In the Kitchen With Tony
October 26, 2010
Hello, and welcome to In the Kitchen With Tony. Today we are going to discuss the perfect pan; What is it? Who makes the best one? And why?
Let us come right out and say that obviously, one will need more than a single pan for use in the kitchen, but I am going to contend that every kitchen needs this workhorse, I can barely get through a single day in the kitchen without using mine. Just how much work can we get out of a single pan you might ask? Plenty.
Since it is nonsense to advocate for a pan if it can only do multiple things with mediocrity, I can assure you that not only have I used this pan in all these different ways, but it performs incredibly well on all fronts. It can fry, saute’, reduce, roast, braise and sear; it can be used to make rouxs, sauces, rissotos (and various rice dishes), greens and jambalaya; and of course all the many dishes that these uses entail.
The magic pan is the All-Clad, MC2, 4qt saute pan. I imagine that either the 3qt or the 6qt would put limits on its multi-tasking abilities, though for larger occasions sometimes I do wish I had the 6qt as a backup, but the 4qt ends up being neither too small nor too large. 
Why All-clad and why specifically the MC2? Well All-clad because in my years as a professional cook I’ve yet to run across a more trustworthy company, whose products are always top notch. Why the MC2? There are several reasons why:
Price – As fas as I’m aware, the MC2 line is the most affordable of their many series
Material/Control – The ability to change the temperature of the pan at a fair speed needs to be balanced with the ability of the cookware to hold at least enough heat that you aren’t babysitting the pan all the time. Copper cookware is easily the most responsive, especially when lined with Tin, but it’s also the most expensive. Also, tin linings are very tempermental and need a lot of attention and maintenance. Stainless steel, while the least responsive of the common metals, makes the most durable and consistant cooking surface. Aluminum on the other hand, conducts heat quite well compared to stainless and the MC2 not only has a pure aluminum middle layer, but the external layer is a matte brushed aluminum, which is superior to a polished or anodized aluminum for heat conduction. This brushed exterior also collects a very nice patina: DON’T WASH THE PATINA! You want the inside clean and shiny to avoid sticking, but you want that outside coated in ‘gunk.’
With these three layers, the pan responds quickly to temperature adjustments and is able to maintain a consistently distributed heat.
Distribution of heat is also important. You don’t actually want those pans with thick bottoms but thin sides because it causes very uneven cooking (and the responsiveness issue comes in again). These three layers are even from the bottom and up the slightly rounded sides; a big plus.
The pan I got came with a lid and the lid is a must for many different cooking applications from steaming to braising. I do wish it was a bit more domed and that the inside of the lid had little knobs to drip the liquid back onto what I’m cooking, but the standard lid is just fine.
There you have it folks, the perfect pan of greatness.
Should Christians Own Bars? Now, What About Restaurants?
April 20, 2010
I had a rather lively discussion with some friends at work today. There was certainly a diverse group. There were RC’s, Jerry Falwell ”Liberty Way” types, American Baptists, Episcopalians, Non-denoms; so, it seems like all persuasions were present. Somehow, the topic of Christians or churches owning and running bars came up during lunchtime conversation. The standard arguments were made for and against the consumption of alcohol, but the fulcrum of the conversation remained stubbornly on whether it was morally right for Christians to run establishments that served alcohol. The line of reasoning that prevailed was the existence of a biblical injunction not to cause one’s Christian brother or sister to stumble. If a Christian should not live life in a manner that provides an opportunity for others to sin, they reasoned, then it was morally impossible for a Christian to own and run a bar.
I was thinking about the basis of their argument, and it seemed fair. Sure, the number of people who responsibly use alcohol vastly outnumber those that abuse it, but look at the trouble that those who abuse alcohol are actually causing for themselves and others. If you’re unsure about the costly nature of alcohol abuse check out an article from the Mayo Clinic, here. In fact, it is the general practice of the American Medical Association to recommend abstinence from alcohol, though some claim their “research” is biased and unscientific, here. The point for me, however, was not to argue the minutiae of whether a Christian can drink responsibly. The issue that stuck in my mind was that I think it is a fair argument to say that a Christian should not serve alcohol to those that abuse it.
Then a thought, an elaboration of the principle they hoped to employ in their argument, struck me. If it is unethical for a Christian to serve alcohol to an addict, is it also unethical for a Christian to serve huge portions of unhealthy, over-priced food to an addict? Should Christians own restaurants?
Think about it. Is there any longer any doubt that obesity has far surpassed alcoholism as a health epidemic? The Mayo Clinic has this to say about the obesity epidemic, here. The CDC names heart disease as the greatest contributing factor to death in the US, here. The American Heart Association says that obesity is one of the major contributing factors to heart disease, here. So, is it ethical, in the midst of a nationwide obesity epidemic (see this), for a Christian to own a restaurant?
Let the fight begin.
Thoughts Inspired by Michael Pollan, Prophet
February 8, 2010
This is a part of my loose series about food which started with this introduction, and continued with this
Never heard of Michael Pollan? Read this, and this, and this.
