Good Morning all,
And...HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Hope everyone had a good close to the old one and are off to a great start today.
Quiet day for us yesterday. Dave worked and I got through a mountain of chores and some things that needed taken care of. Felt good to get that accomplished before today. Got an added bonus in that my one friend finally got a hold of me. We had a good chat for over an hour.
So nice to catch up especially since we've been playing phone tag since X-mas.
My evening was simple and relaxing. When Dave got home, we enjoyed some nibbles and wine on the back patio and was treated to some fireworks we could see nicely from our back patio. Caught some t.v. and enjoyed the fireworks displays each country put on as they welcomed the new year. Will say there were some awesome and spectacularly elaborate ones.
We went to bed around 10 as today was another early morning work day.
Little bummed out we missed the Tucson Taco Drop though.
https://www.kvoa.com/news/ariz...
I had never heard of it before but caught it on the news. Looks like a great time and I think this may be a fun local way to ring in the next new year.
Interesting discussion on cookware and techniques. I can't offer up any advice as I had to tailor all my pots and pans to work on an induction stove top. I have a set of Viking brand 18/8 stainless steel with an aluminum core. They are made specifically for energy efficient cooking and work best on low and medium heat settings as high heat burns the food and scorches and discolors the pan. Found that out the hard way
and wound up having to replace one pot. I like them for the most part but will say they are heavy--- very heavy! On the plus side, the set came with both metal and glass lids and they work very well on the induction cook top.
When we bought this house the induction stove top was already here. So we had to get rid of a lot of beloved pots and pans that wouldn't work on it. Bummed me out but I still have a small assortment of odds-n-ends pans from various makers that I've used forever. They work great on the induction stove top. I keep a couple of Teflon coated non-stick skillets/frying pans but don't use them a whole lot. (A tip I have for storing is to stack some paper plates between them so the non-stick surface doesn't get scratched and only use plastic/rubber utensils on them.) I also have a cast iron skillet which I've had for decades, love and use regularly. Aside from that can't offer up any advice on cookware other than saying pick one that will work on your stove and suit your style of cooking.
Donald... Best way to tell if your cookware will work on an induction cook top is use a magnet. You know--like the ones we have stuck to the fridge. If the magnet sticks to the pot you can use it on an induction top stove. If not, then you can't use it. I wound up giving away a lot of cookware that was perfectly good for that reason. I'll be curious to know how you do with the induction cook top and what your opinion is of it. I am not a fan and just feel after 10 months I am finally figuring out the little quirks. It can be a bit tricky. Honestly, I would much prefer a gas stove but didn't have a 'choice'. Considering that I will say I do like induction stoves far better than any type of electric.
Sean...Nice looking plate!
Sounds like you had an enjoyable night. Thank you also for starting the new forum.
JB...Gorgeous looking appetizer plate and the duck sounds divine!
And nice sparkling wine choice. Do you know if it has any added (key word) sulfites? I sure do miss white wines and champagne/sparkling wines.
And yes, you are right in that people don't let the pan heat up long enough. Even though my cookware doesn't work optimally well with high heat, I let it sit on m/h for a good bit to get toasty before even thinking of throwing meat or fish into it. The hardest lesson I had to learn was just what you said in regards to 'fiddling' with the food instead of letting it rest, sear and release on its own. Ruined a few chicken and fish dinners learning that lesson the hard way as they all stuck to the pan and then shredded when I tried to move or flip them.
All...Not much going on here today. Only chore is to clean the kitchen. All else is done!
So I'll relax and try to finish a painting that I had been working on. Dinner tonight will be a BBQed pork chop, black bean and corn salad and whatever else sounds good. Maybe I'll steam some broccoli to go with.
Hope all have a happy day,
AG
