My review on a cast iron skillet

The Lodge L8SK3 10.25″ skillet is an absolutely amazing cast iron skillet piece. It is a great size to handle cooking many different types of meals, for one or two people, and features a nice balanced weight, that’s not too heavy, but lets you know its quality and durability when you use it.

I bought two of these and spent about 4 – 5 hours sanding one down by hand and seasoning it well before use. The results were very encouraging. I was able to cook nearly anything without any mess or sticking. Just used the Lodge Polycarbonate scraper and it cleaned out easier than any other cookware I use. The results were nearly identical with the stock finish and the incredibly arduously arrived at flat finish.

I’ve cooked steaks, chicken, fish, and these all turned out amazingly cooked. The fish was super-crisp and the meat was succulent and juicy. Pizza comes out superb, and since these pans handle 500+ Fahrenheit and are made for use in stoves and ovens, they are extremely versatile and can do nearly anything. Cookies also came out amazing, as will baking some other treats and bread dishes. I’m currently trying to teach my Lodge to fetch the paper and bring me coffee, so expect an update if this goes well. Looks promising so far.

So the short of it is, so long as these are properly seasoned (at about 450 – 500 degrees Fahrenheit with a very light bit of oil worked into the metal and baked facing down for 50 minutes) and cleaned well (with hot water and a scraper and preferably without the use of any soap that could maybe damage the seasoning, followed by a wipe down to dry the cast iron piece), they will last a lifetime and can be passed on to your family for generations to come.

A wonderful conglomeration of quality, durability, and simple elegance combined into one fantastically solid piece of cookware.- Aruze

More: 10 best frying pans

 

This non stick pan is amazing!

For a Teflon pan this thing is AMAZING! I prefer cast iron or carbon steel for my non stick cooking needs since I don’t want to be replacing pans every six months but I decided to try this pan anyway and was blown away at the durability. I abuse Teflon yet this pan seems to enjoy beatings. It faces it’s eggs with a smug attitude welcoming the challenge. It can sit in filth and yet allow the removal of any unwanted scraps left on it with ease.

Even if you try to burn food on it to challenge it’s ability it seems to have magical powers of resistance. Nothing sticks. It overcomes what many have not been able to face. This thing is a rock star of Teflon pans. I wouldn’t be surprised if one morning I came into the kitchen and it had laid a golden egg for me to cook. It’s that impressive. But alas, I will stick to my cast iron and carbon steel for my non-stick needs due to the fact that they dont carry the magical chemicals that provide this pan with its powers. I will keep it though, for when it lays that golden egg.. – ELLE

Sources:
http://cookwithtina.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Are you searching for the ceramic cookware?

When it comes to cookware, you should never decide in haste, even if the options can prove to be overwhelming. Choosing the right pots and pans to use in the kitchen is important as it can have an impact on your cooking experience, and more importantly, on the cooking output. Things like heat conductivity, price, durability, maintenance, and aesthetics, among others, should be given emphasis.

Among other materials for cookware, one of the best that can be taken into account is ceramic. While ceramics is a relatively new material in the market for cookware, it did not take long before it gained popularity because of its wide array of benefits, which include being environmentally-friendly and safe. In recent years, advanced technologies have been also introduced, providing ceramic cookware with the ability to offer innovative alternative to conventional materials.

Are you on the lookout for the best ceramic cookware that is available in the market today? Stop searching and learn from what we will discuss in the rest of this article. Below, you will learn about some of the essential factors that you will consider to arrive at a well-informed decision. More so, we will also provide recommendations on five of the best brands and models that can be taken into account.

Reference site: http://kitchenaim.com/best-ceramic-cookware

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• Picking the best cookware set to buy
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Pistachio & milk chocolate recipe

Ingredients

• 140g shelled pistachios
• 200g milk chocolate, broken into chunks
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 200g very soft butter
• 3 eggs
• 200g self-raising flour
• 100ml milk
• 150ml soured cream

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 20cm square cake tin with baking parchment. Whizz 125g of the pistachios, 75g of the chocolate and about half the sugar in a food processor until very finely chopped. Tip into a bowl with remaining sugar, butter, eggs, flour and milk, plus a pinch of salt, and beat. Scrape into the tin and bake for 35-45 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool.
2. Melt the remaining milk chocolate, stir in the soured cream and cool until spreadable. Trim the edges off the cake, then split in half. Spread a little icing over the base, sandwich the top of sponge back on. Spread remaining icing over the top, roughly chop the remaining pistachios and scatter them over. Cut into 16 squares to serve.

Recipe courtesy BBC Good Food

 

Calphalon: The pans are good!

The pans are good! Calphalon is a good brand, and they look well made and are acceptably heavy (too heavy is a burden, but the light pans warp and are hard to control temperature-wise). I don’t know about durability, having just bought them. However, other reviewers have noted that the pans slide around and scratch or make marks on each other. This is true, and nobody did anything about it. The manufacturer’s cardboard packaging is a sort of holster in which the 2 pans just sit, one on top of the other, with no protection at all.

What is ironic is that Amazon put the manufacturer’s package in a box that is too large, and stuffed the box too loosely with twisted brown paper padding. If only a loop of that padding had been inserted between the 2 pans through the available opening, the entire problem would have been solved. My pans arrived with marks on them but it is too much trouble for me to try to fix this, I will just live with it.

