[capozzoli]

Aw man, I didnt mean to imply that you suck.

And non stick pans are great for eggs.

Just that once you figure it out, you dont need nonstick.

They are also great for amateurs.

Jack and Julia only use non stick because they are demonstrating to the masses. Not necessarily pros, lie us.

Try these tips to get some non-stick action from cast iron or SS.

First and most of all, cold oil hot pan. Meaning heat the pan up really well then add oil immediately before you add the eggs, or food to be cooked.

There are a couple of inherent problems with butter. One is that if you add a pat of butter to the pan by the time it melts it will be as hot as the pan itself before adding the eggs. They will most likely stick.

Also the milk solids in the butter can start to burn before the egg is well cooked. Also the browning milk solids can make the egg brown more easily as well. Some find this brown on the eggs, scrambled or fried, undesirable.

Try making clarified butter. It is not very hard and works great in all of your cooking where frying or sauteing in butter is desired.

This is also called ghee in Indian cooking.

Here is Alton Browns method for making clarified butter.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ghee-recipe/index.html.

If you apply the hot pan cold oil method with the ghee, you will get great omelets every time. With a clarified butter flavor like no other.

Now, let me tell you about fritatas. You cook them in your oven. You will cook a fritata once and you will never go back to omelets again. Trust me.

[smurfe]

I have two non-stick skillets. A 12 inch Caphalon and a 6" All Clad. Both are around 10 years old. The 12" gets used a lot, almost daily. Keys to those are never ever ever ever use a metal utensil in them or even a wooden spoon. Use silicon utensils and use moderate heat as well. Also, when you wash them, never put them in the dishwasher or use any kind of abrasive scouring pad, even the nylon. That said though, I use a 12" All Clad stainless skillet the most here and occasionally the cast iron skillet that I have that was my grandmothers and it probably 60-70 years old. We use a lot of cast iron cookware. I have a Le Creuset Dutch oven and a Batali Risotto Pan which is just a large coated cast iron saucier pan. Love these pieces and are very non-stick as well.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

I love using cast iron.  I have a Le Creuset dutch oven and a braising pan -- awesome cookware.

[tygo]

I love using cast iron.  I have a Le Creuset dutch oven and a braising pan -- awesome cookware.

The dutch oven is one of the porcelain enamel ones?  I'm assuming they're pretty low maintenance as opposed to bare cast iron, right?

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Yes, it's enameled cast iron, so it's not as much maintenance as the bare stuff.  I use a raw cast iron skillet for toasting/roasting chiles (fresh and dried), garlic, onion, and for making homemade tortillas.

[capozzoli]

Made a fritata this AM.

It is made with eggs, bacon, broccoli, potatoes and bread with some tomato slices and parm cheese on top.



Just precook your potatoes and broccoli. and put them in a oiled oven pan.

In a bowl add eggs, chopped bacon, salt pepper, herbs and spices if desired. A fist full of cubed bread(stale is best) and a teaspoon of baking powder.

Mix well and set aside till the bread gets soft and wet.

Then put the egg mixture on top of the of the veg in the oven pan, top with cheese and tomatoes if desired. Put into a 35o degrees oven until it rises and a tooth pick comes out clean.

Good stuff......too hell with omelets, too much trouble.  and you dont need a non-stick pan to make them.

you can also make a lot for more people with out the added labor of making each omelet. Just use a bigger pan and more eggs.



Another good thing about this dish is you can make it with eggs and just about anything that is in the fridge. You can use rice, tortillas, even pasta. It is great with tomato sauce on them or gravy.

[beerocd]

They are also great for amateurs.

I made a fritata with crushed potato chips a couple of times, saw it in a food mag. The potato chips rehydrate while they're cooking. Omelettes just seem faster.
You popped up your pictures while I was posting, I've done it in a LARGE cast iron pan and then flip it out onto a serving plate.

-OCD

[Jon]

Made a fritata this AM.

It is made with eggs, bacon, broccoli, potatoes and bread with some tomato slices and parm cheese on top. 



