Did you grow up with your mother or grandmother using a cast iron skillet? I know I did, but when the new fangled non-stick teflon pans came out, all iron skillets got the shaft. Now they are back in style and all the rage.
I was curious so I asked my nephew, Chris Nunzita, to explain the big craze. (His creations are below.) He said: 1. They cook the food evenly, so the food in the center doesn't cook faster than the food around the edges. 2. They hold the heat in ; thereby, keeping the food warm even after you turn off the stove. 3. They don't emit harmful chemicals like teflon pans do. They are in fact a healthy source of iron. Hence the "iron" in iron skillet. 4. They are very affordable and they last forever. You could actually will them to your children and grandchildren.
There are also iron grills. My good friend Lara Lanfried uses hers everyday to cook anything from Pancakes in the morning to steaks at night. She never even puts her's away! One of her favorite things to make on her iron grill is what she calls "Skillet Steak". Here's what you'll need:
1 Lb of Tri Tip
1/3 cup of olive oil
2 Tablespoons of red wine
Cut the tri tip into 2 inch pieces then place in a large baggie with olive oil, red wine, sea salt& pepper. Marinate meat anywhere from a few hours to overnight. When ready to cook, melt some butter over high heat and add the meat. (High heat will sear or brown the outsides.) Cook on each side on high for 2&1/2 to 4 minutes or until just before inside of steak reaches your desired degree of pink. Simply mouth-watering!
Beer?
Linda who is my favorite checker at Ralph’s gave me this tri tip marinade recipe:
2 lbs. of tri tip
1/2 cup of your favorite beer
1/4 cup of soy sauce
2 teaspoons of fresh garlic
(Opt. 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger)
She mixes all the ingredients and adds the mixture to the tri tip pieces in a large plastic bag. She then lets the meat marinade for 2 to 3 days. (I guess it’s almost impossible to marinade meat for too long.) Finally she barbecues it or cooks it in an iron skillet. Linda says that it’s the alcohol in the beer that tenderizes the meat. I have since talked to others who marinate their steak in beer. Go figure.
Try it You'll Love It!
Fun Saying
My childhood friend, Bradley, (She was the first girl in history that had a boy's name, and believe it or not my other good friend was named Gregg.) I've gotten way off track. Anyway Bradley recently reminded me of the saying, "I put a bug in his ear." Gross!!!!!! I can just envision a cock roach climbing into someone's ear. The saying means to plant a thought into someone's head. Now isn't there a better way to put that?