Despite years of innovation in cookware technology, cast iron is still one of the most touted materials. Cast iron is strong and durable, holding up to anything cooks can throw at it. Cookware made of cast iron can go from the oven to the stovetop and straight to the table, all while retaining heat better than virtually all other cookware.

One of the main drawbacks of cast iron, however, is that food can be burned on, and washing cast iron cookware with soap and water isn’t an option. Enameled cast iron cookware has successfully solved this catch-22. Now you can have all of the unparalleled cooking qualities of cast iron cookware while enjoying the quick cleanup and easy maintenance of an enameled set.

During the winter I often get a longing for the discernible taste of fresh grilled food. I live in Michigan, however, and the prospect of running outside in the freezing cold to tend the grill isn’t too attractive. To that end, I have found a way to circumvent the traditional system and enjoy grilled food year round.

Most people are probably assuming I will be touting some product like the Foreman Grill, but in my opinion, this product does an inadequate job of creating an authentic grill flavor. I prefer to use grill pans on my stovetop when I grill indoors. This effectively simulates the open grill cooking and allows me to cook scrumptious steak, burgers and chick anytime of the year.

One of the most important pieces of camping gear is your outdoor cookware. After many miles of uphill climbing and hard trekking, there’s nothing better than getting to your camp site and being able to enjoy a hot meal. The best way to achieve this kind of meal is with camping cooking gear such as butane stoves. These handy little devices are compact and collapsible, so they fit easily into your backpack, and they are high powered, so you can cook canned soup, dehydrated meals, or simply have hot water for tea or coffee.

One of the most interesting parts of camping is making yourself aware of all the creature comforts that you miss at home. But with the right camping cookware, you can bring some of that comfort into your campsite. Out in the wilderness, things become much more simplified. The only things that truly matter are food, water, and shelter. Help get the best out of the food aspect with the best in cooking gear.

When the Dutch oven was first patented in the early 18th century, its design was markedly different from what you might see at a modern day camp site. Early Dutch ovens resembled cauldrons in that they were very deep and lacked legs. This design would hardly hold up to campfire use, which became common in the American colonies. Over time, legs were added to keep the oven perched above hot coals; the pot became shallower to allow for quick boiling.

Today’s modern cast iron Dutch ovens require a bit of modification before use in the wilderness. It’s important to scour the inside of the pot with soap and warm water in order to remove the wax coating. Following this cleaning, cover the inside surface with vegetable oil. Heat the oven to allow the oil to bond with the metal. This process effectively protects a Dutch oven from rust.

Learning how to cook is not that difficult. There are so many dishes that even non-cooking experts can easily create. For instance, with easy hamburger recipes, you can prepare food for yourself and your roommates in no time at all. Here’s one basic recipe:

1. Wash hands and remove rings before touching any food. Prepare one of your fry pans and spatula.
2. Put ½ pound ground meat in a bowl; add a few shakes of salt and pepper and some chopped onion.
3. Mix the meat and spices thoroughly using your hands then make a ball with enough meat to make the size of patty you want
4. Toss the meat from one hand to the other a few times to get the air out then squeeze the meat and form into a patty. Repeat until you finish all the meat in the bowl.
5. Set aside the patties on a flat, clean surface. Heat your pan by turning on the stove to medium heat,
6. Put a small amount of oil, butter or margarine in the pan, heat for a minute then put one or two patties in.
7. Let cook for about 5 minutes, then flip them over using the spatula. To check if the burger is cooked, poke it with a fork then press down on the meat. The liquid should come out clear, not reddish.
8. Prepare lettuce and tomatoes on buns. Place one burger on each piece of bread and enjoy them with catsup, mustard or mayo.

