Dave the Cook

Seriously, the problem is that your pan is never really getting seasoned. The crisco/oven thing only gets the process off to a good start. But you have to give it time, repeated saturations with oil/fat/grease, and some TLC until the seasoning really takes hold. If you can keep hubby from mistreating it for a dozen or so cook/gentle cleaning/crisco cycles, it will be able to withstand much more of his abuse.

It's a two-step process: 1. Divorce. 2. Bacon.

could you show us the equation please? Uh, no (please note, charitably, the "I'm pretty sure" part of my post!) My surmise is based on (believe it or not) an elementary understanding of swimming pool and aquarium chemistry. But as the product of a strong base (NaOH) and a strong acid (HCl), table salt (NaCl) has a pH of 7 (neutral). The green veggie thing is explained in one or more of the usual suspects' (McGee, Wolke, Parsons, Corriher) books. It has to do with the release of acids as the chlorophyll breaks down. I don't remember the specifics, except that I think that if you leave the pot uncovered, the acids disperse with the steam. If you cover the pot, they condense on the underside of the lid and go back in the water. So leave the lid off, and your veggies will stay green. Maybe someone is close to an appropriate text and can check this out.

I think I'd have to try it. Maybe it works, though at the moment I don't know why, and your answer doesn't attempt an explanation. In fact, you only say they do it "to tenderize," but you don't say that, in your experience, it's an effective treatment. (I'd bet it tastes good, though.) As this thread demonstrates, people do a lot of things 1) because they've always done them, or they were told to do them by some authority; 2) because they work, but for reasons that are not what they thought they were; 3) because the technique has a pleasant effect, even if it's not the one intended.

Thanks, Paula. This is good to know. Note that this is quite different from marinating as it is commonly done in the US, which is usually in some form of a vinaigrette.

I'm pretty sure that salt won't make water more alkaline, anyway. At the most it can buffer pH change in alkaline tap water.

1) It does work. It just doesn't work in the way that most people think it does. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear. I would like to hear about the subsequent cooking technique. 2) They like the taste. I haven't heard of this before. Can you provide more detail?

Doesn't Thomas Keller suggest heavily salted water, because you don't lose the boil when the vegetables are added? He might suggest it (and I'm sure others have), but he would be wrong. Adding salt (in reasonable amounts) to water affects the boiling temperature by only a fraction of a degree.

Use marinades for surface flavoring -- if that's what you expect from them, you're less likely to be disappointed. Papain marinades (like you find in papaya, fresh pineapple and Ac'cent) don't tenderize so much as they degrade the protein. If it's not carried too far, the effect works quite well. Let it go too long and, like fresco says, you get mush. Oil and vinegar (or other acidic marinades) don't penetrate much more than a quarter of an inch, if that. And again, you're degrading tissue, so "tender" is misleading. The one exception is a marinade with a high salt component, which will bring water-soluble proteins to the surface of the meat and promote browning. If you want to tenderize your meat, use a brine. Or a mallet.

That's my point. You can't, at least not very well.

Biting my tongue. Maybe Jason should handle this one.

I'm in rare disagreement with the Colonel here. I just don't think deglazing is a practical techinique on a grill pan. The shape of the pan bottom precludes the use of a spatula for anything except turning the food and scraping the peaks of the ridges. You scrape the food into the valleys of the pan, and then what do you do? What can you do? Your best bet is the edge of a spatula or wooden spoon, but you're not going to be able to do a good job.

So CFS = Texas Wiener Schnitzel?

Those are for tourists. Seriously, those pads won't conform to the curves and ridges of grill pans without serious fingers fatigue. The stainless sponge does so effortlessly (here's a version that might be a little more pleasant to use). I don't know about Home Depot. I've only found them at restaurant supply stores.

You want one of these.

Well, I did have an unfair advantage, having written the article, and I'm addicted to the endorphin-like ego boost. Welcome.

Or could have used the link(s) in the fourth post of this thread.

Finally got around to posting the recipe here.

You don't use a food mill?

Just as long as it's disclosed where appropriate.

I agree with this. But I also have to again point out the practical difficulties in trying to uncover bias: 1. My sister is the chef. 2. I hate my sister. 3. But I can forgive anyone who can make a great pasta fazool, and she's an amazing cook. 4. Except that time when she poisoned our little brother with blowfish. 5. But it was a blessing, because he was terminally ill and faced an agonizing end.

I think that statement, on its face, is illogical. It makes perfect sense to me. If you can write an honest review, then whatever you have to disclose is irrelevant. Conversely, if you can't write without letting personal relationships affect what you say, then you should find something else to do.

There's also the practical issue, which is that it is a lengthy task to disclose all potential conflicts, and probably impossible for a reader to interpret a comprehensive list, anyway.