Just precook your potatoes and broccoli. and put them in a oiled oven pan.

In a bowl add eggs, chopped bacon, salt pepper, herbs and spices if desired. A fist full of cubed bread(stale is best) and a teaspoon of baking powder.

Mix well and set aside till the bread gets soft and wet.

Then put the egg mixture on top of the of the veg in the oven pan, top with cheese and tomatoes if desired. Put into a 35o degrees oven until it rises and a tooth pick comes out clean.

Good stuff......too hell with omelets, too much trouble.  and you dont need a non-stick pan to make them.

you can also make a lot for more people with out the added labor of making each omelet. Just use a bigger pan and more eggs.



Another good thing about this dish is you can make it with eggs and just about anything that is in the fridge. You can use rice, tortillas, even pasta. It is great with tomato sauce on them or gravy.

That is not a frittata its a casserole. A frittata is started in a skillet on the stove and finished in the oven. Although what you have made looks and I bet tastes very good. 

Dont fear non-stick pans. They are not a crutch like some would like you to believe. There are plenty of "Real" Chefs that use them. The best place to get them is your local restaurant supply store. They are cheap there and tend to outlast the more expensive department store brands. 

Not trying to step on anyones toes, just my opinion. SWMBO says I have plenty of them.

Jon

[capozzoli]

No worries about stepping on toes there Jon. Debating is learning.

Ill have to disagree with you on the frittata thing though. I learned how to make frittatas when I worked as an Italian chef. And I learned it from old timers. So I would like to THINK I know w little bit about Italian food.

 The only reason to start it on the stove is when it is really big and thick, cause if its thick and cooked in the oven the eggs will over cook on the outside before they completely cook on the inside.

You can make them on the stove top, the oven or both. Doesn't make a difference. Basically it is an omelet that isn't turned and folded over. instead it is made like above.

For me the oven method  works best  when busy cause you can just throw everything into the pan pour over the eggs and be done with it.

Now . casserole, that is a different story all together. Around here that means a hodge podge of 'whatever' baked in the oven.

Like my moms tuna casserole surprise. eeewww

As for the nonstick pans. I just don't like them. I want to cook with metal tools, not plastic ones. Nothing wrong with using them. Its just that if food doesn't stick for you on regular pans then why use non stick?

[Jon]

It's hard to argue the point when you learned it from where it came from. In any case your recipe will be in my oven next sunday morning.

99% of the time when I cook inside it's with SS or Cast Iron. The other 1% is non-stick. SWMBO dosent like the brown stuff in her eggs. Out side it's cast iron grates.

[capozzoli]

I know what you mean about the brown on eggs. My wife is the same way.

I only like the brown on eggs when cheese is involved.

I do have a non stick pan though. It is a tawa pan, a special pan for making Indian and Ethiopian pan breads. Mostly I use it for making injeras. I cant do it with out a nonstick pan, not sure I ever will.

I need a non stick brew kettle so my extract brews dont burn so easily.  


Oh and you know when we make that egg dish the most? When we go down the shore for a weekend. We stuff it with potatoes, asparagus, scallops, shrimp, and crab meat. Then we top it with wads of provolone cheese.

OMG, so f-in good!

[beerocd]

... when I worked as an Italian chef.
 

Just saw your pic in another thread....



j/k 

-OCD

[Thirsty_Monk]

I need a non stick brew kettle so my extract brews dont burn so easily.  

Just turn your burner off when you add the extract.
No non stick brew kettle needed

[capozzoli]

HA! that is funny.

I used to have an apron that said that.

I wasn't so skinny when I worked as a cook, that is for sure.

[tubercle]

My wife's great-grandmother's frying pan. Must be ~ 100 years old. Slick as glass and an omelet will slide right out.
I've got about a half dozen cast pans but this is my favorite because the sides are a little deeper. Just right for cornbread. Of all of the pots and pans I have this is the workhorse. That and my cast dutch oven.

 Hasn't had a drop of soap in it since we got it about 20 years ago.