January 11, 2010
Walk the walk!
We have been talking about our great cookware for a couple of years or so. But much of the conversation has been based upon research and discussions with others. So to change that, I bought a Chasseur Dutch oven for my wife’s birthday and a Fissler Pressure Pan set for Christmas. Should have done this sooner!
The Dutch oven has been in almost constant use for the last month or so and both my wife and I
continue to rave about the ease of use, the fantastic results and the quick easy clean up. We have used it for soups, stews and pot roasts so far. For stews, the even consistent heat makes browning the stew meat quick. Then a quick deglaze with some wine and the vegetables and stock and let simmer until everything is cooked just right.
Probably the surprising thing was not the ease of use or the results but how little heat was needed to maintain the simmer. We used high heat to brown the meat which got the Dutch oven hot throughout. The heat was then turned down after all the ingredients were added. The residual heat in the pot quickly brought everything up to simmer and we only needed low heat to keep it there.
I will have more to say about the Dutch oven.
Our other addition, the Fissler Presure Pan, has been even more amazing in some respects. Just to test is out we tried cooking chuck ribs and they turned out amazing. They were juicy, tasted and tender almost falling off the bone. As this was done in 20 minutes! Using the more standard roasting method the ribs would take close to an hour and a half to get them that tender. Vegetables takes just a couple of minutes. Even a beef stew, which we did in two stages, took only about 25 or 30 minutes from start to finish.
But the key is not just the savings in time but the flavor and color of the ingredients that are retained. We used less than half the seasoning we normally use yet the food turned out equally flavorful and moist.
Pressure cookers are showing up frequently on the Iron Chef competition and you know these chefs would be unwilling to trade off time for quality and flavor. So we will have much more to discuss about them as well.
What we have learned in the last few months is that quality cookware does make a difference and does so in more ways than we would normally think. First, it is just easier to do things with good cookware. The results are better – better looking, better tasting and healthier. And the added benefit is they save time and energy.
We should have done this a long time ago rather than just talking about it.
Filed under Chef Wannabee, cookware by yogiwan










After the potatoes are in the micro wave, pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Bring the skillet back up to heat at medium high and add bell peppers and onion. Cook until peppers begin to soften - about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce ad garlic and continue to cook for about 3o seconds. Should be fragrent.



