The Cookware Blog

The skills of the cook in a kitchen are not unlike those in any other profession. Even though most cooks aren’t paid for their services, the work is rewarding because the social experience of bonding around the breakfast, lunch or dinner table for any family begins in the kitchen. The cooks job yields satisfaction whether through monetary gain, or the thanks of those we love to serve.

Not unlike the attachment formed between a craftsman and their tools, cooks form an attachment to their cookware. They select the tools they’ll use carefully and take care of them, expecting to keep them indefinitely. When the dish turns out wrong, blame isn’t passed to the equipment used to create the meal. Likewise when the dish is a success it isn’t the cookware that receives the praise.

I’ve been experimenting with several dieting theories over the last several years and reading a number of books and articles by various nutritionists. Our switch to organic eggs happened many years ago and we don’t intend to switch back as this has become a staple breakfast food. After rubbing some olive oil or rice bran oil into the fry pan I add some garlic and cayenne pepper. Several friends have tried to convince me to eat my organic eggs raw but I prefer over easy where they’ve stiffened up a bit.

The real challenge comes with that one piece of toast. I’ve eliminated wheat or any other flour base that contains gluten but finding a bread that has complex carbs isn’t easy. In the end I’ve settled on spelt flour which is naturally gluten free and chalked the calories up to something to lose in exercise.

I’ve just been reviewing some interesting appetizers and found it interesting that the first step in every one of them involved some fresh garlic among other ingredients in the fry pan. Most are careful to remind us not to burn the garlic which can happen rather quickly if we’re distracted.

So if the order is for stuffed mushrooms, twice baked stuffed potato skins or any variety of stuffed peppers, don’t neglect the fresh garlic. The natural antibiotic properties, as well as the unique taste, make garlic a unique ingredient that should never be overlooked.

Everyone who has lived long enough either has a variety of cookware currently in their kitchen or has completed the process of weeding out the tired pieces from their collection. If we have the space to keep everything we’ve ever obtained over the years and we’re honest, we can easily separate them into categories.

Personally I have to obtain permission from the head chef before I start using the cookware on my grill. I currently use an older frying pan with the handle removed. When it comes to choosing what to use over an open campfire the comparison reaches a whole new level.

I am just convinced that fried onions make almost every dish more interesting. We’ve done steamed veggies with the fried onion mixed in. I just finished a burrito which was incredibly enhanced by the taste of the fried onion even though the salsa was loaded with onions.

Just chop and throw an onion in the fry pan with a little oil and saute to desired texture. Everything from eggs to grilled chicken, burgers to steak, all seem to spring to life. Even the aroma of the onion cooking (I have a fry pan specifically for my grill) gets the digestive juices flowing.

Every respectable health professional out there agrees that our diets should contain some fat. While no one that wants to be taken seriously tells you to slather up a skillet with lard, they almost universally agree that the fat intake should be measured and moderate.

When we saute our vegetables in non stick cookware the release of liquids can render the need for any added oil obsolete. Yet in honoring what the experts say we’ll, measure in that moderate amount of oil.

We’re always looking for healthier ways to cook and to improve our diets. Knowing a great deal about oils improves the process of deciding what to buy, what to use and in which application. The entire food industry has been turned over by the scientific findings about harmful physical effects from processed oils. If restaurants have made health conscious choices about oils, shouldn’t we do the same in our kitchens?

We made the move to using rice bran oil in the fry pan years ago after learning about how slowly it breaks down as well as the health benefits. Olive oil runs a close second with many other food applications but in our kitchen the fry pan uses rice bran oil almost exclusively.

Engineers are a remarkable group of people that have made living in the 21st century more convenient through innovation and creativity. In the kitchen we find evidence of their efforts in appliance design and function, also in the advances in ordinary cookware. From the materials used to ensure even heat distribution, to  non-stick surfaces and even more subtle features , we’re offered convenience and safety in our cooking environment.

One of my favorite cookware features is the locking lid with a drain that allows me to keep pasta or vegetables in the pot warm and ready for mixing a special sauce. No more losing noodles down the drain through the strainer, or overheating my knuckles with steam.

Whether it’s an omelet, pancakes or Dover Sole having that food slide neatly out of the fry pan and onto the plate is to be expected. When it doesn’t, even the best recipe loses something because of the presentation. Thankfully garnish comes in handy to make up for slight imperfections.

Watching the pros while they flip pancakes in the air, or rotate sauteing vegetables without throwing them around the kitchen can be intimidating. Having confidence in ourselves is hard enough without working with tools that increase our handicap.

Whether we’re sauteing, braising, or frying the heat from stove tops can get intense. Heat insulated handles seems to be a staple for Pinnacle Cookware along with even heat distribution. When we have all the burners going at once we don’t want to get burned ourselves.

We don’t need to wear mittens in July when we’re cooking over a hot stove. If we’re using the side burner on our grill we really need our hands and fingers free.