I was discussing cookware with my niece, specifically, what pots and pans are the most useful?.  Like everyone else, I have my favorites.  But I wanted to see if the ones I think I use the most are the ones that I actually do.

I began keeping track of each pot, pan, skillet, or baking dish that I used, March 8th through May 1st, 2014 (104 data points)  I did not record utensils like knives, whisks, strainers, colanders, etc.  Nor did I log work bowls or serving platter, only things that I cooked something in, with the exception of our food processor.

The results matched my expectations fairly well:

Item	Usage		Manufacturer	Comments
12" cast iron fry pan	17%	18	Lodge	Great pan all around, but heavy
2.5 qt sauce pan	13%	14	Calphalon	Our go-to sauce pan
Jelly roll pan	13%	14	Various	Mostly for roasting vegetables
13" non stick fry pan	12%	12	T-fal	Cook's Illustrated's top non-stick
10" non stick fry pan	6%	6	Claphalon	Mainly for frying eggs
5 qt enamal Dutch oven	6%	6	Le Crueset	The workhorse Dutchie
4 qt sauce pan	5%	5	Cuisenart	Great for steaming vegetables, too
Baking dish	4%	4	Le Crueset	Finishing steaks in oven, baking potatoes, etc
7.5qt enamal Dutch oven	4%	4	Le Crueset	A must have, but not as much as the 5 qt
10" cast iron fry pan	4%	4	Unknown
1 qt sauce pan	3%	3	Falk copper
10" non stick skillet	2%	2	Calphalon	Good for pilaf
Broiler pan	2%	2
6" fry pan	2%	2	Calphalon
2.5qt Evasée pan	2%	2		Great for polenta and other things requiring a lot of stirring
Tea kettle	1%	1
8 qt stock pot	1%	1	Calphalon
2 cup sauce pan	1%	1	Calphalon
Food processor	1%	1	Cuisenart
10 * 14 baking dish	1%	1
8" fry pan	1%	1	Falk copper
	100%	104

I am surprised that I do not use my small, 1 quart sauce pans more.  And I have two of them, a stainless clad aluminum made by All Clad and a stainless clad copper by Falk (the Belgian company, not the Milwaukee gear people.)

I know, this should be a graph, but my cut and paste is not happening.

Roast Chicken

We like roasted chicken.  I didn't make it all that often, though, because the recipe I used, from Cook's Illustrated, was kind of fussy (a lot of their recipes are).  But then I started using a modified version of this recipe from the New York Times.  It's simple and has worked every time.  Now we have roast chicken about once a month.

1. Brine chicken for several hours (see Rule #4)
2. Put large skillet (I use a 13" cast iron pan) in oven and pre-heat to 475ºF
3. Remove the wing tips and spatchcock the chicken by cutting out the backbone (the NYT recipe doesn't call for spatchcocking it, but I think it's better that way, and you get to say "spatchcock.".  Save the backbone and wing tips for making stock.)
4. Coat with salt & pepper. Or, rub with garlic, herbs, and butter, putting butter under the skin.  Or use your favorite seasoning blend.  Do whatever you want.  Don't use too much salt, though, since the chicken was brined.
5. Place chicken in pan, breast side up, splaying out the legs so the thighs contact the pan.
6. Roast for 40 - 45 minutes.
7. Let chicken rest for about 5 minutes before cutting it into pieces.

Commercial poultry farms are horrible places.  We try to always get our chickens from farmers' markets or at least get free-range ones at the grocery.  Those really aren't "free range" like you imagine, but at least they're better.  Egg farmers are even worse than chicken farmers, if you can believe that.

Cooking With Ghee

My brother posted something about ghee a while back.  I finally decided to make some and try it out.

Making it is simple:

1. Melt butter
2. Heat to a boil
3. Leave it on the heat after the boiling stops
4. It will foam again and start to brown in about 8 minutes
5. Strain it through cheese cloth into a heat resistant jar

Ghee tastes like a very intense, browned butter.

For the last couple of weeks I've been using it as an oil substitute in everything:  chicken, fish, stir fry, rice pilaf, dal, you name it.  I haven't used it for popcorn yet, but I hope to do so this weekend.

It's probably a lot less healthy than olive oil, so I'll probably stop using it so much.  But it is a pretty useful thing to have on hand.

Butcher's Twine

I used up the last of my butcher's twine over the weekend.  I'm pretty sure that I've had that ball of twine since before I was married, but I can't be sure.

Fortunately someone on eBay has already shipped me a new ball of 220 ft of cotton twine - 100% biodegradable, for only $4.35 and free shipping.

State Plates

There is an art foundry in Madison called Felion Studios.  It's run by Alisa Toninato and features cast iron art (get it "felion" = "iron lion?"  Clever, eh?)

One of their signature items is cast iron plates made in the shape of the states.

They are pretty cool looking, and expensive at $600.  That shape is not all that useful, either.

Unless, of course, you live in Wyoming.

Anniversary Dinner at Sanford's in Milwaukee

For about the past decade on our anniversary (this was number 22) we go to Sanford's Restaurant and get their Surprise Tasting Menu with wine pairings.  We only go there once a year, but Ralph, our waiter, recognizes us and knows why we're there.

The meal is always fantastic, and this year may have been the best of all.

Here's our menu:

Surprise Tasting Menu

March 14, 2014

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Amuse Bouche :: Smoked Trout Custard with Pickled Egg and Toasted Mustard Seed

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Pickled Blueberry Salad with Beauty Heart Radish, Wisconsin Goat Milk Brie Crouton

2011 Pinot Noir - MacMurray Ranch, Central Coast, CA 

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Grilled Red Grouper with Celery Root Puree, Black Truffle Vinaigrette

2012  Chardonnay – William Hill – Central Coast, CA                                    

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Portuguese Shellfish Stew – Seared Scallop, Octopus and Shellfish Chorizo Stuffed Pork Shoulder,

 Potatoes and Kale

2011  Vouvray –Domaine Bourillon – Demi-sec, France 

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Chargrilled Quail with Ravioli of Pheasant and Confit Chestnut, Parmesan and Brown Butter

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon – Raymond – “R” Series, CA         

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Chargrilled Elk with Elk Short Rib Arancini and Pumpkin Caponata

2009  Tempranillo -- Rioja – Conde de Valdemar Crianza, Spain               

 n n n

Mango Passion Fruit Soup, Coconut Lime Sorbet

n n n

Buckwheat Cake with Berry Compote, Pine Needle Ice Cream, Pine Needle Powder

NV  Muscat  – Yalumba-Museum Reserve, SE Australia                                                

February 2014 Month of Meals

February was a cold months, and our food reflects it.  You get to make fun stuff when it's cold, and Rule #2 is never more on display.

The dinnerware was made by and artist that we regularly see at local art fairs, Paul Jeselkis.  We commissioned him to make a complete set for us after we got several of his serving pieces.

Happy cooking!