Cast Iron Cooking and Camping!

Remember watching the old Westerns with John Wayne and the chuck wagons pulling up to camp? "Cookie" seemed to be a pretty common name for the cooks, not very imaginative, but very descriptive.

You can be sure Cookie had more than a few cast iron pots tucked away in his supplies. Skillets, corn bread pans, and a sturdy Dutch oven or two helped him prepare filling and delicious meals for his crew! He cooked like his life depended on it, and it did to some degree and so did the lives of the men he was cooking for.

These movies depict a part of U.S. history that was real. They may have some drama included, but the cowboys of yesteryear would ride from Texas to Montana moving cows in the Spring and Fall and stay with them in between. The chuck wagon and supplies would accompany them on the long trek. Along the way they would hunt and fish and eat well thanks to not only the cook but to his pots and pans!

Probably, most of us aren't going on a long cattle drive any time soon, but many people do go camping. Spending a weekend at the lake or a nearby national forest or park means cooking out over an open fire and nothing works better than cast iron! It is so durable and easy to clean. No soap and water need or encouraged. While still warm wipe the pan with a damp cloth.

I have a large Dutch oven on a tripod I can set over the campfire.  I can prepare anything from baked beans, stew, to sourdough bread with this one pot. If it's a short camping trip, I do some of the preparation at home, and bring the food to reheat at the campsite. If I'm making bread, I mix up the dry ingredients ahead and then add the wet ingredients, mix it up and bake at the site. Anything prepared in the open just tastes better it seems!

I always take two cast iron frying pans. For breakfast I use one for bacon and eggs, and another to prepare fried potatoes. I then wipe them out, butter both sides of my bread and make pan toast. Pancakes are another easy breakfast that can be prepared in one of the cast iron fry pans.  Preparing freshly caught trout is easy using either a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. Steaming the fish with some lemon in a Dutch oven or pan frying in a skillet makes a delicious "catch of the day" dinner.

You can also slice potatoes, onions and mushrooms with a little garlic and butter in the covered skillet and set to the side on some cooler coals.  Prepare the main dish in the second skillet - fish, hamburgers, steak or chicken. All you need now is your favorite baked beans done in a Dutch oven and you eat like a King or Queen in the beautiful outdoors.

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Benefits of Cooking in Cast Iron

Many of you have heard of cast iron pans for cooking. These pan and pots are great for retaining heat, so food can be cooked evenly inside the pan. These type of cookware has many benefits and can be useful at home cooking as well outdoor cooking on grill.

Copper pans are great for retaining heat and offer similar benefits to cast iron pans, but they are much more expensive to purchase. Cast- Iron pans are much cheaper but requires seasoning and maintaining of the pan. There is also enamel coated pans and pot available. They are little more pricier than bare cast iron but one does not have to worry about seasoning and maintaining the pan.

Benefits:

1. Good heat conductor
2. Good for retaining heat, even outside temperature fluctuates
3. Can be used on stove top and oven safe
4. If you are using enamel coated pan, you can take it directly from oven to serving table
5. If seasoned properly, it works like nonstick pan
6. Enamel based pan works like nonstick without seasoning
7. Durable and strong
8. If maintained, it can last life time

Cons

1. Can rust
2. Can react to acidic food changing colors and taste of food, if left in pan too long
3. Not dishwasher safe
4. Need seasoning and maintaining

Conclusion:

Cast iron is very versatile and offers many benefits. If you spend little time seasoning and maintaining pans, they can be a great asset to any kitchen.

For many cooks, enamel coated cast iron pots and pan can be a good choice, as it gives all benefits of cast iron without the work of maintaining it. Enamel coated dutch oven are very useful for making soups, stews, bake cake in oven and it looks great on serving table too.

Want to learn more about enamel coated pot? You can visit our website for finding the best cookware guide for more useful guides, articles, reviews, and hot deals.

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Cockatiel: Burgers and toys!

BooBoo has some ground organic beef cooked in a cast iron frying pan, until the edges are slightly crisp. Then enjoy a new toy. music by Glenn Miller Pavanne



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxQ-8L7Rhsg&hl=en

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Homemade Garam Masala (Curry) Adds Flavor and Zip to Recipes

Curry is a blend of spices and there are thousands of recipes for it. In some cultures, curry is almost a way of life. Garam masala is a special blend and, though it originated in India, the recipe varies from region to region. Each cook has their own twist on the spicy mixture.

So-called curry powder starts out with whole seeds and spices. The ingredients are toasted before they are ground into a powder. The grinding is done with a mortar and pestle, nutmeg grinder, or food processor.

Petrina Verma Sarkar, in her article, "The Magic Spice -- Garam Masala," thinks the blend is "the heart of most Indian dishes." According to Sarkar, curry powder tastes best when it is freshly made.

"Homemade Curry Powder," a website article by Helen Polaska, discusses the many variations of the recipe. "Because curry powder is not one spice in and of itself," she writes, "anyone who makes curry powder will probably make it different from the next person's curry powder."

Why should you make your own spice blend? First, you don't know how long the curry powder has been on the store shelf. If it has been there for months, much of the aroma and flavor will be gone. Second, you can customize the blend to suit your tastes. Third, homemade is usually cheaper.

