Everyday Cookware

Having used saucepans and saute pans from Bourgeat, Calphalon, Reverware and more, there's no brand to date that has completely won my loyalty. Recently I received a saute pan and saucepan from Biro Cookware and so far I'm very pleased with them. They are made of two layers of stainless steel and an aluminum core.

The first thing that impressed me about the cookware was that it has great weight to it, so pans and lids stay put. I seem to have a problem with pots boiling over and lids flying off and that clearly won't happen with a lid that weighs just under one pound. Also the heat conduction is impressive. I think the combination of aluminum and stainless steel is a good one as far as strength and heat and I like the brushed stainless steel look. I particularly like the fact that you can really crank up the heat and yet so far the pans have been pretty easy to clean. But I'm a strong believer that it's not until your first cooking disaster that cookware shows its true colors, so I am going to reserve final judgement for now.

I asked Marcel Biro, Master Chef de Cuisine, restaurateur and cooking instructor what makes his line of "celebrity cookware" different, and here's what he told me:

"I worked closely with the Regal Ware Worldwide engineers, and with the voice of the customers--my students. I am most proud of the quality of this cookware. Quality cookware and ingredients yield quality food. This is the cornerstone of everything I do.

What I most like about the cookware are the long handles and the great wide helper handles that stay nice and cool to the touch. The weight of the pan guarantees stable cooking, and the aluminum core throughout is not just on the bottom like so many pans on the market today. This ensures even cooking throughout the pan, not just on the bottom. Also my cookware can be used on electric, gas and induction, making it very versatile.

We throw it in the oven at the restaurants and culinary schools all the time, and we're talking about equipment with 50,000 - 100,000 BTU's which is double or triple that of a home oven. Consumers never have to worry about replacing these pots and pans."

Biro Cookware was only introduced earlier this year, so if you have any experience with it, please feel free to share your feedback in the comments section. If some other cookware meets your performance and practical requirements feel free to share your recommendations as well.

COOKWARE

Amy's Favorite Cookware

Lately I've been getting a number of emails asking me about cookware. I'm no expert, but I'm happy to tell you what I like and why.

Cast iron
I received a cast iron pan as a "cast off" from someone who didn't want it any longer. I can't imagine why not! Cast iron holds the heat wonderfully and moves easily from stovetop to oven. It's particularly great for frying and searing, but you can also bake in it and if you cook certain acidic foods like tomatoes in it you'll get the added benefit of iron that leaches out in small amounts. It does take a long time to heat up and needs to be cleaned with care. Don't use soap on it! Scrub it with salt if you have to and rinse it with hot water but don't remove the "seasoning", it's what give it an almost non-stick finish. You can buy a new pre-seasoned skillet but there is no way it's going to perform like mine.

Porcelain enamel
I love my Le Creuset! I am fortunate to have acquired just about all the pieces I need and then some. It's great for long simmered stews and soups and for serving. But it is heavy and you have to gently care for it or the surface can chip and crack. In particular I love my Le Creuset tagine. Having cooked tagine style dishes in a dutch oven for years, I couldn't believe the difference when I used an actual tagine instead. The shape means you use less liquid and the result is very rich, concentrated flavors and tender meat and vegetables.

Pressure cooker
I am a big fan of pressure cookers, mine happens to be a Fagor. The key is knowing how to use them properly. After being disappointed with several cookbooks, I have settled on one as my bible. It answers every question I have about how to cook beans, stocks, soups, grains and sauces and also has delicious recipes, it's called Pressure Cooking for Everyone. A pressure cooker is the best time saver in the kitchen and I truly believe everyone who loves long-simmered flavors should have one. Juicy artichokes in 15 minutes? Osso Bucco in 25 minutes? You betcha.

Non-stick
I still use non-stick pans for eggs and crepes, but I try not to use it for anything else. I know the jury may be out on the safety of these pans, but I just don't like ingesting bits of teflon that flake off and I prefer cookware that can really take the heat.

Come back on Monday when I'll share my pick for everyday saucepans and saute pans.

COOKWARE

August Newsletter

Just a quick note to say the monthly email newsletter is going out today. If you'd like to receive it, feel free to sign up. It is a double opt-in system, so after you sign up you'll be asked to confirm your subscription. In other words, if you don't confirm, you are not subscribed.

The newsletter provides links to some posts from the prior month, a sneak peek at what's coming up as well as some links to sites I think you'll like. This month I share my thoughts about tomato season and links to Italian recipes, food oral histories and to the site of an amazing artist who creates food out of paper. Thanks again for visiting and staying in touch! I promise to have a new post soon...

