The interior of the cookware has a non-stick surface that makes clean up a breeze. It also has special handles that give you a secure hold on the cooking utensil and stays cool to the touch.

Chinese food continues to be popular and Clad Metalcrafters is offering two new open stock stir fry pans. The pan features a triple layer disk of stainless steel and aluminum that is permanently bonded for fast and even heat distribution. This is important especially when you are cooking beef, chicken, or pork. Mirro has introduced a new set made of aluminum and stainless steel, which boasts of durable, easy grip plastic handles that are easily handled. The eight-piece set with a non-stick interior sells for less than $40 in many retail stores. Another innovative product is Bradshaw International's new line of flex form bake ware. It is more expensive than regular bake ware but more and more people are learning of the advantage of the silicone bake ware. The cost is slowly coming down as they develop a special line to be sold in grocery stores and mega discount stores. The line is called Flexform and will include:

1 9" Round Cake Pan
2 6 Cup Muffin Pan
3 12 Cup Mini Muffin Pan
4 8" x 4" Loaf Pan
5 8" Square Cake Pan
6 11x17" Baking Sheet

The name of the new device is Cupcakes 'N More and can be used to display cupcakes, petit fours, tarts and brownies. It's attractively made with a durable non-chip, non-toxic silver color metal finish. Spiraled wires hold the food items in place. Periodically dusting with a soft, dry cloth is the key to maintaining your brass chandelier. If it gets dirty enough to need a more intense cleaning, use a gentle dish soap and warm water to clean it. Don't forget to dry after washing. Do not use an ammonia-based cleaner because this will cause tarnishing.

If your brass chandelier is tarnished and you haven't used an ammonia-based cleaner, first determine whether or not it's solid brass. Try sticking a magnet on it; if the magnet stays on, your chandelier is made of steel-plated brass. In that case, the tarnish you are seeing is likely rust and can be removed with steel wool. After removing the rust, your next decision is whether to have it re-plated. If you don't want to have it re-plated, you can choose to paint it. A solid brass chandelier which has tarnished is relatively easy to clean. First use a brass cleaner to get the tarnish off. Once it has been removed, follow up with clear lacquer spray paint.

Cast iron cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com

Original source : http://www.goarticles.com/

Cast Iron Cookware

How to Season and Care for Your Cast Iron Cookware

You have a skillet that came from your mom, and before that your grandma, and has now fallen into your hands. So how do you take care of it, use it, clean it, and get the best taste possible from it? I hope to answer some of those questions in this article.

I love my cast iron skillets, passed down from my Mom; I remember her using them to make delicious fried chicken dinners, cornbread to go with our Great Northern beans and the best popcorn. The only thing I didn’t remember is just what she did to keep those skillets nice. I do remember her drying them slowly on the stove and then coating them with some sort of grease. Now we would use a thin coat of cooking oil or a pan spray. That is called seasoning and is important in the care and use of cast iron to prevent rust and create a natural non-stick cooking surface. Even if your inherited skillet or Dutch oven has been neglected and rusty, you can restore it by seasoning it again.

The more you use your cast iron the better seasoned it becomes. A black shiny skillet is a well-seasoned utensil and the one that will give the best flavor. Seasoning is done both for the inside and the outside of your cast iron, and even the lid must be seasoned. Here’s a hint to make your cast iron shiny again is to fry bacon and similar fatty meats. It will help it become seasoned faster and give you that shiny black non-stick interior you are working for.

Here are the steps to seasoning your cast iron utensils.
1. First, wash with hot, soapy water and stiff brush.
2. Rinse and dry
3. Apply a thin coat of shortening both inside and out
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line oven rack with foil to catch drips
5. Put cookware upside down on the upper rack of your oven and bake for one hour.
6. Let the cookware cool before taking it out of the oven.
7. Store it in a cool, dry place and allow air to circulate around it
8. Never wash in a dishwasher.

After using your cast iron, rinse with hot water and no soap. Dry it thoroughly and coat it with a think coat of cooking oil, shortening or pan spray.

Cast iron cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com

Original source : http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Cast-Iron-Cookware&id=199125

Cast iron has so many benefits

As most experienced cooks know, you can't brown food unless you preheat your skillet, and I frequently transfer food from stove top to oven.

So cast iron is a logical choice, especially in skillets, unless you require gorgeous stainless to make a style point or you can afford copper - which is ideal for sautéing because its heat distribution is incomparable - and the time to care for it. The only disadvantages are that cast iron is heavy (look for skillets with handles on both sides) and it requires a bit of care to keep it seasoned and looking nice.

But cast iron has so many benefits. Well seasoned, it is nearly as nonstick as any manufactured nonstick surface and far more so than stainless, aluminum or even copper pans.

Cast iron is practically free compared with other high-quality pots and pans.Furthermore, it is an even distributor of heat, which you will instantly appreciate if switching from stainless steel or aluminum. And you can move it from stove top to oven without a thought.

Cast-iron pans are created by pouring molten iron into sand molds. After the metal solidifies, the sand crust is blasted off, and any rough edges are removed. This is pretty much the way cast iron has been made for centuries.
A couple of variables might influence your buying decision: the purity of the cast iron and the issue of seasoning it.

Lodge, the only domestic maker of cast-iron cookware, uses only "pig-iron ingot and scrap steel converted back into iron" to make its cookware, according to the company's chief executive, Bob Kellermann. Anonymously made imported cast-iron cookware, though often less expensive, offers no such guarantees. In my experience the cheapest cast-iron pans have far more "hot spots."But the biggest fear most people have about cast iron is the seasoning process.


The metal is porous and rough, and until it gains a patina from use it is the opposite of nonstick. Lodge, in an attempt to make this a non-issue, has introduced a line of preseasoned cookware, which now makes up something like 80 percent of its sales.

Cast iron cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com