slkinsey

I tend to use my 11" stainless-lined heavy copper fry pan. The low sloped sides makes it easier to slide the frittata out. I also use a fair amount of oil in the pan and shake the pan a little once the egg starts to set so it releases from the bottom of the pan. Yea. I was kind of wondering this myself. Pretty hard to ruin a cast iron pan.

Well, before you buy that cast iron pan, as the article says "what is it you want to do that you can't do with what you already have?" Maybe cast iron isn't the best choice for your needs.

The best chain restaurant in the world -- and I have little doubt that anyone who has been in one would disagree with me on this -- is Autogrill. Nothing else even comes remotely close.

Bacon smoothies might be good. You'll never know until you try one.

Oh yea... it took me such a long time to copy the text from here, paste it in and change a few words to "bacon."

Vizzini: But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine it from what I know of you. Are you the sort of man who would put the poison onto his own bacon or his enemy's? Now, a clever man would put the poison onto his own bacon because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool so I can clearly not choose the bacon in front of you...But you must have known I was not a great fool; you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the bacon in front of me. Man in black: You've made your decision then? Vizzini: Not remotely! Because bacon comes from smokehouses. As everyone knows, smokehouses are entirely staffed by criminals. And criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me. So, I can clearly not choose the bacon in front of you. Man in black: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect. Vizzini: Wait 'till I get going!! ...where was I? Man in black: Smokehouses. Vizzini: Yes! Smokehouses! And you must have suspected I would have known the bacon's origin, so I can clearly not choose the bacon in front of me. Man in black: You're just stalling now. Vizzini: You'd like to think that, wouldn't you! You've eaten my ham, which means you're exceptionally hungry... so you could have put the bacon on your own plate trusting on your stomach to save you, so I can clearly not choose the bacon in front of you. But, you've also cooked up a crown roast of pork perfectly, which means you must have been trained... and in training you must have learned that bacon is full of nitrites so you would have put the bacon as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the bacon in front of me! Man in black: You're trying to trick me into giving away something. It won't work. Vizzini: It has worked! You've given everything away! I know where the bacon is! Man in black: Then make your choice. Vizzini: I will, and I choose...[pointing behind the man in black] What in the world can that be? Man in black: [turning around, while Vizzini switches plates] What?! Where?! I don't see anything. Vizzini: Oh, well, I...I could have sworn I saw something. No matter. [Vizzini laughs] Man in black: What's so funny? Vizzini: I...I'll tell you in a minute. First, lets eat, me from my plate and you from yours. [They both drink] Man in black: You guessed wrong. Vizzini: You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched bacons when your back was turned! Ha ha, you fool!! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia; and only slightly less well known is this: Never go in against a Sicilian, when bacon is on the line! A-ha-ha-ha! A-ha-ha-ha! A-ha-h- [dies]

I have nothing to give you but blood, sweat, toil and bacon.

And, of course, the famous line from Citizen Kane: "Bacon."

I get mine at Faicco's Pork Shop on Bleeker. Of course, that won't help you much if you don't live in NYC.

Four things: 1. Cook a lot of high fat products in it. Like bacon. And sausages. Maybe shallow fry a couple batches of chicken. This will build up the seasoning, but it does take time. Look at it this way: it's a great excuse to eat BLTs 3 days a week for a month. 2. Remember to re-season after every use. This simply means that after you finish cleaning the pan you put it back on the heat, drop in a little fat (I like Crisco or lard for this) and use a paper towel to wipe the fat all over the pan inside and out. 3. Even at its most well-seasoned "nonstick" state, cast iron is still significantly stickier than teflon and similar surfaces. As a result, you will need to use a reasonable amount of fat when cooking notoriously sticky foods like eggs. Even then, it is common to find a thin film of stuck-on eggs after you finish scrambling. You can clean this off by scrubbing with kosher salt or a non-soaped steel scouring pad. 4. Don't make fritatta in a cast iron skillet unless you're willing to drop in a fairly significant amount of fat to lubricate the surface.

Poetic terms, and fictional, Describe your fine repast. To read about your victuals Will make the day go fast.

Although you made the thread of which we spoke, The link you left, I'm sad to say, is broke So if I may, I'll give what I now think Is the right path to your new thread: the link