Growing up, I always looked forward to family dinners. When my dad got off work early enough to cook, there was about a 50-50 chance that we would be treated to a real Italian feast. My personal favorite, spaghetti and meatballs, was reserved for special occasions. The sauce was memorable, certainly, but the meatballs were the real star of the show. Here’s one of the Italian meatball recipes I still follow to this day.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of ground beef, veal and pork mixture
2 eggs
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced
1 cup bread crumbs
salt, to taste
splash of milk

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients except garlic in a large mixing bowl. Shape into meatballs.
2. Fry until browned in one of your skillets with olive oil and garlic. Add to tomato sauce, allow to simmer there for at least 3 hours.

Baking a cake can be a tremendously rewarding experience. Creating a delicious desert gives you a special sense of accomplishment, and you’ll also bask in the glow of compliments friends and family are sure to offer. But before you start taking victory laps, you’ll need to make sure that you select the proper baking pan for a given recipe. Remember the general rule that a “pan” refers to a metal receptacle and a “dish” is typically made of glass.

It’s also crucial that your baking pan is the right size for the recipe. Otherwise you might end up with an overflowing desert. If your dish is too small to accommodate a recipe, don’t despair. You can pare down the ingredients and the cooking time, ending up with fewer servings but just as fulfilling of an experience. Some recipes will call for greasing your pan, but this might not be necessary if you have cast iron baking pans.

Here is a delicious recipe for excellent banana nut muffins-enjoy:

~2 eggs
~2 ripe bananas (mashed)
~1 cup of buttermilk
~1 stick of butter (softened)
~2 cups of flour
~½ cup of chopped pecans
~1 cup of granulated sugar
~1 teaspoon of vanilla
~1 teaspoon of salt
~1 teaspoon of baking powder
~½ teaspoon of baking soda

Preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare one of your cast iron muffin pans.

Beat together butter and sugar, then add eggs and beat thoroughly, then beat in bananas until the mixture is smooth.

Mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and then stir the flour mixture and buttermilk into the egg mixture.

Stir in the chopped pecans and vanilla.

Spoon batter into the muffin pan, filling each tin about 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

When it comes to kitchen appliances, there are some that are great to have for all kinds of cooking, and others that are more or less situational. A Panini grill, for example, is great for people who like Panini sandwiches, but for people who crave a Panini just once in a while, it doesn’t make much sense to spend money on a Panini grill. However, other items like hot plates, griddles, and rice cookers are useful for a wide range of dishes and can be used for several meals.

Hot plates are great for keeping food warm when it’s fresh out of the oven, and can also be used to cook on the side when the stovetop is occupied. Griddles are ideal for all kinds of breakfast foods, and can also be used to cook hamburgers, porkchops, and even stirfry. While a rice cooker might seem like it has a singular purpose, most rice cookers can also function well as steamers for cooking fresh vegetables and even freezer vegetables. In addition, there are so many dishes that require rice, a rice cooker is overall great to have around the kitchen.

The word “fritter” can mean many things to many people. For a New Englander, a delectable apple fritter might spring to mind. In Southeast Asia, on the other hand, a scrumptious yam prepared in a wok might be more typical. In any case, fritter is a blanket term for a food that’s dipped in batter and then deep-fat fried. It goes without saying that almost any foodstuff can be made delicious via this method, although it should be used in moderation. Try the following recipe for crab fritters - it should appeal to Pacific Northwest diners as well as those with a Southern sensibility.

Ingredients:
6 ounces crab meat
1 egg, whipped with water
2 Tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tsp. margarine
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup flour
½ cup skim milk
1 tsp. sherry
1 tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
flour (additional)
bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Cook green pepper and garlic in margarine and EVOO in saucepan until tender. Add milk, stirring until thick.
2. Shred crab, adding sherry, cayenne pepper, and meat to pan. Allow 2 hours for chilling.
3. Form crab into small balls with a 1-Tsp. scoop. Roll them in flour and dip in mixture of egg and water. Roll in crumbs and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Fry 3 or 4 balls at a time in one of your cast iron deep fry pans until they are browned to satisfaction, and enjoy.