INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

NONE
This month, Virginia Willis, the food stylist for "The Main Ingredient,"
shares some tips about the implements in your kitchen without which no meal
is complete!
In the same spirit as the award-winning actress who gratefully acknowledges
the behind-the-scenes personnel, a good cook is aware of all the
ingredients and implements that play a part in the production of her
masterful meal. The pots and pans that ornament my kitchen have particular
qualities that assist me in the preparation of my favorite dishes.
Cast iron
I like to use my grandmother's cast-iron skillets, beautiful gems that are
slick and ebony from decades of use and proper care.
Benefits: Very efficient in absorbing, conducting and retaining heat.It's
good for pan-frying or sautéing meats, onions and vegetables.
Types include:
Regular "traditional" black cast iron and coated cast iron (see below).
Tips: Requires "seasoning," or smoothing out the pan's surface to prevent
food from sticking. My nonstick surface suggestion: coat pan very well in
vegetable oil, then bake it in a hot oven (350 degrees) for one to two
hours. The best way to clean pans is to wipe them out with a soft cloth or
paper towel; then, if necessary, buff lightly with a nylon pad. Use soap
and water only in difficult cases. It's absolutely imperative to thoroughly
dry a wet cast-iron skillet to prevent rust. To do so, leave pan in a low
oven (200 degrees) until completely dry.
Price: Very affordable. Available not only in cookware stores but in good
hardware stores as well.
Coated cast iron
This type features all the benefits of regular cast iron, and is a bit
easier to care for.
Tips: The heavy bottom prevents food from scorching and the cookware holds
up very well to both high-heat and long, slow, low-heat cooking.
Price: Expensive, but an investment you'll have for the rest of your life:
The popular brand Le Creuset guarantees its pans for 101 years! The classic
six-piece set is about $300. A single piece, such as the
five-and-a-half-quart round French oven, is about $200.
Lightweight aluminum
When cooking stock or pasta, I use a lightweight aluminum pot.
Benefits: Very good heat conductor.
Drawbacks: Aluminum reacts to acidic or alkaline foods. When making
light-colored sauces, I find that the gray metal sometimes discolors the
liquid. In these cases, I opt for my anodized aluminum cookware instead.
Tips: Lighter-grade aluminum cookware is great for quickly heating up water
to blanch vegetables.
Price: Moderately priced; available in several different gauges.
Anodized aluminum (Calphalon)
My Calphalon cookware is a heavy-gauge aluminum that's anodized and has a
charcoal finish.
Benefits: It conducts heat well and doesn't discolor food the way other
aluminum pans do.
Price: A seven-piece set will run you about $260 and a single piece, like a
five-quart sauté pan, is about $150.
© 1998 Lifetime Entertainment Services. All rights reserved.
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Recipe by: Virginia Willis
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