Browning and Flavor

[Shel_B]

It may have been mentioned here that browning and searing is better done on raw cast iron than on enameled cast iron. If that's the case, and one wants to braise in an enameled pot like a Le Creuset, how would one get the most flavor from browning on raw cast iron into the enameled pot? Would the raw cast iron fond be deglazed and then the liquid transfered to the enameled pot? Or might therfe be another, perhaps better, method?

Thamks!

[paulraphael]

Raw cast iron is better, but enameled is good enough. The difference is that enamel is an insulator, so a comparably hot enameled pan will brown the meat a bit more slowly. In practice I don't find it to be a big deal ... you won't notice any difference in the final dish.

One thing I do, more out of paranoya than anything else: when preheating an enameled pan to searing temps, I go slowly. Get it hot on a lowish flame for a while, then turn the heat all the way up and give it a few minutes to preheat. Considering that cast iron is only a moderately good conductor, and that enamel is brittle, I'm afraid of cracking the enamel from fast, uneven heating.

Edited March 27, 2010 by paulraphael (log)

[Shel_B]

One thing I do, more out of paranoya than anything else: when preheating an enameled pan to searing temps, I go slowly. Get it hot on a lowish flame for a while, then turn the heat all the way up and give it a few minutes to preheat. Considering that cast iron is only a moderately good conductor, and that enamel is brittle, I'm afraid of cracking the enamel from fast, uneven heating.

Le Creuset suggests that their pots be preheated in the oven before being put on the stove top. At least that's what I was told by someone who claimed to know such things. Perhaps bringing the pot slowly up to temp on the stove top would accomplish much the same thing.

Edited March 27, 2010 by Shel_B (log)

[paulraphael]

Le Creuset suggests that their pots be preheated in the oven before being put on the stove top. At least that's what I was told by someone who claimed to know such things. Perhaps bringing the pot slowly up to temp on the stove top would accomplish much the same thing.

Interesting. Suggests my paranoia isn't completely misplaced. For whatever it's worth, I haven't had any cracks from doing it slowly on the stovetop.

[dougal]

...

Le Creuset suggests that their pots be preheated in the oven before being put on the stove top. At least that's what I was told by someone who claimed to know such things. Perhaps bringing the pot slowly up to temp on the stove top would accomplish much the same thing.

Ummm. They do actually suggest heating the pot slowly on the stovetop.

That's what's on the leaflets in the box with the pans, and what Le Creuset post on their website.

STEP 3 Heat Settings

MEDIUM and LOW heats should be used for all cooking, including frying and grilling, and will always give the best results. High heats are ONLY required for boiling water for vegetables or pasta.

As a guide, electric hob dials may be marked with numbers 1-12:

12 is the HIGHEST setting

6 is the MEDIUM setting

2 is the LOW setting

Temperatures in the oven over 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 are seldom necessary and the general rule is to reduce the oven temperature you would expect to use for a recipe by at least one or more settings: if a recipe calls for 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5, try 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

WARNING!

Overheating is the most frequent misuse with cast iron. Le Creuset cast iron is very efficient not only in absorbing heat, but once hot, also in retaining heat. Using high heats works against the material and will contribute to poor cooking results and sticking of foods. If overheated, the pot will not cool quickly and it may be necessary to move it away from the heat source to assist cooling and avoid bad cooking results.

On the contrary, using low or medium settings allows the heat to spread evenly and gradually throughout the material – the cook has more control and the cooking results are so much better!

STEP 4 Pre-heating

Gently pre-heat the cocotte before cooking on a low setting for 2-3 minutes so that it absorbs heat gradually and evenly, then add oil or liquid to the pot.

http://www.lecreuset.co.uk/nl-be/News/Cooking-Lessons/Lesson-1/

[rooftop1000]

now you tell me...LOL well not really

tracey

[Pam Brunning]

Le Creuset is wonderful on my induction hob as you can heat it up vey slowly but I never had any problem with cracking on gas. Of course you will get better browning and caramelization in raw cast iron, as it is a dark colour. Anything cooked in a dark pan browns better. I always use dark pans in the oven for roasting, particularly potatoes, it makes all the difference to browning. Cakes baked in light pans will be lighter in colour than those baked in a dark pan. ‘Gourmet’ proved this years ago in their development kitchens.

