Skillets and Such
By Aaron • Sep 1st, 2008 • Category: Food & Drink
For whatever reason, I set out on an afternoon mission to find and purchase a reasonably priced cast iron skillet. I stopped first at T.J. Maxx, and found what we call Jack Shit for skillets. But it would only take two tries, as the next place, Kohl’s, I located a perfect model: the only taint on the otherwise great find was that it’s a Bobby Flay design. Not that the design is bad, though. The design is great. It’s that there’s a “BF” in the handle, the initials of that culinary hack, Bobby Flay.
I’ve since decided to re-christen my cast iron skillet, though, and I now refer to it as the Big Fucker. I don’t even have to take the original initials out with the bench grinder. I used the Big Fucker this evening to first skillet a sirloin, and once that was done, and while letting the sirloin rest, I sauteed some onion, green pepper, fresh ginger, garlic, pineapple chunks, and peanuts in the steak juice and vegetable oil.
I just wiped the Big Fucker out with a paper towel when through, and there it sits ready for the next use. The other development in the kitchen: a large chopping-block area. I built the bench this past Friday. It’s working out great. I want to have a Portuguese theme some weekend evening. And in relation to this, I can’t stop thinking about Goa.
Aaron is special.
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Bobby Flay is a god. ‘Nuff said.
I’m sitting here at home looking at this steak and it’s 5 AM and it’s making me hungry. Looks like you did a terrific job on the steak. I only wish I could smell the aroma through the Internet. Sounds like you know how to handle yourself around a kitchen. I love cooking and will one day put out the money for a cast iron skillet. I do a ton of Chinese cooking and have 4 woks. I treat them the same way you treat your skillet. Wipe it down after I’m done cooking and it’s ready for the next round.
Bobby Flay may be a demigod, but I’m an iconoclast. Besides, he has a couple ladies do all the culinary test runs in some souped up kitchen before his big — ahem — throw down. Those two ladies deserve all the credit. Flay is a hack. I’m not backing down from this stance, absolutist in my position.
tongyun, smell-a-net is pending, and it’d be a glorious addition to this visual. I like your wok style, too. If you have any, post some wok shop tips for the rest of us. Tony Bourdain understands. Are you good with roast duck? We demand your secrets, tongyun. Please.
Hey Aaron, love your comments about Bobby Flay. You are absolutely right that the ladies who do all of behind-the-scenes work should get the credit. He’s just the front man. I love watching Tony Bourdain. Wish I could be on his crew.
As for the wok, believe it or not, I bought two of them at a second hand store for about 3 bucks each. Most people don’t know how to get them ready and get frustrated with them and discard them. What you want to do with a new wok is use some dish soap and wash it out thoroughly. Then place it on the stove - hopefully you have a gas stove because woks and electric stoves just plain suck. Turn the heat up to high and let it sit there for a while until it gets really hot. Turn off the burner and add about a teaspoon of vegetable oil into the wok and using a paper towel, carefully coat the wok with the oil. Try not to burn yourself. Turn the stove back on to high and repeat the process about 3-4 times.
One of the things that you want to avoid when cleaning a wok are steel wool or anything super abrasive. If you’re lucky and you buy a brand new wok, it’ll come with a bamboo wok brush. The wok is supposed to turn black after several uses - check out a Chinese restaurant and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
If you cook something sticky and gooey, use the wok brush and some hot water to scrub off the residue. After cleaning off the residue, you’ll want to re-oil the wok just like you would the iron skillet. If you cook something simple, like when I stir fry veggies, I just rinse with hot water and put the wok back on the burner, crank up the heat until it’s dry and then when the wok is cool, I put it away.
As for the roast duck recipe, I lack one essential tool to make roast duck and that is an oven that allows me to hang the duck by the neck. And, unfortunately, I live in Utah where Chinese cuisine is thoroughly lacking and people who don’t know any better rave about PF Chang’s - vomit!. So I get my duck when I make the drive back to my hometown of San Francisco. So - sorry - no help there.
Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to help promote Chinese cuisine.
Tongyun,
Unfortunately, the flat I rent doesn’t have a gas stove. I know friends with ‘em, though. Thanks for the wok info. Extremely informative, but it seems techniques for care are on par as you say with the cast iron skillet.
As for Asian food, I was in Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia (proper) last January, and had some outstanding Korean kim-chi soup. The Mongols serve up a pretty mean steamed dumpling, too. Asia has some glorious food, and a grand culinary tradition. Now I’m thinking about tasty roasted duck and San Fran. Shit.
Aaron,
I’ve about 700 miles east of San Francisco and always look forward to trips back to my hometown. My boys have learned to love the trip and the food that we can get out there. One of our family favorites is a baked buns with barbecued pork in it. In English it would come out to be something like char siu bau. It also comes in the steamed variety. I know what you mean about the roasted duck. My kids had it for the first time last year and still talk about it. Can’t get it in Utah.
I’m envious of your trip to Mongolia. There’s so much history in that part of the world. I’ll have to look up Ulaan Bataar on a map when I get home. I love dumplings of any kind as do my wife and kids. I love kim-chi soup, too, but I tend to embarrass myself when I have it because I end up being drenched in sweat because of how spicy it is. Anyway, when did you go out there? Business or pleasure? How long did you stay? Mongolia typically isn’t on anyone’s list for vacation sites.
