Blog

Denise Simmons

I made it very clear early on in life that I wanted to be a chef.  As a result, my family started buying really nice kitchen stuff for me for birthdays & Christmas.  I have almost a full set of Calphalon cookware.  It’s great stuff!  But truth is I don’t use it much.  For many years, I didn’t use it because I didn’t cook at home.  Now I don’t use it because I have something I like better, something that can be used for just about anything I need to cook: a good old cast iron skillet.  It’s been around for a while, handed down from grandma to mom to me, and has been seasoned perfectly through the years.  I can cook eggs, potatoes, cheese…just about anything in it, and it won’t stick!  

It works incredibly well for searing meat, for braising or stewing.  It browns chicken perfectly.  Last night I used it to prepare wild cod piccata.  It was awesome - golden brown on both sides and cooked just through, so it was flaky & moist. I made the sauce in the pan with the fish: a little cheap white wine, fresh lemon juice, a pat of butter, capers, salt & pepper.  I don’t think the fish would have tasted as good coming from any other pan.  Maybe it’s the seasoning & years of use, maybe it’s also the love that’s gone into all the food it’s cooked.

Photo courtesy of: newlyplanted on Flickr