Picking the best cookware set to buy

With all of the different types of cookware out there today, it can be difficult to pick the best set that will work for you and your family. We want to help take the mystery out of buying new cookware and teach you the benefits of each type of material and share other helpful cookware tidbits.

Choosing the Right Size

Answering these questions will help you determine the correct number of pieces to look for in the perfect set.

How many people are you regularly cooking for?
What types of foods do you cook the most often?
How much storage space do you have?

If you are regularly cooking for only a couple of people and have limited cabinet space, you may not need more than one large sauce pan and dutch oven. However, if you are usually cooking for a larger family, bigger pots and pans may be necessary. Also – if you like to cook meals that require more than one sauce or ingredient on the stove at once, you may consider purchasing a larger set with more pieces.

Cookware Benefits to Look For

by Ginnys 

Oven Safe: Think of all the times where everyone in your family will be eating at different times. With oven safe cookware, you can just pop the pan directly in the oven to keep it warm for the rest of the family! Pay special attention to the cookware’s temperature limit. Some cookware pieces are only safe in the oven up to a particular temperature.

Dishwasher Safe: Not all cookware sets are dishwasher safe. We share our recommendation for cleaning in the cookware product description. Make sure to read your new cookware set’s manual and share the cleaning instructions with all of the dishwashers in the family to help your new cookware live a long and helpful life.

Cookware Storage: If storage space is limited, watch for cookware sets that nest and stack easily and take up less room in your cabinets!

Buying cookware can be so exciting and hopefully these tips are helpful.

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Buying a new cookware

A very common question that people ask when first setting up their new kitchen or buying new cookware is “should I buy a cookware set or single pots and pans”? This can be a little difficult to answer as the answer will come down to many different aspects, such as:

• Your cooking style
• Budget
• Current requirements

Sometimes, depending on what you already own, it may work out cheaper and better to buy a full set if you want to replace the current items or upgrade. However if you have some good pots and pans it could be an option to just buy single pots or frying pans over a period of time.

You really need to think about some of the following things

What Do You Already Own?

If you are just moving out of home for the first time or moved from overseas etc, it may be a great option, and cheaper to buy a cookware set. Overall, a full cookware set offer better value for money over purchasing the pots and pans individually, and will provide you with the basics to get you on your way to building up your cookware collection.

However, maybe you are upgrading your cookware set or most of it is in good conditions, then obviously purchasing a single fry pan or pot is the best option. The same applies if you are on a restrictive budget or cook only a few times a week, then single is the way to go.

What is Your Budget?

If you have little money to spare or are short of cash temporarily then buying individual best quality cookware pieces individually should see you through and help you build up your cookware set. Buying individually though should be done with some care. Choose your pots or pans carefully based on the way you cook. A simple saucepan has many uses, couple that with a stock pot or skillet and you are ready to cook nearly anything!

How Do You Cook?

Are you a basic cook that cook nearly anything with just a fry pan or saucepan? Maybe you have a family and need a decent sized cookware set to prepare you evening meals for everyone. If you are a family a set is probably going to suit you much better, whereas a single person can get away with just the basics for a while.

Read the full article…

See more: Budget kitchen upgrades for every kitchen

Juice recipes for weight loss and detox

MORE JUICE RECIPES: http://www.regenerateyourlife.org/dvd/

Christmas

At this time there is much talk of love, peace, the Christmas spirit. However, I think very few are those who relate these dates with God.

During my childhood and adolescence of Christmas associated with spending time with family, throwing fireworks and receiving gifts. I think it was not until after my 12 years linking Christmas with the birth of Jesus and what it meant for humanity. For me this time meant nothing. But that changed …

For that change came first had to know the great love that God had for me.

I still remember that Saturday afternoon when I realized that God loved me, despite all my imperfections, my faults and sins. I loved so much that He sent His Son into the world so that I could reach the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

The good of my stainless steel cookware

I have to say that when it comes to cooking I can become a little picky and I am pretty sure that others would agree with me when I say that it can literally be a disaster when you are working with the wrong tools. In my case, I cook daily for my family and really love to use different techniques for different dishes that will be on the table.

Needless to say that a standard kitchen can become pretty small when you do not have the appropriate sized cookware with you. A couple years ago I actually remodeled my lovely kitchen, I would actually say that I optimized it. I looked through a variety of good cookware sets, each size, materials, capacity, resistance and so on but I have to say that trying to play the mix and match game is pretty hard. You would clearly end up with a smaller kitchen because when it comes to tidy the place, then nothing goes as planned in your cupboards.

I admit, it took me a few weeks to find the perfect combination. I will spare you the typical stainless steel cookware review but I would like to share some great facts about them. These pans are actually incredibly practical besides the fact that the quality is great.

At home I have got a 15 pieces set and honestly I would have never thought I’d use them all. The quality is much higher than my previous 20 years old pans. When cooking a pasta sauce for example, I was surprised to see the bubbles all over the pans and not one or two random spots.

All the dishes are well cooked because the heat is disturbed properly throughout the pan you are using. The handles with a grip have been well improved across the years. I am just happy to share this information with whoever will read it because it improved my cooking and hope it will improve yours.

The cleaning is so much more enjoyable due to the stainless material that literally slides the dishes waste out when adding a bit of soap on it. You will not have fill your pan with water anymore and wait for two hours for the grated cheese to become soft to remove it.

Finally my kitchen looks bigger as the whole set is well organised and the mix and match can be perfectly done between each pan. No more clumsy cupboards and untidy kitchen. Cooking is really a pleasant moment from now on.

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