How to Season and Care for Your 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.

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How To Choose The Perfect Bread Maker

Bread makers are extremely popular. The average person can make delicious, homemade bread quite easily with a bread maker. Even with the ease of a bread machine, you must still use caution when adding the ingredients, even if you use a mix. You can make a variety of shapes and sizes of loaf with a bread machine. Many people use a bread machine to simply mix the ingredients then bake the loaf in a traditional oven. Sizes range from one pound to two pounds or more, and you will most likely choose between a square or round loaf pan. 

Some bread makers will have a preheat cycle to heat the ingredients before baking. If you want your bread to rise properly, choose a bread maker that does not heat before time to bake the bread. Bread makers will generally have separate settings for different types of bread. There may be settings for wheat or French bread, and you will be able to choose the doneness of the bread such as a light, medium, or dark setting. There will also normally be a regular or rapid bake cycle. It is desirable to have a window in the top or side of the bread machine to allow you to see the progress of your bread while it is baking. 

There are a variety of options from which to choose in bread makers, so you may first want to consider how much space you have to store your new machine. Bread makers come in a variety of sizes, so choose one that you can store easily. You should choose the capacity of the bread maker based upon how big your family is and how much bread they eat. You can choose a bread maker with a delay timer which will allow you to place the mix in the bread maker before you leave home each day and the bread will be ready when you return. If you want your bread maker to prepare the dough but not cook it, you will need to find a bread maker with this feature. Choose a bread maker that will alert you when it is time to add additional ingredients such as fruit or nuts. You will also want a "keep warm" feature in case you are gone when the bread is finished. Look for crust control features and special setting for fruits, nuts, cheese, and vegetables. 

Study the warranty very carefully to make sure you will be able to get service and replacement parts if necessary. Keep in mind that if your family consumes a small amount of bread now, once you purchase your new bread maker that consumption is likely to increase dramatically. Choose a slightly larger size that you anticipate needing. Remember that the keep warm feature is great, but if you leave the loaf in the bread maker for an extended period of time it may become soggy and flat. A bread maker is a wonderful addition to your home. Nothing compares to the smell of freshly baked bread from your very own kitchen.

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Make your cake look more delicious

Everyone loves to eat cake, which is nicely and perfectly decorated. But due to lack of decorating skill ones wish is not fulfilled up to the maximum level. Now with the help of cake decorating book one can easily decorate the cake and make it look more rich and delicious. These books are specially designed for preparing cakes. They also provide you with additional mouth watering recipes and tips to make your cake more delicious for consumption.

Cake Decorating Book is a perfect choice to decorate the cake. This book provides you essential tips, together with illustrated pictures to decorate your birthday cakes, Christmas cake, wedding cake and party cake. If you want to decorate the cake for any special occasion then you need to purchase a cake decorating book. 

Now days you can find huge collection of such books online. This book can help you to decorate your cake in a professional manner. Cake Decorating Books not only help you to decorate your cake but it also helps you to make your cake delicious, which is an added advantage. Cake decorating book, which is offered online, requires no fundamental experience. With the help of cake decorating book you can prepare exclusive decorated pastries or cakes. This book is published in such a way that no one can refrain oneself from making a decorated cake. Each chapter carries new ideas and tips. 

It is necessary that one should decorate the cake as it gives a distinct and appealing look that creates the desire to eat it. This cake decorating book is also perfect for beginners, which gives step by step instructions and guidance.

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White Barbecue Sauce – Gourmet Bbq Sauce At It’s Best

Barbecuing is not what it used to be. When growing up the only time that my family would start up the grill or smoker was in the summer and on the weekends. Today, people barbecue every night and all year round. Barbecue sauces have come along way since then as well. There used to be only a couple of choices at your local market. But now with the invention of “super” markets the amount barbecue sauces you can buy locally has grown significantly. For those gourmet barbecue sauces the web is probably the only place you will find these unique sauces. If you don’t live in the Alabama area the only place you will find traditional White BBQ Sauce like Big Bob Gibson’s is on the web or of course you can try to make it yourself.

In Alabama Barbecue traditional Sauce uses Mayonnaise as its base rather than tomato sauce, vinegar, or any of the other more typical barbecue sauce bases. It is clearly a region favorite. Bob Gibson of Decatur, Alabama is credited with the invention the white sauce back in 1925. Friends and family were first treated to this secret-recipe sauce on chicken and pork at weekend barbecues where boards were nailed to trees for tables. Today, this famous mayonnaise-based condiment is traditionally employed to baste chicken, seafood and pork.

