The iron age

My parents were in town this weekend for a visit.  They come from someplace north of the Mason-Dixon line where it’s cold and where Yankees live.  We never cook at the house when we have guests…not sure why but it just never happens.  Typically we eat all sorts of snacks as well and then we fall asleep on the couch – just like Thanksgiving.

Anyhow, when I do cook, one of my new traditions is to cook eggs for the kids and Emily as they prepare for school/work in the mornings.  You may remember awhile back when I got Emily a frying pan for Valentines day.  It seemed like a reasonable gift to me but it didn’t end well.  I think I have learned my lesson though.  You see, for her birthday this year, I got her a cast iron skillet.  The frying pan was clearly too light and flimsy to suit her…why else would she not like my gift?

I used to cook eggs in the non-stick valentines day pan but I didn’t really like cooking in it.  Is it weird to analyze what sort of pan one likes to eggs in?  I thought so.  Alas, it has to be done.  So, I no longer use the valentines day pan for eggs.  I tried cooking eggs in the cast iron the first day and it was just absolutely marvelous!  It heats so evenly and I can control the temperature just right.  If the President ever needed an eggs-only chef, I could do the job!  Well, I could do the job if the President only ordered scrambled eggs.  Anything else and I am out…

After I cook the eggs, I like to play short order chef…”eggs are up!” I holler every morning.  It doesn’t matter if everyone is right beside me.  I channel Mel from Mel’s diner every time.  It’s cool to clean up too…I just wipe out the pan, add a dollop of butter and put it back on the heat to melt so the pan stays seasoned.  The cats love to lick the butter (found that one out the hard way) so I always have to watch the pan and store it in the oven when it cools some.

Aside from the race with the cats, I really like to use Emily’s cast iron birthday pan.  As long as I use it, she doesn’t feel the need to place it along-side my head!

9 thoughts on “The iron age

  1. You are two for two… posts that exemplify your brilliance… your exceptional thoughtfulness, your sweet skills. After cooking, I holler: “Free food!” They better come running, ’cause the cook demands respect.

  2. You are a better man than I am a woman! I don’t get up and cook breakfast for my kids. They eat at school. I don’t think they would want to get up at 5:30 to eat at the house anyway. I know I don’t want to get up at 5:30 to cook it! 🙂

    I had a few cast iron skillets. I made the mistake and listened to Martha Stewart and put some vegetable oil in them and baked them to keep them seasoned. It put a glue like film in them that I couldn’t get out. It’s been a few years now…. I need to find them and build a fire in the yard to try to get them clean.

  3. You could always buy me a new sweeper for Christams. As long as YOU use it, I wouldn’t feel the need to hit you upside the head with it either!

  4. Enjoyed eating out and besides Emily did cook dinner on Sunday night!!! It was very good too. Had a great weekend be back real soon.

  5. gifted a pan with the grill ridges in it. Leaves a really interesting pattern on your cheek when it hits you.

    Keep cooking and NEVER wash the cast iron. Heat, butter, salt if you need to scrub it, wipe, put it away till tomorrow.

    Enjoy!

  6. I have a little one that was my Grandmothers. I don’t think I have ever used it. I should whip up a batch of Warren Eggs, I’ll get back to you on that.

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