[paulraphael]

The color of a pan used on the stovetop doesn't actually effect the browning of the food. Raw cast iron browns more efficiently because there's no enamel layer slowing heat conduction. Browning effectiveness is determined by the heat capacity of the pan (very high in a heavy slab of iron) and the the conductivity of the material (medium low for cast iron, lower for enameled cast iron).

In the oven, pan color increases the absorbtion of ratiant heat, so you will get more browning ... but it's the color of the outside of the pan, not the inside, that matters. This is why dark, nonstick sheet pans tend to overbrown cookies on the bottom, and why polished aluminum tends to underbrown them.

Edited March 28, 2010 by paulraphael (log)

[Blether]

The color of a pan used on the stovetop doesn't actually effect the browning of the food.

You beat me to that observation. If you brown by the look & feel of what's happening in the pan, you might not notice a difference between light and dark pans; if you do it by applying a set level of heat on the stove controls, you might find you need just a (little !) bit more with a lighter-coloured pan.

Browning effectiveness is determined by the heat capacity of the pan (very high in a heavy slab of iron) and the the conductivity of the material (medium low for cast iron, lower for enameled cast iron).

I'd say that browning effectiveness is determined by the level (rate might be a better word) of heat arriving at the food. You can achieve the same rate of browning with a conductive pan that transfers heat efficiently from the flame.

On other points, I'll say first of all that I'm very happy that people use and enjoy Le Creuset's enamelled cast iron ware. I have a couple of pieces myself, but some years ago I re-appraised my thoughts about it. To me, it doesn't have any general functional advantage over other cookware for braising, and it does have some disadvantages. Of course, as shown by people regularly producing good braised dishes using it, it's obvious that the disadvantages aren't prohibitive.

I would be disappointed to be standing around the kitchen waiting for a pot to heat up gently, if it had sold itself to me as the *best* for braising, or for anything else.

[phatj]

I use a cheap off-brand enameled cast iron pot for all my braising and don't worry about using it over high heat nor about heating it slowly. (Then again, even the "high output" burner on my cheapo range isn't all that powerful.)

[paulraphael]

I'd say that browning effectiveness is determined by the level (rate might be a better word) of heat arriving at the food. You can achieve the same rate of browning with a conductive pan that transfers heat efficiently from the flame.

This is true if you have a really hot flame at your disposal; like double or more the BTUs that a typical home rangetop delivers. If you have more modest fire, then the problem is that the stove just can't deliver heat at a rate that can properly brown a medium or large quantity of meat. If the pan doesn't have a high heat capacity, you can preheat it almost to the melting point, but the the meat will suck the heat right out of it, dropping the surface of the pan temperature before much browning can happen. From that point on, the stove will have a hard time delivering heat at a rate that can get the temp where it needs to be for effective browning. So a lot of stewing / steaming goes on.

A big, heavy iron or copper pan will take a long time to heat, but then it has stored enough energy to do the bulk of the browning. The ideal material for this is heavy copper; if it's heavy enough it rivals the heat capacity of iron, but is much more conductive ... so it delivers the heat quickly for a great sear. My iron pans are heavier and have more heat capacity that my copper ones; I find they do a slightly better job on big pieces of meat, while the heavy copper does a better job on smaller pieces.

On other points, I'll say first of all that I'm very happy that people use and enjoy Le Creuset's enamelled cast iron ware. I have a couple of pieces myself, but some years ago I re-appraised my thoughts about it. To me, it doesn't have any general functional advantage over other cookware for braising, and it does have some disadvantages

Some people tested different kinds of cookware during one of the braising labs in the egullet institute. They found the Creuset pots, which were the heaviest tested, to give the best results, possibly because high heat capacity allowed them to buffer the temperature swings of the oven and deliver the most consistent heat level. There is some discussion of material choices here. At any rate, the nuances of browning seem to make a very small difference in a final braised dish; in fact, the difference between thorough browning and no browning at all is mostly evident in the level of roasted flavors present in the final sauce.

At any rate, I often brown braised meat in a different pan from the braising vesel anyhow, because I don't want retained heat to cook the interior of the meat too quickly. I'll brown on a blazing hot pan, and then tranfer to a cold pan and put it in a cold oven that will come up to temp slowly.

Edited March 29, 2010 by paulraphael (log)