Shrimp and Andouille Pasta Serves 6 as Main Dish. Like a lot of Cajun and quasi-Cajun dishes, this recipe has a lot of ingredients, but once you've done your mis en place (including the first four steps of the recipe itself), it goes together in a straightforward manner. Serve with crusty bread and a fruit salad in citrus dressing. 1 lb Shrimp (36-40), peeled (and deveined, if desired) (brining recommended) 8 oz Andouille sausage, sliced in 3/16-inch rounds 12 oz fettucini 1 c diced onion 1/2 c diced bell pepper (green is prettier, red tastes a little better) 1-1/2 c skinned, seeded and diced tomato (canned is fine) 2 c heavy cream 1/2 c unwooded dry white wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc), or shrimp or chicken stock 1 T minced or pressed garlic 1/2 tsp ground cayenne 1/2 tsp ground white peper 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 3 tsp kosher salt, divided 1 c chopped green onions, divided 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese, divided 1 tsp vegetable oil 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp. dried 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano, or 1/2 tsp. dried 2 dried bay leaves, or 4-5 fresh 1 tsp grated lemon zest (optional) Pat the shrimp dry. Put on water for the pasta. Combine the cayenne, ground peppers, oregano, thyme, bay and one teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Divide the parmesan in half. If using lemon zest (highly recommended if you're using stock instead of wine), combine it with half the parmesan. In a large saute pan over medium heat, brown the sausage, heating it through, in the oil. Remove to a medium-sized bowl. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Sear the shrimp, tossing or turning frequently until almost cooked through, about two minutes. Add to bowl with sausage. Add onions and bell pepper to pan. Saute until slightly caramelized, four to five minutes. More importantly, watch the fond -- when it's medium brown, add the garlic and half the spice mixture (be careful not to breathe directly over the pan). Stir briefly, until garlic aroma blooms, about 30 seconds. Add the wine. Deglaze the pan and cook the wine down to a syrup. If your pasta water isn't boiling by now, this is a good place to stop and wait. Remove the pan from the heat. When the water comes to a full boil, add the remaining two teaspoons of salt and the pasta. Give it a stir to keep it from sticking and proceed with the rest of the recipe. Add the cream to the pan (if you've stopped, turn the heat up to medium-high) and reduce by about 20%, or until you can draw a clean stripe through a coat of it on the back of a spoon. Turn the heat down to low. Add the sausage back to the sauce along with the tomatoes, the rest of the spice mixture, half the green onions, and the zestless half of the cheese. Heat through while waiting for the pasta to be done. Just before pasta is done, add the shrimp to the pan and stir them in. Drain the pasta and add to the pan. Turn to coat the pasta. To serve, ladle into bowls, topping with the lemon-parmesan and a sprinkling of green onions. Keywords: Main Dish, Intermediate, Shrimp, Pasta, Hot and Spicy, Pork ( RG785 )

Shrimp and Andouille Pasta Serves 6 as Main Dish. Like a lot of Cajun and quasi-Cajun dishes, this recipe has a lot of ingredients, but once you've done your mis en place (including the first four steps of the recipe itself), it goes together in a straightforward manner. Serve with crusty bread and a fruit salad in citrus dressing. 1 lb Shrimp (36-40), peeled (and deveined, if desired) (brining recommended) 8 oz Andouille sausage, sliced in 3/16-inch rounds 12 oz fettucini 1 c diced onion 1/2 c diced bell pepper (green is prettier, red tastes a little better) 1-1/2 c skinned, seeded and diced tomato (canned is fine) 2 c heavy cream 1/2 c unwooded dry white wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc), or shrimp or chicken stock 1 T minced or pressed garlic 1/2 tsp ground cayenne 1/2 tsp ground white peper 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 3 tsp kosher salt, divided 1 c chopped green onions, divided 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese, divided 1 tsp vegetable oil 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp. dried 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano, or 1/2 tsp. dried 2 dried bay leaves, or 4-5 fresh 1 tsp grated lemon zest (optional) Pat the shrimp dry. Put on water for the pasta. Combine the cayenne, ground peppers, oregano, thyme, bay and one teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Divide the parmesan in half. If using lemon zest (highly recommended if you're using stock instead of wine), combine it with half the parmesan. In a large saute pan over medium heat, brown the sausage, heating it through, in the oil. Remove to a medium-sized bowl. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Sear the shrimp, tossing or turning frequently until almost cooked through, about two minutes. Add to bowl with sausage. Add onions and bell pepper to pan. Saute until slightly caramelized, four to five minutes. More importantly, watch the fond -- when it's medium brown, add the garlic and half the spice mixture (be careful not to breathe directly over the pan). Stir briefly, until garlic aroma blooms, about 30 seconds. Add the wine. Deglaze the pan and cook the wine down to a syrup. If your pasta water isn't boiling by now, this is a good place to stop and wait. Remove the pan from the heat. When the water comes to a full boil, add the remaining two teaspoons of salt and the pasta. Give it a stir to keep it from sticking and proceed with the rest of the recipe. Add the cream to the pan (if you've stopped, turn the heat up to medium-high) and reduce by about 20%, or until you can draw a clean stripe through a coat of it on the back of a spoon. Turn the heat down to low. Add the sausage back to the sauce along with the tomatoes, the rest of the spice mixture, half the green onions, and the zestless half of the cheese. Heat through while waiting for the pasta to be done. Just before pasta is done, add the shrimp to the pan and stir them in. Drain the pasta and add to the pan. Turn to coat the pasta. To serve, ladle into bowls, topping with the lemon-parmesan and a sprinkling of green onions. Keywords: Main Dish, Intermediate, Shrimp, Pasta, Hot and Spicy, Pork ( RG785 )