PA R T 2 O F A 3 - PA R T S E R I E S
POTS & PANS Alessandra Rovati
Pot 1:
CAST IRON SKILLET
WHY I LOVE CAST IRON: 1. Cast iron can truly last forever —unless you drop it, in which case it will break— along with your foot, given its weight. 2.Cast iron is great at conducting and retaining heat, and cooks very evenly. 3. It’s inexpensive, and works on the stovetop or in the oven. 4. It also has a way of enhancing rustic flavors: just ask any Southerner, and they’ll tell you that the ONLY way to make cornbread is in a cast iron skillet. Egg scrambles and hash browns come out almost caramelized. If you are watching your waistline, a simple cast iron griddle is perfect to grill a variety of vegetables or fish using minimal or no fat. Or if you’d rather live a little, a deeper skillet is great for deep-frying (hello, crunchy latkes!). The one thing that I refuse to do with my cast iron skillet is flipping omelets or frittatas. The weight makes it impossible, unless you are a
body-builder. For those jobs, I stick to... non-stick. Apparently, as the “seasoning” wears off the pan, some iron particles can “leak” into the food, particularly if it contains acidic ingredients. Unlike the leaks from, say, Teflon or aluminum, these pose no health risk – on the contrary, they’ll boost your iron level if it’s too low!
Enameled cast iron is much more expensive (than regular cast iron), but a Dutch oven made of this material can be a good investment because it will allow you to braise and stew meats all in the same pot.
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JoyofKosher.com | WINTER 2013