Wednesday, September 19, 2018

two little words that instill fear?

Cast Iron, do those words instill fear in you like they do in me?  No? really? You cannot use soap? not scary?
Ok, so to be honest I have plenty of cast iron pans, but... they are enamel coated...different story.  For years I have been trying to disengage with any Teflon coated pans for the health of my family... AND that non-stick finish is hard to beat!  I have let go (read "thrown in trash") every Teflon pan EXCEPT my 6" crepe pan.  Ever made crepes? The pan is a very important ingredient (not to mention my darling daughter has an egg allergy..yet I have a great recipe I'll link to)  My mom made delicious savory crepes so its a comfort food and I NEED to be able to make them.  Plus they are delicious and versatile!
Yes I was scared, am scared, of  caring for a cast iron pan, having heard " no soap", "can rust", "seasoning", "re-seaoning/stripping".  I don't want something that is a chore to take care of? no soap? is that gross? is it clean?  if I forget is it gonna be a rusty mess?
That said, this is what people used for years (but are those the kinds people who lived on ranches with 13 kids who helped??-yes I'm  scared to take on more at this point in my life....but what if being scared of change keeps me from trying something awesome?  I would tell my kids to keep learning and growing....DARN, ok i'll try)
My first "real" cast iron is a little griddle off Amazon (linked below, and no i didn't get paid or it free)
I chose this little guy because a great friend had it, I'd seen it in use many times....including eggs...not sticking... wait, eggs not sticking? ( I don't cook them often because darling daughter has an allergy but her brother LOVES so, I still cook for him)  Eggs even with a ton of butter in stainless steel or enamel coated cast iron is a pain to clean, a major, I don't ever wanna make you eggs again PAIN in the tuchus (not sure where I picked up Yiddish words but that means BUM, if you don't know)  so yes....I decided to try this little griddle, preseason-ed.  
Let me tell you, eggs....wow..like really wow, pancakes, amazing , bacon (a mess-walls not tall enough but I'll just say it was great for seasoning the pan and a learning experience), AND the peace de resistance? I saw a very culinary savvy 14 year old use that little griddle to make crepes, MIND BLOWN! The crepes were gorgeous, tasted wonderful....yes, I will say this little gem is the first in my (not coated) cast iron arsenal....and taking care of the little beauty is actually a blessing, I'm grateful for, a slow down to appreciate the love I put into cooking and now into my little cast iron army.

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Griddle-Pre-seasoned-Pancakes-Quesadillas/dp/B00008GKDN/ref=sr_1_14/144-7317992-1892417?ie=UTF8&qid=1537140661&sr=8-14&keywords=lodge+cast+iron+grills

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/18100/eggless-crepes/

*I only use full fat milk and real butter when cooking so I sub out the skim milk


*** You are so much better than me. I am scared to death of using cast iron but you always coax me so now I actually look forward to it. Thank you to the BFF that helps get the other over their fears. Love, Ro

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