Cinnamon Cooper - The Everything Cast-Iron Cookbook

Letter to the Reader THE CAST IRON COOKBOOK Dear Reader, Writing this book was easier than I expected, simply because I use my cast-iron skillets for almost everything except boiling water for pasta. My shiny stainless steel skillet that came in a cookware set fifteen years ago sits unused in the cupboard and my two 10 cast-iron skillets are always on the stove waiting patiently for their next tour of duty. I learned how to cook in cast iron at a young age, and if a teenager can make dinner for a family of five, an adult should have no problem. While working at a high-end cookware store, I surprised most customers when I handed them dull-gray skillets instead of expensive, shiny pans. But those who purchased cast-iron pans came back to thank me. And hopefully, youll thank me too.

Take time for proper seasoning after the initial purchase, follow my cleaning tips, and youll be blessed with a set of pans worth adding to your will. When I moved to Chicago in 1997 I knew how to cook basic American fare. But I was surrounded by small markets that catered to specific ethnic groups, and I encountered ingredients and dishes Id never heard of. As I began to explore these dishes, I found myself learning about other cultures, not just other cuisines. Elderly Italian men showed me how to choose fresh fava beans, a young Puerto Rican woman taught me to cook her fathers dishes, and Mexican butchers explained the uses for different cuts of meat. I soaked up the instructions like a hungry sponge, and adapted them to make dishes of my own.

The recipes in this cookbook are starting points to show you how to do the same. Cinnamon Cooper Welcome to the Everything Series! Welcome to the Series! These handy, accessible books give you all you need to tackle a difficult project, gain a new hobby, comprehend a fascinating topic, prepare for an exam, or even brush up on something you learned back in school but have since forgotten. You can choose to read an Everything book from cover to cover or just pick out the information you want from our four useful boxes: e-questions, e-facts, e-alerts, and e-ssentials. We give you everything you need to know on the subject, but throw in a lot of fun stuff along the way, too. We now have more than 400 Everything books in print, spanning such wide-ranging categories as weddings, pregnancy, cooking, music instruction, foreign language, crafts, pets, New Age, and so much more. When youre done reading them all, you can finally say you know Everything ! Answers to common questions Important snippets of information Urgent warnings Quick handy tips Publisher Karen Cooper Director of Acquisitions and Innovation Paula Munier Managing Editor, Everything Series Lisa Laing Copy Chief Casey Ebert Acquisitions Editor Katrina Schroeder Development Editor Hillary Thompson Everything Series Cover Designer Erin Alexander Layout Designers Colleen Cunningham, Elisabeth Lariviere, Ashley Vierra, Denise Wallace Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com Copyright Copyright 2010 by F+W Media, Inc.

All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews. An Everything Series Book. Everything and everything.com are registered trademarks of F+W Media, Inc. Published by Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc. www.adamsmedia.com ISBN 10: 1-4405-0225-0 ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-0225-5 eISBN 10: 1-4405-0226-9 eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-0226-2 J I H G F E D C B A Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher. www.adamsmedia.com ISBN 10: 1-4405-0225-0 ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-0225-5 eISBN 10: 1-4405-0226-9 eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-0226-2 J I H G F E D C B A Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters. Dedication This book is dedicated to my mother and brothers who ate everything I made and to Huffy for helping me make it better.

Contents Acknowledgments I have to thank: my grandfather for teaching my mother to cook; Cecil for always wanting seconds; the readers and editors of GapersBlock.com and One Good Meal who push me to share more, try more, and learn more; Veronica, Tony, and Elizabeth who have been patient, loving, and supportive without end; my mother-in-law for always trying to make things better and my father-in-law for seeing value in the way it was; Jen who ate her way across the country with me; Naz who shared the flavors of his country and his plate with abandon; Amy Carlton who is full of great ideas; The Chicago Craft Mafia for rubbing out self-doubt and providing support; the Purvi family and my Ohio crew for feeding me for years; the Movie Dictators for feeding my heart and killing my soul softly; Sushi Mike who showed me the meaning of umami and blushed when I cried from delight; Michael Nagrant who asks great questions; the SeriousEats.com staff for making me hungry every day; Chef Efrain for sharing his soup recipe; the Minicucci family for showing me how to make a true gravy; Anthony Bourdain for being just as nice as he is adventurous; Megan Reardon for reminding me that its okay to play with your food as an adult; Alison for leading my taste buds through Austin; Tom and Rosa who have shared their love and knowledge of food; our party attendees for liking tater tots as much as I do; Chicago for giving me too many options; New Orleans for better or worse; Hugh and Mary Ramsey for years of lagniappe; The Kitchen Witch for pounds of research material; Bruce Sherman for suggesting I study Alsatian cooking; Dan and Kathryn who love the Happy Food Dance; Amy Richard for being just as happy around food as I am; Carolyn for her discerning taste; Seora Garcia for sharing her tamales with a grateful guera; the Twitterverse, Flickrverse, and Blogosphere for encouraging me while offering advice; and everyone else, of whom there are far to many to thank individually, for sharing their love, knowledge, enjoyment and appreciation of food with me. I couldnt have done this without you all. Introduction There are as many theories on the right way to cook as there are people who cook. This book contains one set of opinions related to cast iron. The tips, tricks, techniques, and recipes found here describe everything youll need to know to begin using, or improve how you currently use, cast-iron cookware. These glossy black pans provide benefits and challenges that other cookware doesnt provide.