It’s still possible to use a wok on an electric stove, but the main problem is, even though you may heat up the wok so it’s super hot, the moment you toss in veggies or meat, even if they are at room temperature, the food brings the wok temperature down drastically and it kills the effects of stir frying. Sorry.
Tongyun,
In January of 2008, I spent 3 weeks in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbataar (”Red Hero” is the translation). Extremely cold at the time. A friend of mine has been living there for about 6 years, so it was finally time to visit. Next time I go (perhaps in a couple years) I’ll schedule it in the spring or summer, and get out to the countryside a bit more. It still truly is a land sans fences, as the Mongolian herders move their livestock from one green pasture to another. If you’re curious about the boonies of Mongolia, I can recommend several travel narratives, so far the best being Louisa Waugh, “Hearing Birds Fly.” She’s an Anglo-Saxon who spent about a year in the western most village of Mongolia. I strongly disagree with her interpretations of Ulaanbataar, though, but that’s another tangent.
Aaron,
Since I’m of Chinese origin, I’ve always been fascinated with history in that part of the world. It’s a pitty that western history books all but ignore what has happened in Asia except for the wars. Mongolia has a rich history that certainly goes beyond Genghis Kahn, but how can world history books exclude one of the most compelling historical figures in the world? All the western history books (in the United States) do is provide a token mention of him and then move on. As I tell my sons, because we live in a western society, we get the western view of world history. Oh, well.
Aaron, do you have plans to visit other parts of Asia if you have the chance? My oldest son currently lives in Taiwan where he is working for a couple of years. My wife and I plan to take our other three boys to Taiwan to see their brothers in a couple of years.
Tony,
Yes, Ghengis Khan receives mention in the rote Western Civ 101 course books. Probably not enough, though. I caught the first installment of “Mongol” in the theatre a while back. I saw it with my friend and his Mongolian girlfriend. She said she really enjoyed it. It was quite good, and although the story is a bit skewed from what we know of Ghengis Khan, the movie itself serves as a catalyst to get the moviegoer interested in Khan. The same could be said about William Shakespeare, and how he popularized the story of Julius Caesar.
It’s also important (as you hint at) to be weary of nationalistic histories, where one particular country is portrayed as having all the Right Answers all the time since its inception. Ghengis was certainly influential in his time, and beyond (he installed several of his sons as rulers throughout Central Asia, even in Baghdad). There is so much more to be learned by local voices the world over. These voices are within the historical record, but it takes time and energy (and planning) to get into the archives to find them.
As for visiting other parts of Asia, I have tentative plans to return in about two years, perhaps the summer of 2010. I’ll have to see what finances and vacation allowances look like then, though. I would like to spend some time in Seoul, and I tell myself that at some point I’d also like to hang out in the hotsprings of Japan with the snow monkeys (sipping a Sapporo, perhaps?). And I don’t even know where to start when it comes to China: BIG and almost overwhelming (in a good way, of course). But yes, I need to sip cold Tsing Taos and eat good roasted duck at some point in time. Food is wonderful in the way it brings humanity together.
Aaron,
I’ve heard of the movie Mongol and may have to see if I can find it a my local video rental store. Most of the information I’ve learned about the Mongols, Genghis Khan, specifically is from the History Channel. The program was quite fascinating. Based upon the segments the History Channel did on China , which were quite accurate and educational, I can only assume they did the same research and with the same thoroughness with Mongolia.
As for your trip to Asia, I’ve been to Kobe, Japan and the surrounding areas. If you have a chance to go around February or March, you’ll be there for the Cherry Blossom festival which is just incredibly beautiful I do like your idea of having a nice cold TsingTao and eating good roasted duck. And I totally agree that food is the best way to bring humanity together. Here’s a toast to you…..cheers.
Tongyun,
Whereabouts do you hail from in China? There are so many cities over there with populations of 10-20 million that no American has ever heard of.
And I raise a pint to you as well.
I was actually born and raised in San Francisco. However, my roots go back to Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton). The area has about 10 million people and I would love to go and visit. The fun part would be tracking down some relatives, but my Cantonese skills have dropped considerably since I moved from San Francisco to Utah. Not a lot of Cantonese speaking people in Utah, however, there are a lot of Mandarin speakers.
My wife and I have enough money saved up for a trip to Taiwan and are focusing on saving more for a trip into China. It’ll double our expenses but for us, it may be a once in a lifetime event. So, we’ll just keep saving until we’re ready to go in a couple of years.
First of all the gas stove is a great addition, as it cooks food more evenly. The cast iron is great because it allows food to cook faster without all the extra heat. I love using a cast iron pan, I also have the pot as well and some of the other cast iron cookware. I enjoy using them, as far as the shows and the so called great chefs, I think they would make more money if they were really doing all the work. Why are you on TV anyway…
When I look at this picture and read this article I feel that I must do something with my body. I love food, I’m an addict, that’s my problem and I have to watch everything I put in my mouth. If I gain 10 pounds, I work hard to try and lose it. If you don’t mind being over weight and suffering the consequences that come with that kind of life style, well that’s your business. But I just want to be comfortable with my body weight.
vlada, check out Michael Pollen’s “Omnivore’s Dilemma” some time. He proposes a modification in Western Civilization’s diet, arguing from a Naturalist’s perspective rather than, say, a “Food Scientist.” In this, he says we need to return to pre-Industrial Revolution basics: lots of vegetables and fruits, a bit of meat from time to time, and stuff of that sort. Just one perspective though, that’s all.