Sylvia Windle Humphrey devotes pages to this seasoning in her cookbook, "A Matter of Taste." She says the recipes vary widely and "there are no cookbooks; girls learn from their mothers how to blend spices and arrange interesting meals." According to the author, some sprinkle curry on every food before serving a meal.

You may wish to cook the spice mixture in a little oil before adding it to a recipe. This brings out the flavors of the spices even more.

To get the best results, toast the spices in a small cast iron skillet. Do not crowd the pan. Shake the skillet to keep the spices from scorching. Continue shaking and toasting until the kitchen is filled with a tantalizing aroma and the seeds start to brown. Grind the mixture and store in a metal tin or glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.

You can buy metal spice tins at import stores. Small canning jars also work well. Personally, I wouldn't store garam masala in a plastic container because it could alter the flavor of the spices. Here are the ingredients for Humphrey's garam marsala and I added the instructions.

3 tablespoons black peppercorns

3 tablespoons whole coriander

2 1/2 tablespoons dark caraway seeds

One-inch cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon whole cloves

1 tablespoon cardamom seeds

Toast the ingredients in a small skillet. When the seeds start to brown, take the skillet off the heat, put the mixture in a small bowl, and let it cool. Use a coffee grinder to turn the mixture into a powder. Put in a tin or jar, cover tightly, and store in a cool, dark place. This homemade blend stays fresh for about two months.

Copyright 2010 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 30+ years. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD is available from Amazon.

Centering Corporation has published her 26th book, "Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life" and a companion journal with 100 writing jump-starts. The company is also publishing her latest book, "The Spiritual Woman: Quotes to Refresh and Sustain Your Soul," and it will be available soon.

Hodgson has another forthcoming book, "101 Affirmations to Ease Your Grief Journey: Words of Comfort, Words from Hope," and it will be posted on Amazon shortly. Please visit her website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.

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Best Chili Recipes - 5 Tips For Cooking Great Chili!

Chili is a metaphysical thing in the world of cooking. There are major competitions all over the United States, and believe me they can get really cutthroat. People take their chili seriously! Chili is a creation that is highly personal to the person that has created the dish. Lots of folks can work a lifetime to perfect a chili recipe and that is no joke. Just ask anyone that has ever competed in a chili cook off. If you are a newbie to the world of chili and want to get out of "the canned stuff," then welcome! Even if you are an old hat at making chili, welcome! The tips herein will do no harm and only enhance your chili experience! Lets get some tips!

Tip 1. What if your chili is too thick? What kind of chili is it? White?, Red? Beef? Chicken? If your chili is too thick do not use water to thin it out that is what everyone in the world does. Use broth instead! Water will "kill" the hard worked for flavor of your chili creation. Broth adds the liquid that you need and unlike water it also adds flavor and depth to your chili recipe!

Tip 2. What if your chili is way to thin? You could add some tomato paste to it as one way to thicken it. Try it a little bit by little bit until you achieve the consistency that you are looking for! What if the tomato paste does not make your chili thick the way you want it to? Then the next step is to try to use something like cornstarch or corn flour commonly called masa flour! You can also try the old school use of cornmeal. I like this one myself. Cornmeal gives a good texture. Some people I know in the Southern United States say to just use good old fashioned instant mashed potatoes. Not bad! It works and adds texture as well. Then the is the no calorie way to do it by using arrow root mixed with a bit of water and then added to the chili and stirred. As you can see there are many way to make your chili thicker. The choice is yours and you should experiment.

Tip 3. Most people that I know of that make chili at home just use plain old boring everyday Jalapeno's. This is fine in most cases and they do bring the "heat!" But the fact of the matter is that there is a world of different chilies out there. Anaheim, Poblano, Serrano, Sante Fe Chilies, Ancho Chilies, The very popular these days Chipotle in Adobo sauce or Chipotle powder, Cayenne, Tabascos, Thai Chili, Habanera, and Scotch Bonnets! The list can go on and on from country to country. So why not try to use more than one type of chili pepper in your chili? Change the flavor, do not settle for the mundane! Have fun!

Tip 4. first thing is first! Cook the meat! Any meat that you are using should be cooked first. Brown the meat way before you have to add the liquids to the recipe. Browning the meat aids in locking in the flavor of the meat. You do not want your meat to get soggy with the liquids from the chili recipe. I prefer to sear cook my meat. That is turn the flame up high and putting the meat in the pan of my fave the cast iron skillet and so it sizzles quick and stir it around a bit and then turn the heat down. This is a classic searing technique that locks the flavor into the meat.

Tip 5. The better the meat the better the meal! It is a fact that the better the quality of any meat or main component for a meal the better the meal. Remember that is it quality over quantity! Just because you can get some meats cheap and get lot's of it does not mean that it is quality meat and that you will get a quality meal. If you have to use a cheaper meat that is less tender then expect to cook your chili longer to soften it up and consider using a meat tenderizer on it to aid in the softening of the cheaper cuts and cook the chili longer and you should be OK. In the long run if you can afford to get the better cuts then I always day do it!

We have looked at 5 Tips For Cooking Great Chili. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this information. If you would like to learn more about chili cooking and chili recipes then please visit: http://bestchilirecipes.net/.

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