White BBQ Sauce is as synonymous with the state with Alabama as the legendary "BAMA" football program. White BBQ Sauce’s intriguing flavor complements salads and is a superb baste for chicken, pork and turkey. You can also use White Sauce as an ingredient to add an extra kick to your favorite slaw or potato salad. However, because the racks of your local grocer are dominated by many incarnations of tomato-based sauces and white bbq sauce is such a regional anomaly, most people outside Alabama have not tested this concoction of flavor.

Like many barbecue sauces you want to apply this only at the very end of your grilling or smoking. It will breakdown and separate if it is heated too long. Use this sauce on chicken and turkey. It is also good on pork. Alabama White Barbecue Sauce has a tangy flavor that is a great addition to grilled foods.

White BBQ Sauce makes a unique experience. Use this recipe when grilling chicken; brush lightly over the chicken during the last few minutes of grilling. This sauce is also great for dipping; keep some sauce aside for passing at the table.

White BBQ Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 quart mayonnaise  
• 3/4 quart apple cider vinegar 
• 1/2 cup corn syrup 
• 1/4 tablespoon cayenne pepper 

Prepared horseradish

Lemon juice

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a very large blender or food processor. Blend for 1 minute, or until thoroughly mixed and sauce is smooth. Pour sauce into a large container or bowl.

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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  

Wilton Baking Accessories Company has introduced a stylish serving food centerpiece that can be used for special occasions and holidays. 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.

When purchasing a brass chandelier, remember that it is not intended as a main light source. Chandeliers are hung for the elegance and grace they add to almost any room. Brass chandeliers come in many sizes, so they are appropriate anywhere.

There are many types of chandeliers available to add grace to your home or business. If you are in the market for one, remember the long life and easy maintenance of brass chandeliers. You'll be glad you did.

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Espresso Machines - Making The Best Coffee In The World, At Home

Think about having a fresh, coffee-shop-quality espresso when you get up in the morning – without having to leave the house. This is what your very own espresso machine can provide, but it is important to make sure you buy the right product, and know how to use it when you get it home.

Espresso is a syrupy, traditionally Italian, specialty coffee. Coffee shop owners will tell you that making mouth-watering espresso is just like pulling the perfect pint of beer. It requires patience, practice, and is much harder than it looks. Good quality espresso machines can make it easier by controlling the temperature and the internal mechanisms more exactly.

These machines function in several different ways. If, for instance, you value authenticity, and have strong arms, a Piston-driven espresso maker could be for you. The design for this fully-manual espresso machine comes from as far back as 1938. Many are now sold for decorative value in addition to making a good cup of espresso coffee,

There are various types of semi-automatic espresso machines. In all cases the water is delivered via a pump mechanism, but the grinding, preparation and insertion of the coffee must be done by hand. These may be more difficult to find, as recently automatic or super-automatic machines are becoming more popular and cost-effective.

Automatic espresso machines are very similar to the semi-automatic version, but the temperature and amount of the water is also controlled automatically. Super-automatic espresso machines are still mostly for the high-end of the market. These basically only require you to put the coffee beans in! They may also have many extra features, such as milk frothing or filter coffee making. However, some coffee fans believe the super-automatic espresso machines produce poor quality espresso.

Prices for espresso machines range from below fifty dollars to over two thousand dollars. The most expensive are pump-controlled espresso machines, which are generally only used by coffee shops. If you are purchasing one of these, clearly it is vital to find a reputable provider with experience. Thanks to the Internet home espresso machines are becoming more easily available, even from non-specialist shopping websites.

The best advance the Internet has brought though is the increase in consumer reviews of espresso machines. This helps you to purchase based on the experience of others, rather than the sales materials provided by the manufacturer.

Once you have invested in the best espresso machine that suits your tastes, you will need to buy the best quality coffee beans. There is no point blaming the espresso machine if you have scrimped on this vital component! Espresso machine providers often offer their own range of coffee beans, which may be much wider than that available at your local supermarket.

An espresso machine is a perfect investment or gift for somebody really passionate about coffee. You should be willing, like the coffee shop connoisseurs, to put some time and effort into making the perfect cup. If you do this, and choose your espresso machine carefully, you could be well on your way to coffee heaven!

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Best Air Fryer 2021 👌 The only 5 you should consider one for you today!

Deep Fryer - Pieces of Wisdom

For a time I worked in a convenience store as a clerk and cook and I used a deep fryer quite a bit for cooking battered chicken and French fried potatoes.  

Of course the chicken doesn't start out battered.  It comes delivered frozen in big cardboard boxes.  Before the chicken is ready for the cooking part it must be prepared and time to thaw out.  Each piece of chicken is rinsed in cold water, then put in a vat of tenderizing, salty water to soak for several hours in a refrigerated area.  It is again rinsed and kept cold, until needed for cooking.  