1. We spend an enormous amount treating chronic illnesses caused by our diet choices. Conservative estimates are in the 500 Billion range. The food industry in a symbiotic relationship with the health industry–our food makes us sick, our healthcare system treats us and sends us home with a bill. Why isn’t this a more prominent part of the health care debate?
2. For various complicated reasons having to do with the cold war (see Larry Norman’s Great American Novel), food prices rose exponentially in the ’70s causing that political-social genius known as Richard Nixon to restructure our agriculture system, setting up the modern subsidy system, which pays farmers to a) develop a monoculture of either soy or corn, and b) dump that soy and corn into a bad market causing food prices to plummet. The problem being that monoculture goes against 10,000 years of agricultural wisdom and has devastated our environment.
3. As a result of #2 above, food corporations must process food to give it value in order to maximize profits. Processed food is at best less healthy and at worst very, very unhealthy, which explains why we have the healthcare problem stated in #1, and why diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity have skyrocketed since the ’70s.
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2. It takes 10 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of beef. This is unethical for two reasons: 1) In consuming it 1lb of beef we are stealing 9 lbs of grain from someone who needs it more than us. 2) The greenhouse gas emissions from the process is killing our planet. Cows that eat grass do not compete with humans for crops that we can eat, and are less harmful on the environment, and may actually reverse the effects of greenhouse gasses (carbon fixing). Looks like my beef stew recipe needs amending.
3. Swine flu is not caused by eating pork. However, swine flu came into existence in a pork processing plant as a result of the way that we process pork (think back to the first outbreak of H1N1, there were multiple report of how UN health officials traced the origin of the flu to a pork processing factory in Mexico).
4. Holy Shit! The Bible was right! Which animals were the Israelites allowed to eat? The ones that chewed the cud i.e. ATE GRASS. Which animals weren’t the Israelites allowed to eat? The one’s whose production and processing is harmful to the well-being of humans and the planet.
Cooking with Beer: The More Perfect Way (of cooking)
February 6, 2010
This is part of a loose series of mine entitled: Toward a Theology of Food
Proof of Beer’s Overall Culinary & Nutritional Superiority above all other Food & Beverage
Brewing Up a Civilization – Spiegel Online
General Guidelines for Cooking with Beer
1. Good beer makes good food. Conversely, bad beer makes bad food.
2. Never use all your beer for cooking. Save some for more traditional purposes.
3. Ne Quid Nemis. Balance and Counterpoint is key (see the note about prunes in the recipe below).
4. The darker the malt the fuller the flavor imparted to the dish (this is a general rule of thumb, sure to have exceptions).
Guinness Beef Stew
I can’t take full credit for this recipe, it is merely my adaptation of about seven of the dozens of recipes for this delectable dish that you can find on the internet.
2 lb. lean stew beef (I’ll bet lamb or mutton would be good as well, but they would make the whole thing a lot greasier and fattier).
1/2 cup (or so) flour
3 tablespoons (give or take) of olive oil. The use of canola oil will doom the whole project to failure, so don’t.
1 bullion cube- chicken or beef (I actually like chicken bullion in this recipe. Go figure.) Alternatively, you can make your own broth or stock.
4 carrots
1 white onion
2 1/2 cups water
1 12 oz. bottle of Guinness Extra Stout- do not use the draft cans or bottles.
1/2 cup of pitted prunes. This is seriously the key to the whole thing. The first time I made this stew I was like, “Prunes are for old people! That’s stupid!” And I didn’t put them in. The resulting stew was nasty. It tasted like pieces of meat floating in three day old stale beer. You couldn’t eat it. This is a part of the recipe that one should definitely experiment with, however; less prunes will give you more bitterness, more prunes make it sweeter. I feel like 1/2 cup or so provides a balance: the flavors of the beer, including its bitterness, can be fully tasted and enjoyed, but are not overpowering. You could also try raisins or dried apricots, or dried cranberries. Just don’t forget to add some sort of dried fruit.
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of rosemary (maybe wrapped in cheesecloth)
1/2 cup of chopped parsley (for garnish)
Salt and pepper to taste (don’t be too stingy with it)
1.Mix the flour in with the little cubes of beef. If the beef is really fatty, you may want to cut some of the fat off before you do this. In a fry-pan, brown the beef on all sides using about two tablespoons of oil or so. In your big stew pot, boil the water and add the bullion cube. My feeling is that a copper pot would be ideal for this stew, but if you haven’t robbed a Williams & Sonoma lately, or if you’re not rich, you’ll probably have to use stainless steel like me.
2. Chop carrots and onions. When the beef is done throw the beef and carrots in with the water. Add the beer, slowly, reverently pouring it down the side of the pot. As it flows out of the bottle, sing the Gloria in your best angelic voice. This is essential for continued success. May I suggest you use the setting arranged by William Byrd? Of course, my dream kitchen would be outfitted with a choir loft and a full-time, three voice choir, but, believe it or not, that hasn’t happened for me…yet. Alternatively, one may want to always have among one’s dinner guests someone with a fine voice.
