Table Talk
Cast Iron
I am in love. That is, I am in love with my new griddle. One of the few things on my Christmas list this year was a Lodge cast iron double griddle. My brother Sherman has been touting the joys of cast iron for years. He, in fact, owns 20 or 30 cast iron pots and pans, and loves to call me to brag about some delicious thing that he just cooked in one of them: biscuits in the dutch oven, or maybe cobbler or stew. However much he had intrigued me, I had yet to purchase any cast iron, memories of inferior, or simply unseasoned pans ruining several meals long ago. But the griddle that I owned had warped a little, and it was difficult to keep it balanced on the iron grates covering the gas burners on my cook top. It was time to replace it. And I opted to try a cast iron one.
And now I'm hooked. What a great piece of equipment! It takes awhile to heat, but maintains temperature well. And it cooks hot and evenly. The biggest drawback is the weight--as you'd expect, it is really heavy, (which makes it difficult to lug to a client's). The sourdough pancakes and paninis I've cooked on it turn nice and brown, and I look forward to testing out the grill side on some good steaks--maybe this weekend, when I don't feel like braving the snow in order to use the outdoor grill. I'm a long way from owning 20 or 30 pieces (and I still wonder how you store that many pans), but my griddle is a great start.