When needed for cooking the chicken is breaded in a special spicy flour mix, dipped in spice water, and breaded with mix again.  Each piece is than carefully placed in the boiling oil in the deep fryer; starting with the large, meaty pieces, and finishing with the thin bony pieces.  This gives the thick meaty pieces more time to cook.  They get the hottest oil in the pot to start off the cooking process.  The deep fryer is on a timer and part way through the cooking process the timer sets off an alarm which notifies you that it's time to stir the chicken, so it gets all sides cooked evenly, even the sides touching when first put in the fryer.  After stirring the chicken it cooks until the end of cooking cycle alarm goes off.  Then the pot elevator will automatically lift the cooking basket out of the hot oil, allowing the chicken to drip off the excess oil.  

The deep fryer also cooks French fried potatoes.  After cutting the potatoes into the elongated cube shape in a cutter, the fries are battered, dipped and battered again.  They then can be gently lowered in hands full, into the boiling oil.  The cooking is again controlled by a timer, which sounds when the cooking cycle has completed.   After 4 cooks the oil in the fryer needs to be filtered to clean it for future cooking cycles.  Another alarm indicates when oil filtering needs to occur.   

The heat on the oil is turned off, so the oil can cool down enough to work with.  The cooking basket is raised and removed from the fryer.  A valve is turned to allow the oil to drain down into the filtering drawer.  When the oil has drained the empty oil reservoir is brushed, including the heating coil element, to remove anything sticking to their surfaces.  A pump is turned on which circulates the oil repeatedly through the filter.  The filtering can take place for 10 or 15 minutes, depending how dark the oil appears in color.  When the oil has become lighter in color it is pumped back up to the oil reservoir, after the valve at the bottom of the pot has been closed.  The heating element is turned on and the oil is brought back up to cooking temperature.  The unpleasant part is scooping out the sludge at the bottom of the filter drawer.  Then the cleaned filter is dusted with a special powder, put back in its place under the fryer pot, and all is ready to go again.   

Yes the fryer does most of the cooking for you but watch out for the hot oil when loading the food into the cooking basket.  Even wearing rubber gloves won't stop the oil from burning you, should it splash on your hands as the food drops into the hot oil.  The secret is to be brave and gutsy.  Get the food close to the oil before you drop it in.  That way the splash is really small, and doesn't jump up to fry your wrist.  

Happy cooking.  Cook, but don't be cooked.

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KitchenAid, A name you can trust in kitchen appliances

In my younger days, I must admit that the thought of paying several hundred dollars for a kitchen appliance like a KitchAid stand Mixer was not only not in my budget but also something not to mention I couldn't justify the expense.  It's been a few years now and several mixers later when I realized that quality matters.

Like many people just starting out, I was interested only in 1 thing and that was price.  How could I mix up my occasional birthday cake without costing my anything.  I could mix by hand but as anyone who has ever known 20 something, there's a limit to the amount of actual effort we want to do before we justify going out and buying something. So during the first few years of independent life, the 25 dollar hand or portable mixers were my preferred kitchen mixing appliance.  

Over the years I realized that buying the cheaper, or as the marketing people say "less expensive" portable type mixers, I decided to quit buying on price and start choosing consumer goods based on quality and a good value.

Now "good value" may mean a lot of things to different people but to me it means paying a fair price for a solid product that will last.  You might ask why wouldn't I just buy on quality alone?  The answer is in the automobile the Rolls Royce.  The Rolls is arguably one of the highest quality built automobiles in the world.  It is not however what I would consider a good value due to the extraordinarily high price.  

It's not the same however with a lot of consumer goods like my KitchenAid mixer.  Although far from what some would call cheap, it should definitely be considered a great value.  The hand mixer was just tiring to use and underpowered so when shopping for my new mixer I knew I wanted a stand mixer.  That's one where I wouldn't need to hold the mixer in the bowl while it worked.  It needed a folding or very slow speed so I could blend in ingredients without them flying all over the kitchen.  I also wanted a mixer with enough power that I could do 4 boxes of brownies without it slowing down.  Heck, I even would like it to be able to knead bread and pasta dough for those special meals.  

Although there are many styles and models, I decided on an  Artisan Series KitchAid stand Mixer in a color that would match my kitchen.  It met my needs as to quality and even included a dough hook.   They wouldn't include a dough hook if the machine didn't have the power to knead dough, right?  It's necessary to shop carefully however as I found the unit price range several hundred dollars between the highest and lowest in my city literally .  

