tastelifetwice's Profile
Straight Cast Iron vs. Enameled Grill Pan Searing Effectiveness
hey, thanks for all your help, everyone, i guess it's unanimous. i'll go for one of the pre-seasoned variety. I am trying to cook more and will think of you when i am enjoying a juicy steak.
cheers :)
Straight Cast Iron vs. Enameled Grill Pan Searing Effectiveness
i've been reading up on grill pans.
i may be leaning toward the enameled cast iron type as they seem slightly easier to maintain.
1. is there a difference in how well they sear meat vs. cast iron?
2. as an aside, does anyone know if the grill pan in LC's panini sandwich grill pan/press set is
exactly the same as their solo grill pan?
they seem to market them emphasizing different foods, so it's unclear.
thanks.
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
i second the parmesan on the outside. i like a bit of powdered parmesan cheese on the buttered sides of the bread or directly in the pan underneath where the sandwich will be placed.
the cheap powdered kind is actually ideal for this because it's fast and the texture is just right, but super-finely grated high-quality parmesan is best.
coated unevenly, areas with a thin, light powdery coating just give extra flavor and texture oomph, while small clumps here and there will absorb butter to create crisp, savory bits of toasted cheese on the outside of your sandwich. mmm... so tasty.
adds such heavenly texture to the whole sandwich. try on other grilled sandwiches, too, depending on the filling. grilled tomato inside tempers the added saltiness of the parmesan, and sometimes fresh spinach leaves, too.
just worked myself into a grilled cheese frenzy. think i'll go make one now.
:)
Bermuda Gombey Hot Pepper Jam
When i was in Bermuda this summer i had the pleasure of trying Gombey Pepper Jam from this home-grown business sampling and selling their wares at the local tourist street fairs. i came across them more than once during my trip and they were actually two very nice guys, both school teachers, one of them a trained chef.
i am bummed out because i am craving that jam lately but since i forgot to pack the jars i bought inside my check-in luggage, they were confiscated by airport security. drat! i can just picture those guards savoring my Tropical Storm jam on their lunch break.
luckily, security let me keep the sampler pack, as those little bottles were under 3 oz and ha! i made my friend in Manhattan open his Bermuda souvenir "gift" during my visit just so i could have some again, lol. Tropical Storm flavor was my favorite. the flavors are all named after storm weather elements, according to how hot they are, and fittingly, my friend and i had a blast sampling all the flavors in the pack after a huge NY summer storm. we bought some stoned wheat crackers and cream cheese, and broke out the Franciscan wine i brought him from California to wash it down.
anyway, the business seemed to be going places (they said they were working on distribution in stores here in LA), but their website states that the jams are not yet available, even for shipment overseas.
i would certainly recommend that anybody going to Bermuda go to any of the local fairs to find the Bermuda Gombey Pepper Jam guys and sample the deliciousness (you can tell them hello from emmi). but right now i am desperately craving some hot pepper jam. it's 2:30 am and i would totally run out right now to get some, if anything was open.
has anybody tried the Gombey Pepper jam? have you found anything similar here? do you have a favorite brand available in / local to US/Los Angeles?
mentioned link: http://www.bermudajamfactory.com