Well... a great place to look is Bridge Kitchenware's What Every Kitchen Needs resource. For stovetop cookware, they suggest: - 1.5 qt saucepan - 3 qt. saucepan - Large Surface Saute Pan - Medium Saute Pan - Omelette Pan - Steamer Insert - Medium Covered Casserole - Large Covered Casserole - Pasta Pot w/colander - Non-Stick Fry Pan - S/S Double Boiler Personally, I would modify the list to this: - 1 qt. to 1.5 qt straight gauge saucepan, sauteuse evasee or curved sauteuse evasee (Amazon has a 1 qt. All-Clad MasterChef sauteuse evasee -- they call it a saucier -- for 35 bucks) - 3.5 to 4.5 disk bottom tall saucepan (Bridge Kitchenware has a 4.5 qt. Paderno Grand Gourmet tall saucepan for 78 bucks) - 11" disk bottom saute pan (Bridge Kitchenware has an 11" Sitram Profisserie saute pan for 68 bucks) - 11" straight gauge fry pan (Cookware and More has a 10" All-Clad MasterChef fry pan for 60 bucks or a 12" All-Clad MasterChef fry pan for 70 bucks) - 11" straight gauge nonstick frypan (Amazon has 11" Calphalon Commercial nonstick fry pans in occasional sales as low as 30 bucks) - 6 qt to 7 qt enameled cast iron casserole (Pans.com has a 6.75 qt Chasseur casserole for 163 bucks) - 12 qt to 18 qt disk bottom stock pot with pasta insert (Bridge Kitchenware has a 17.7 Sitram profisserie stock pot for 117 bucks) That would comprise a well-equipped battery of stovetop cookware that I think anyone would consider to be pretty kickass stuff that will last a lifetime. It is, of course, possible to get this set (or one similar) for less money if you are good at looking for things on sale. It is also possible to get even better by upgrading in a few places: go with Staub enameled cast iron in 8 quarts for around 220 bucks; go with a Falk Culinair stainless lined heavy copper sauciere in 1.4 quarts for 100 bucks (75 if you are a first-time customer) and so on. A large cast iron skillet would compliment any set of cookware. This does not include knives and that sort of thing, of course. Personally, my philosophy is to slowly build up a battery of fop-flight cookware, acquiring one or two pieces a year as you start feeling like you need them. A perfectly good starter set for someone who doesn't have much of anything and doesn't have much cooking experience would be an 11" straight gauge curved sauteuse evasee, a 12 quart stock pot (mostly for pasta, but also works for soups), an 11" nonstick fry pan, a 2 qt saucepan and a 10" chef's knife. There aren't too many things you can't make with that collection.

Hee! If I may make a small request: So you can keep us all abreast Of foods you eat, and all the rest. In a new thread you should invest.

Hmm... That's right about the annealing. It does make it softer. There must be something else that is done to blue/black steel -- perhaps whatever it is that gives it the black or blue color -- that makes it harder than mild low carbon steel. Because it is definitely the case, in my experience, that black/blue steel pans are harder than regular carbon steel pans.

Interesting. I see what you're talking about, but I don't seem to be able to find any literature about it. Fundamentally, I suppose, it is not all that different from regular enamel -- just maybe a little tougher. Oh well... I knew I couldn't possibly cover every cookware design under the sun. I didn't cover soapstone griddles and stewpots either. Cool stuff. What I like about it is the lid with nodules on the underside to serve as condensation points.

and they're fundamentally different too. you can smoke outside, but you can't grab your waitress' ass outside. i'm pushing for that law to be repealed. Damn it! That lousy government is stomping on my rights as an owner of private property to grab asses whenever and however I like!

Please explain how, exactly, protecting employees from the negative health effects associated with passive inhalation of tobacco smoke is fundamentally different from protecting employees from the negative psychological effects associated with being groped? Actually, the burden is on you. You're the one making the claim. It's obvious what makes them similar: they are both protecting employees from the negative effects of certain things in the workplace that are not under the employees' direct control, that are reasonably avoidable and that are not fundamentally part the job they are performing. For what it's worth, however, I didn't make the claim they were the same. I only made a meaningful comparison. You, on the other hand, did make the claim that they weren't the same.

Please explain how, exactly, protecting employees from the negative health effects associated with passive inhalation of tobacco smoke is fundamentally different from protecting employees from the negative psychological effects associated with being groped?

If you're going for brevity, then Haiku's the answer. Food blog, 17 syllables per meal. Too easy. As an eGullet literary maven, Maggie should be held to a higher standard.

Aren't Vilanelles shorter? Hmm... I suppose it depends on whether you want to write in French or not... Seriously, though, I think you should do a foodblog in iambic pentameter. It would be fun. Anyone who comments should also have to use a formal meter and rhyme scheme (no limericks allowed).

Understood but I believe we are being somewhat naive believing it is about the employees as opposed to a convenient way for the government to impose itself on our lives. One could say the same thing about sexual harassment, no? That bad old government is imposing itself on our lives by telling us we can't fondle the breasts of female employees and co-workers.

Again, that is a bogus comparison. It is entirely possible to wash glasses without cutting one's hands, and the handling of the glassware is entirely under the control of the employee doing the washing. It is not possible -- short of wearing a respirator -- to be in a smoky room without breathing in smoke, and the breathing of that smoke is not under the control of the employee in the smoky environment. That said, if one was able to reasonably determine that certain kinds of glassware posed an unnecessary and preventable health risk to restaurant employees, then legislation regulating its use would not be inappropriate. I don't think there is too much danger of this happening.

I am not familiar with this. The kind of enamel I was talking about was the kind used by Le Creuset, et al. I've never heard of "black porcelain enamel." Who makes it? Anyway... I am a little dubious at the idea of "seasoning" enameled cookware. While on the subject of enameled heavy iron, however, I'd like to take the opportunity to shill for Staub, which I think makes very interesting cookware of this type. Other manufacturers of enameled cast iron, many excellent, are often lost in the shadows of Le Creuset.

This is the same bogus comparison others have been trying to make. It doesn't work. Your hamburger and your art and your film don't automatically affect other people. More to the point, they have no negative health consequences for the employees at the restaurant, museum, and cinema. For the same reason owners of basr/and or restaurants can't choose to allow sexual harassment in their establishments. Sammy, if you take one thing away from this debate, understand this: this is not about customers, it is about employees. If it were about customers, you would be right. But it isn't. It's about employees and so you're wrong.