So I did my shopping online and checked out several of the most popular kitchen appliance outlet stores.  I picked up the mixer I wanted and it included several handy accessories including the dough hook priced at below the lowest price I could get it locally!  To make things even better, buying at the online store also offered free shipping.  Now that's value!  

I received my stand mixer in perfect condition at a price one third less than what I could have bought it for anywhere in town.  It has speeds from a slow stir to a fast mix.  My new Artisan Series KitchAid Mixer is a joy to own and does everything...including mixing the bread dough.

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The Bunn Coffee Maker won't leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

There are many different coffee makers available in the marketplace to choose from.  One of them is the Bunn Coffee maker.  The Bunn Coffee Maker is made by the Bunn-O-Matic Corporation.  The Bunn-O-Matic Corporation was founded in 1957 and they are credited with introducing the first paper coffee filter.  Over the years the company has evolved and started making commercial beverage equipment and, more recently, home coffee brewers. There are seven different types of Bunn Coffee brewers available which include; My Café Brewer.  My Café Brewer brews one cup of coffee at a time.  The Bunn coffee makers take pride in brewing coffee at home that matches the standards of the expensive restaurant cups of coffee.  They have a stainless steel tank with an advanced spray head, which dissipates the water over the coffee, and a very effective hot water heater.  The coffee machines are either black or white with a stainless steel trunk which allows them to blend with any of the home décor styles.  The decanter on most of the machines can hold up to ten cups of perfectly brewed coffee.  Bunn also makes the BCG Grinder for pre-grinding your coffee beans.

The Bunn Advantage claims that Bunn Coffee makers brew coffee that is robust in flavor without the common bitterness encountered with some coffee machines.  Bunn Coffee makers do this by using a patented system that keeps the temperature at the ideal brewing temperature of 2000 Fahrenheit.  The coffee maker has a fast brew cycle which exposes the water to the ground coffee beans for the perfect length of time for a perfect coffee flavor.  The Bunn Coffee maker creates the right amount of turbulence via its spray head to suspend the ground coffee and extract it’s flavor uniformly for the perfect cup of coffee.

How to Use a Bunn Coffee Maker

Start with a good quality coffee that has been well stored.  The coffee maker requires one tablespoon of ground coffee for one brewed cup.  Use good clean odorless water preferably water that has been filtered.  If you need to keep your coffee for more than 30 minutes store it in a thermal carafe; it can hold its flavor here for up to 60 minutes.  Clean your decanter after every use, even the faintest trace of old coffee can taint your fresh pot.

Bunn Coffee maker replacement parts can easily be obtained from vendors and from the manufacturer.  Parts for the Bunn coffee maker are easily accessible.  On the companies website you can find access to customer service representatives who can answer your questions and help find the replacement part or accessory that you need.  Bunn coffee makers are available at many different locations.  You can purchase your coffee maker online at the different sites of the coffee makers distributors.  There are Bunn coffee makers and replacement parts available on the different auction sites online; this allows you to purchase your coffee maker at a discounted price.

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Top 5 Best-Selling Coffee Makers

Coffee is the number one breakfast drink the world over.  There are very few places that do not serve this staple and that is a very good thing to say the least.  So many people depend on this drink for that bit of energy in the morning to get through the day and of course there is some big business when it comes to coffee and the coffee maker.  The business that surrounds this part of the world is big and more and more people are trying to get in on it.  This means that there is more than enough competition to make the best in coffee maker products that the world has seen.  This is an important thing to a good many people as the coffee maker is the number one appliance in their home.

Bunn is the best-selling coffee maker currently on the market.  For a good many years the company was not making products for the home, but instead only those for the many businesses that served the drink.  This has all changed as the Bunn company has seen the demand for their top quality coffee maker products for the home.  This has brought new levels of financial stability to the company and they are enjoying the success overall.

Senso makes a great coffee maker as well and they are second only to Bunn in terms of quality and sales.  This is normal when you see the many products that they offer.  Some of the finest makers are brought out by this company and there are a good many people who make the best coffee with them.  They are a staple in the restaurants across the world as well.

Cuisinart is a big name in the small home appliance world and their coffee makers make that statement as well.  While they have not always been in this business, they are making a mark across the world with the new lines.  Many people trust this company more than many others because of the attention to detail and quality that they have always had.  

Keurig is one of the newer players in the coffee maker game but that does not mean they are anything but great.  They have makers that will do just about everything for you and they are of the best construction to boot.

Krups is a fine company that does offer some fine coffee makers.  There have been a few problems with the company as they were plagued by some recalls when they tried to out-source some of the products and took a big hit in the process.

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