3. In the same pan that the beef was in, put some more oil, and fry the chopped onions for a few minutes (not too long), making sure to shake them around plenty. Then throw them in your pot as well. Go ahead and throw your bay leaf and rosemary in there, too. Salt and pepper. Bring it all back to a boil, then turn the heat down to low.
4. Pit your prunes and cut them up into little pieces. Add these last, once everything else is comfortably simmering and you’ve turned the heat down.
5. Simmer covered for an hour or so, until the meat is tender; also, you shouldn’t have any little bits of prunes left, they should have all melted.
5 1/2. I almost forgot: Before serving, take out the bay leaf and rosemary. If you don’t, I’m not liable if someone chokes and dies.
6. Serve it up on top of potato pancakes or mashed potatoes, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. With the meal, either finish off the six-pack of Extra Stout (if you haven’t already) or have the draft cans available, according to your preference. Make sure you pour them into the appropriate glassware, if you don’t the food will taste awful. Don’t touch the draft bottles, either, they will ruin everything.
Serves 4-8 depending on a) how hungry you are; b) how many potatoes you eat with it; c) how many Guinnesses you drank while cooking.
Let me know what you think.
Toward a Theology of Food: Introduction
January 10, 2010
Please forgive me if the whole toward-a-theology-of-whatever-the-hell-you-want thing bugs you. It is something of a theological cliché these days with your “Toward a Theology of Economics,” your “Toward a Theology of Fundraising, ” and the slightly more sanctimonious “Toward a Theology of Feet.” There’s “Toward an Evangelical Theology of Cussing,” and who could forget the ever popular “Toward a Theology of Rabbit Breeding” (I haven’t made any of these up, I promise). Name aside, I will attempt to make these series of posts as thought-provoking as possible, though I don’t see any reason to be too serious.
These posts are inspired by Reed’s excellent series on Leviticus and Law in Post-Culture War America (especially Part III) in conjunction with some reading I’ve been doing on Agrarianism, and especially a book entitled Scripture, Culture and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible by Dr. Ellen F. Davis (Episcopal, Awesome, Duke Univ.), as well as a year-long (or so) infatuation with the Agrarian himself, Wendell Berry. On top of all that, I’ve recently become a stay-at-home da…delitante, and consequently have been honing the cooking and baking skills that I’ve aquired over the course of my marriage, but have, up to this point, usually been too tired after work to really care. So, as a consequence of all these stimuli, I really want to talk about food. Are you hungry, yet?
Here’s what I envision for this series: I want to talk about the morality of food, and I also want to talk about the connection food has to living the everyday simple life of the Church Kalender (that’s right, I spell it with a K now), I also want to chronicle my quest to create the world’s greatest beer bread; yes, there will be recipes in this series, that is, if all goes well, and I don’t burn down the house.
First, let us begin by gnawing on some thought provoking passages from various sources concerning the morality of food and where we get it. These are about the morality of food generally. I hope to approach the topic more specifically in a later post.
What does the Bible have to say about the food we as Christians eat? Nothing, right? Oh, except for all that crap in Leviticus. Here’s what theophiliacs’ own Reed Carlson has to say about that:
“Too often such foreign sounding prohibitions [as those found in Leviticus concerning food] can be explained away as the archaic superstitions of an agricultural, pre-modern people. In reality, such interpretations say far more about how removed the average American has really gone from the source of his or her food than it does about the text itself. These clever little things called “farmer’s markets” which we believe ourselves to have invented are actually one of the oldest and still by far the most common methods for human beings to get their food.” [Emphasis is his]
Maybe the reason the Bible isn’t saying anything to us about the food we eat is because we have removed ourselves so thoroughly from the context of the biblical authors–who were all thoroughly agrarian in outlook–that we have become blind and deaf to their message. Open our eyes, Lord, that we might see!
When one contemplates the careful protection of food, the respect for created beings, and the demand to care for the land that one finds in the Mosaic law (as well as in the rest of the OT), and when one takes a careful look at one’s own environment and discovers the multiple ways in which it is affected by one’s own eating habits, one is drawn to the same conclusion (though probably one would not be able to formulate it so clearly) as the estimable Dr. Davis:
“The essential understanding that informs the agrarian mind-set, in multiple cultures from ancient times to the present, is that agriculture has an ineluctably ethical dimension. Our largest and most indispensable industry, food production entails at every stage judgments and practices that bear directly on the health of the earth and living creatures, on the emotional, economic, and physical well-being of families and communities, and ultimately on their survival. Therefore, sound agricultural practice depends upon knowledge that is at one and the same time chemical and biological, economic, cultural, philosophical, and (following the understanding of most farmer in most places and times) religious. Agriculture involves questions of value and therefore of moral choice, whether or not we care to admit it.” [Emphasis is mine]
In short, to live a consistently moral life, we must not neglect the sanctification our food aquiring, and food eating habits. How do we do that?
Tony Hunt
jstambaugh
Shawn Wamsley
