60
votes
Accepted
What is the function of this shallow, 19-divoted, eared cast iron piece?
They look like the Dutch "mini pancake" pans... they're used to make poffertjes.
There are nearly identical pans on sale here.
The Wikipedia article talks about them more specifically:
Poffertjes ...
- 16.5k
40
votes
Accepted
Is there ever an advantage to using a light-bottomed pan?
Firstly, light-bottomed pans exist partly because they save cost and weight (the latter being relevant for, say, taking a pan when hiking). However, there are applications for which a light-bottomed ...
- 4,881
31
votes
Accepted
Does preheating a pan before sautéing aromatics make a difference?
I prefer to cook aromatics starting from a cold pan/oil, whenever possible. Starting with a cold pan makes it easier to avoid singeing the ingredients. (You really don't want a "sear" in ...
- 26.9k
30
votes
What is the function of this shallow, 19-divoted, eared cast iron piece?
That pan is identical to the one used to make a Thai dessert that is made out of a coconut mixture. I live in Thailand and see them almost every day. It is called Kanom Krok and is very popular ...
- 317
28
votes
What's the best way to keep cover of a pan slightly opened?
Tilt the lid.
It will stay where you put it… approximately.
See pan top left & pyrex bottom right; they will stay like that all day if needed
If it really refuses to stay, then wedge a spatula [...
- 29.7k
25
votes
Accepted
What are these two brown spots in my enamel pan?
So, I have some bad news and some good news.
The bad news is that those look like rust spots that are a result of a flaw in the enamel coating allowing moisture and salt to get through to the iron ...
- 61.2k
24
votes
How to use a ridged cast iron griddle?
What you have is a ‘grill pan’
They work well for meat, but the real advantage is that if you have something that gives off a fair bit of liquid, the food doesn’t end up swimming in it.
Mind you, the ...
- 80k
23
votes
Can a pan "cook too fast"?
Cook's Illustrated has demonstrated that different baking sheets can cook differently. They found that some of the sheets would cook unevenly or would even cook faster than other sheets, in the case ...
- 331
21
votes
Accepted
How do you properly and consistently pan-sear shrimp?
There are a few things you can do to help your shrimp get a nice sear.
First, make sure they're as dry as possible before adding them to the pan. Use paper towels and pat dry. Especially if you're ...
- 774
19
votes
Accepted
(How) Have I ruined my titanium pan?
I'm no chemist, but a quick googling shows hydrogen peroxide [sodium percarbonate in water] to be quite aggressive on aluminium.
I'd guess that some light surface scratching, which would otherwise ...
- 29.7k
16
votes
What's the best way to keep cover of a pan slightly opened?
Funny enough, I saw a little silicone gadget the other day when I was out shopping - those stick men called Lid Sid are designed to do exactly what you want. Granted, they are real unitaskers, but ...
- 58.5k
16
votes
Does preheating a pan before sautéing aromatics make a difference?
It depends heavily on what you're cooking.
For Indian or central Asian styles of cooking, for example, the spices get tempered in the hot oil first, and the oil absolutely needs to be heated first. ...
- 952
16
votes
Can I use a rectangular ceramic pan instead of enameled cast iron to bake bread without losing the nice crust?
Doesn't matter; you cannot use a ceramic pan with that baking technique.
If you heat the ceramic pan to 500F and then add the wet dough, it is likely to crack, and possibly even explode. Same goes ...
- 61.2k
16
votes
(How) Have I ruined my titanium pan?
While pouring a caustic chemical on your non-stick and scraping it with hard plastic didn't so your coating any favors it was very likely already damaged. How this damage came to be is impossible to ...
- 75.4k
16
votes
Accepted
How to use a ridged cast iron griddle?
If your alternatives are an oven or non stick pans, these sit perfectly in the middle. They really shine at high temperatures, and with marinated foods.
I personally mainly use mine for meat, as my SO ...
- 466
15
votes
How to use a ridged cast iron griddle?
I've had one of these for years, but usually can't be bothered to dig it out.
The only real gain I can see is … it makes nice stripes.
I've seen people claim it's for "lower fat" cooking, ...
- 29.7k
12
votes
Accepted
Can a pan "cook too fast"?
This review does not make sense as it's incompatible with the physical laws of the universe. A change in bakeware material or thickness may alter how quickly heat is transferred from the air in the ...
- 75.4k
10
votes
What is the function of this shallow, 19-divoted, eared cast iron piece?
This kind of pan seems to be used in many cuisines. In addition to the Dutch
poffertjes, and the thai desert mentioned in another answer, an identical pan is used to make a south Indian dish called ...
- 211
10
votes
Black spotting/dust in stainless steel utensils.Is this mildew?
The specks are corrosion pits. Austenitic stainless (aka- 18-8 , 304 , and several other numbers) are notorious for pitting in salt (halides). The 316 and 317 with molybdenum are more resistant but I ...
- 1,095
10
votes
How to use a ridged cast iron griddle?
Panini press
You can make grilled sandwiches, panini style.
While a real panini press cooks with two hot sides simultaneously, you can come close to that effect by flipping your sandwich while using a ...
- 684
9
votes
Can I use a rectangular ceramic pan instead of enameled cast iron to bake bread without losing the nice crust?
In a very similar position to you, I switched to an old-fashioned sheet steel loaf tin. The method is a little different
I line the tin with reusable non stick liner, and prove the dough in the tin (...
- 43.7k
8
votes
Accepted
Is my frying pan leeching metal into my food?
If anything is leeching, it would be stuff leeching onto your frying pan, not the other way around. It looks like the spots on the inside bottom of your pan are hard water deposits, maybe combined ...
- 7,082
8
votes
What's the best way to keep cover of a pan slightly opened?
A different option is to use a silicon lid. You don't have to leave it open, you just cover the pot fully and it bleeds off steam on its own just like a tilted solid lid.
- 136k
8
votes
Can I use a rectangular ceramic pan instead of enameled cast iron to bake bread without losing the nice crust?
There are two good answers here at this point, but I'll just add a little more about why your wife's method works. It is not just heat conductivity. First, cast iron does store a ton a energy as it ...
- 73.8k
8
votes
How to use a ridged cast iron griddle?
You can use it for most foods you can grill on a barbecue, like sliced or whole vegetables and fish on (or in) the skin.
Oil the food and have your pan hot before you add the food.
Or what my mother ...
- 2,072
8
votes
How do you properly and consistently pan-sear shrimp?
Supplementary answer:
It does depend on the type of shrimp somewhat. Inexpensive shrimp are often treated with sodium triphosphate or similar chemicals. This makes the shrimp plumper and better-...
- 61.2k
7
votes
What kind of pan is this? (photo) How would you use it?
The metal pan is a toaster, an accessory for the Manning-Bowman white enamel chafing dish.
see 1907 brochure from company link:
https://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/sliker/msuspcsbs_manb_manningbow2/...
- 71
7
votes
Accepted
Is there an easy way to tell if a pan/pot is oven-safe?
Speaking in generalizations, without knowing the details of content:
Anything with a non-stick coating- I wouldn't put it in the oven. If you don't know what the non-stick coating is made of, you can'...
- 111
7
votes
Can a pan "cook too fast"?
50% seems a big difference to me, but if you're comparing against a baking tray that keeps the bottom of the cake cool for several minutes, then switching to one that heats through very quickly will ...
- 171
7
votes
Can a pan "cook too fast"?
Thermodynamics indicates heat transfer through contact (conduction) is the most significant means of heat transfer. Rate of heating via conduction is a factor of type of material and thickness of ...
- 251
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible