Cast iron woes

I just wanted to take a quick second and tell you all about my new cast iron skillet and dutch oven. We were at the BX (base exchange) and couldnt resist getting these for our new camping adventures. When we got home last night Pat and I were both eager to give them a try. Pat asked me to fry him an egg, but I wasnt sure an egg was the best thing to try out first on our new cast iron. Instead I noticed a bowl full of mixed organic apples that needed to be used soon. So I opted on making some homemade applesauce. We had some discusion on how to clean the cast iron and weather or not we needed to season them before cooking. Some how all this info went in one ear, translated to something completely obscure and with a quick rinse under some slightly less then hot water I started the apple sauce in the dutch oven.

The applesauce finished cooking in no time and smelled wonderful, warm and inviting. The thought of eating this made me feel all cozy inside. So with that I filled up two bowls with the piping hot applesauce. Pat was working up stairs on the computer so I brought him up a bowl and then went back down to indulge in my very own. I ate about half the bowl and decided that was more then enough for me. It wasnt nearly as wonderful as my moms or my aunts homemade applesauce. I figured it was because I used a mixed varity of apples and sweetened it with honey rather the sugar.

A little while later as I was (excuse me here) leaving the restroom I noticed in the mirror a dark shadow coming from within my mouth. I got closer, squinting through all the smudgy handprints my darling son had left on the mirror saw the horror left behind, from my not so fabulous first attempt at using cast iron. BLACK! My teeth were black and grey!!! I couldnt stop snarling my lips up in the mirror. Then I remembered Pat upstairs. I ran up, swung open the door and asked Pat if he noticed anything odd about my teeth. As I smiled his expression went from curious to horrified in two seconds flat! With out words I examined his teeth, I shook my head "yes," his too were black.

After much scrubbing our teeth came clean. For the next twenty four hours or more I noticed we kept secretly looking at each others teeth and then giving reasurring smiles to one another. Our teeth are now free of all stains but I cant help but wonder what our insides must have looked like after this little event.

Since then we have done PLENTY of research (thanks to the internet) and have sucsessfully cleaned and seasoned both cast iron pans. This morning I made pancakes and they were uterly fantastic. Hip, hip, horay, for cast iron sucess (after much error!)

UPDATE: Clay cooker

I received an email back from Michel at BIA Cordon Bleu and she has been emailing around the world on my behalf. She was able to hunt down the company in Portugal who manufactured the clay cooker. The company in Portugal told her that their glazes are lead free and that as a rule Portuguese glazes that are used on cook ware all always lead free. Yippie! Happy clay cooking ahead!!!

Clay cooker

Thomas and I were out and about yesterday so I decided to walk through a thrift store and see if there were any new treasures that needed my attention. I always find pretty good books for Thomas and usually he finds a couple for himself (typically nothing I would have picked). I always concede seeing how the books are only a few cents each, and since he is always really good about letting mommy look around, I figure why not.

Well, I came out yesterday with a pile of books and one item that at the time I was pretty stoked about. It is a (drum roll please) ... clay cooker. Looks like it has never been used and is sort of uniquely pretty. I have never actually cooked out of a clay cooker before and didn't/don't know much about the process.

After we got home I started google-ing (aah, my favorite invention of all times!) clay cookers. There are quit a few sites out there that explained how to use these cookers and how to take care of them. Apparently this form of cooking is a very old method. Not surprised by that, seeing how non-stick is nasty little creation from my life time (or there about.) Basically these cookers are used for cooking one pot meals. They are the right size to put a full chicken or small hen in and several veggies. Oh, and one thing I discovered that I was really excited about is the fact that you can cook bread in these cookers, just imagine how pretty that would look!

The one thing I kept reading was that if you owned a clay cooker that has been glazed on the inside bottom to watch out. So of course I quickly got up, removed the lid from my cooker and to my dismay, there was a shiny glossy bottom glaring up at me. Bummer! The sites had pointed out that the glaze may in fact leach lead (if the glaze has lead in it) into our food.

You know me I am not a friend of heavy metals or any other toxic thing out there. But who is really? So sadly I placed my cooker on the shelf till I could find out more about this specific brand. I am of course keeping my fingers crossed that I can find proof some where that this one is indeed safe. Although I am a bit jaded at this point and may just return it to the thrift store and get my four dollars back. I could of course apply that four dollars to the purchase of a brand new clay cooker that is indeed glaze (thus: lead) free. They are relatively inexpensive brand new. Now that I have done all this research on clay cookers I must say I am dying to try it out. No pun intended!!!

So here is where I stand in closing: On the top of my clay cooker it reads, Cordon Bleu Clay Cooker. On the bottom there is a faded blue stamp that says BIA Cordon Bleu Clay Cooker, Portugal. So I have contacted some very friendly ladies at BIA and they are going to try and help me solve this mystery. They are pretty sure this is a very vintage piece, since none of them had ever seen or heard of such a piece. Hopefully after reviewing a few pictures of the cooker some one there will be able to give me a little direction. But I have this gut feeling that if I even have to question it I should probably just let it go.

Never fear gals, I am addicted to cooking gadgets and finds so I will update again on how it is cooking with a clay cooker, one way or another...

Paella

This was my first attempt at making Paella. Look at the steam coming off the food...

Unfortunately I could not find Spanish rice anywhere in this big city! Since I was to impatient to buy some mail order, I used arborio rice instead. It was a bit mushy for my taste.

I served it with warm sourdough bread...my favorite!

The clams and mussels did not survive thawing out...not sure what I did wrong there...

But chicken, chorizo, and shrimp were enough meat for us.

Over all it was a TON of work and I don't even want to add up the cost of all my ingredients. To top it all off it was really lacking in flavor. Pat said he really liked it, I only liked the way it looked. Since I have a wonderful Spanish paella pan I am sure I will attempt this again, but just not in the near future...