Ask Elizabeth
January 8th, 2007 by Elizabeth
Due to visitor feed back we have created a page for asking questions. Elizabeth will respond to the person asking questions and post questions with answers on the website with links to them from the blog as well.
Hopefully this will make it easer to ask and have your questions answered. So without further ado…
Have a cooking question? Ask Elizabeth with this link!
Dear Elizabeth,
I occassionally hear things about cooking surfaces (e.g. tephlon, aluminum) and possible harmful effects. What do you consider the safest type of pan to use? Is there a particular approach to pre-heating a pan?
Dear Eva,
The tremendous wave of concern about cookware’s possible dangers to one’s innards that welled up a few years ago, along with scares about tap water, Alar on apples, and red food coloring seems to have pretty well subsided. From what I read at the time, and some
recent commentary, I would say that easiest route to confidence in your cookware’s safety is willingness to spend some real money on a good quality product. That doesn’t mean you have to go “high end”, but it does mean starting at familiar household names like Revere Ware and Farberware and moving up from there. The real dangers seem to reside in cheap aluminum cookware, the kind you see in the trash on move-out day in front of apartments at the end of the month or at the end of the semester, as well as the type of non-stick finishes used by those same cut-rate manufacturers. My understanding is that non-stick finishes only pose a problem when they are not properly used and cared for:
extremely high heat over an extended period of time and carelessness about using non-abrasive utensils or cleaning materials can cause the non-stick finish finish, or at least it’s outermost surface to lift off from the pan and into your food.
In any case, after a major scare, whether justified or not, I have noticed that manufacturers do tend to re-evaluate and upgrade their products, so at this point, I would say you can buy almost anything with confidence.
Unfortunately, I tend to be a very one at a time idea girl, so forgot entirely about the other half of your question: I tend to preheat pans, usually with some sort of fat(oil, butter, bacon fat-tsk!tsk!, but great for a few things) on a medium burner. Especially if you are going to saute or fry anything for which sticking is a common hazard, I recommend letting the pan preheat for a few minutes, swirling the oil around the bottom of the pan from time to time to ensure an even coating.This, in effect, will give you a pretty reliable “non-stick” coating. I do recommend this ritual for all pans when sauteing or frying anything, unless the pan is of the unrelentingly “non-stick” variety like Tefal.
By the way, don’t use butter, bacon fat, or unfiltered oils (extra-virgin olive oil, etc) for this operation– they have a very low burn threshhold because of their pretty high level of non-fat components– precisely those elements that give them so much flavor. I always use a bit of a “plain” type of cooking oil– canola, etc.–. Once the pan preparation process is completed, I proceed with whatever type of fat my cooking requires.
Dear Elizabeth,
I had another question about cooking methods. How do microwaves rate for cooking? Are they safe to use? Is it better to use them as a side rather than the main way to cook a dish?
Hi,
I really like your stuff here.
Is there any more coming??
Franklin,
I’m back in the saddle again after a temporary absence which I mention in my one posting. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
I got a tip and came to your site. So glad to find you. I took a job in Greenville, SC as Sim specialist. I love it here. The job is good and the town is great. When I’m on my own time I’ll come back and read at my leisure. Best wishes. Love, Paula
Dear Elizabeth,
Does fish, meat and poultry marinate the same way? Are there any tips on how to marinate for outdoor versus indoor cooking?
Dear Elizabeth–A Swedish friend speaks of ‘loefsa’ (?), sort of a pancake made of mashed potatoes and served with butter and sugar. Do you know any recipes for this? I hope to further woo said person with an authentic replication of this dish which he remembers from his youth in Minnesota.
Post the Linzertort recipe for Christmas!
also, other Christmas cookies
This is a post-script to my comment on the gingies. I had another taste test last night on the gingies. As a week has gone by since I made them, the flavors have intensified and one can get a better sense of the effect of the two tablespoons of ginger. The consensus (among my mother-in-law and myself) is that two tablespoons is too much for the mere mortal, and one is just perfect. I thought I’d let you know in case your readers aren’t in the mood to be too adventurous, and are not inclined to eat a whole batch within a week (because they do get better with age!). We’re going to make ginger bread houses with the recipe this weekend.
I’m wondering what recipes you would suggest for a busy grad student who wants to pack lunch during the week without spending a lot of time in the kitchen on weekends. Also, due to the long commute, lack of refrigeration for a couple of hours is the norm.
Thanks and love your blog/writing!
Не против, действительно хорошо сделано.
where did you read this?