Cobb Sandwich: Recipe

I don't know if Mae West ever ate a Cobb Salad, but I bet she would have loved it. After all, she was the one who said "too much of a good thing is wonderful". A Cobb Salad begins with a bed of Romaine lettuce, think of it as your basic crunchy blank canvas. Resting on the greens are strips of toppings--luscious chunks of avocado, juicy fresh tomato, crumbles of rich blue cheese, hard boiled eggs and chunks of chicken breast. Frankly I've always found the chicken to be superfluous, but maybe that's just me.

Forget about the hot dog or the hamburger, for my money, the Cobb Salad is one of the best examples of "American cuisine". It was invented in America, it combines American ingredients with American excessiveness and good old American seat-of-the-pants ingenuity. It also has a little bit of Hollywood flair. The story goes that after the chef had gone home, Bob Cobb, the owner of The Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles created a late night snack for Chinese Theater owner Sid Grauman by pulling out a bit of this and that from the refrigerator and the popular salad was born. Or so the legend goes.

Faced with many of the ingredients I love in the Cobb, I decided to make myself a sandwich. It's really just a version of a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, but since I've swapped out peppery arugula for the Romaine and added smears of avocado and gorgonzola on the bread, I'm calling it the Cobb Sandwich. Don't make this sandwich with anything less than fabulously ripe and flavorful tomatoes.

Cobb Sandwich
serves 1

2 slices sourdough bread
1 Tablespoon gorgonzola dolce
1 Tablespoon avocado
2 strips of bacon cooked to your liking
2 slices tomato (the best tastiest one you can get your hands on)
1 handful arugula

Spread one slice of bread with gorgonzola. Top the bread with bacon, tomato and arugula. Top the sandwich with a second slice of bread spread with avocado. Press together gently and slice in half.

Enjoy!

FOOD

Explanation

Thanks to all you guys who are going to see the site! Couple of problems at the moemnt but should be ironed out by early next week! Watch the video and i'll tell you whats happening!

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant: Book review

If you are looking for a book to take on vacation, to the beach, or on a plane, you couldn't ask for a better one than Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant Confessions of Cooking for One and Dining Alone. It's a compilation of essays and stories by a wide range of writers. The title references a piece written by Laurie Colwin, one of my all-time favorite food writers. Other writers include Ben Karlin, Nora Ephron, Steve Almond, M.F.K. Fisher, Marcella Hazan, Paula Wolfert and many more.

A reporter recently asked me why food plays such a central role in a couple's dating life. My response was that we are naturally social animals and eating is one of the most social experiences we share with others. It's a chance to relax, talk and connect. But at sometime or another we all end up eating alone. It might be by choice or necessity. We might love the experience or we might hate it. Because eating alone is a private affair, we might just give in to secret obsessions or desires.

All of this secrecy makes for something akin to peeking in your neighbors medicine cabinet. It's voyeuristic to be sure. But in this case, a lot less unethical! I particularly liked discovering some voices that were new-to-me such as Erin Ergenbright who writes about a demanding customer who eats at an upscale restaurant in Portland, always by herself. Phoebe Nobles essay on eating nothing but asparagus is masterful. Laura Calder's essay is so laugh-out-loud funny that I was surprised I hadn't heard of her before. I can't wait to read more of her stuff.

This is the perfect book for someone newly single, but really, it's a book for everyone who enjoys reading about people and food and where the two intersect. Kudos to editor Jenni Ferrari-Adler for choosing such terrific writers and memorable stories. This is an anthology to savor.

READ MORE Over at Bay Area Bites is my review of Fish Forever which includes a recipe reprint.

FOOD

The news you have all been waiting for!

Well after many false dawns and months of hard work i am very happy to announce that the brand new iFoods has arrived! Only 5 minutes ago we signed off on the final stages of the site and it is about to go live to all you loyal fans. We are starting with a "soft launch" which means for the next week we will only be running with 10 videos to iron out any little tweaks in the site. Next week we will add a further 70 videos and we will be up and running at full speed then! The good news is that you will also be able to upload all of your own home made videos and fantastic food pics and hopefully meet other foodies in your area. we also would love you all to add your thoughts and comments about the site with as many ideas you would like to see implemented over the next week as possible. We are going to grow this into something huge and you readers who have been here from the start will be the lucky ones who will be able to help shape it.

Thanks for your patience and hope you are all planning on cooking tonight!

GO TO WWW.IFOODS.TV NOW!!!!