tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454946892443304749.post7554003495110064651..comments2024-02-01T08:34:02.773-05:00Comments on Exurbitude: SeasonedBill Brainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999699705501962418noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454946892443304749.post-6292463196779957002008-02-06T23:29:00.000-05:002008-02-06T23:29:00.000-05:00My father was electrocuted in Vietnam when I was f...My father was electrocuted in Vietnam when I was five. One of the few memories I have of him is of his amazing fried shrimp --fried in his cast iron skillets with his secret breading. When those skillets got too heavy for my mom to lift anymore, she gave them to me. (Being the baby of the family gets you some perks, if only to make up for all the cold showers you took after everyone else used all the hot water.) And it's the most amazing thing --everything I've ever cooked in them has been a spectacular success.<BR/><BR/>I almost never wash mine with soap, though. I wipe them out with paper towels and then I oil them with my fingertips. And yes, they are incredibly smooth from years and years of use. I wish I had been around for more of the years my dad used them. If I close my eyes, I can still smell that shrimp frying.Barb Matijevichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16469997012394334517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454946892443304749.post-38199430893965184462008-01-31T00:45:00.000-05:002008-01-31T00:45:00.000-05:00I deeply enjoy this post. It's so well written and...I deeply enjoy this post. It's so well written and very moving.<BR/><BR/>I could feel quite guilty about not having a cast iron pan. I don't think my mother had one either. Or I would know, wouldn't I? Well-seasoned love from a supersmooth saucepan, never to be forgotten. <BR/>The important words: FROM YEARS OF USE (as you say), whichever symbol we choose to remember our parent's love. Presence, faithfulness, patience, daily attention, doing and redoing...<BR/><BR/>Keep scrubbing and seasoning, Bill. You were at a good school to learn of love. It's a lifetime job. And (as wcs said) sing...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454946892443304749.post-85020913296116964222008-01-30T19:58:00.000-05:002008-01-30T19:58:00.000-05:00Of course I seasoned my own pan upon purchase (it ...Of course I seasoned my own pan upon purchase (it came pre-seasoned, in fact, but I did it myself to be sure). The metal surface itself is irregular, while on my parents' pans the surface is super-smooth <I>from years of use.</I><BR/><BR/>If your point is that my parents' don't in fact love me, well, touché, sir. Touché.Bill Brainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02999699705501962418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454946892443304749.post-20754451979162395652008-01-30T18:09:00.000-05:002008-01-30T18:09:00.000-05:00I enjoyed the spirit of the post Bill, but as a fo...I enjoyed the spirit of the post Bill, but as a former chef, blah blah blah, I feel obliged to point out that your parents' pans are not scraped smooth, but are just very well seasoned. That is, your bumpy pan gets smooth by it getting filled with fat, etc., which fills in those crevices over time, making the pan naturally non-stick. There is of course some release of iron from the pan whenever it gets used, but the smoothness is mostly from the cured fats. Sort of like the baby's cheeks. So, don't scrub it so darned hard. It'll get smoother faster. http://housewares.about.com/od/cookware/f/curingcastiron.htmAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12878443512533765009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454946892443304749.post-52284121063852002442008-01-30T12:52:00.000-05:002008-01-30T12:52:00.000-05:00evenfurtherupstate: Sizzle! Of course!Sizzle sirl...evenfurtherupstate: Sizzle! Of course!<BR/><BR/>Sizzle sirloin steaks... why didn't I think of that?wcshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00551283829616757577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454946892443304749.post-43254992405096841502008-01-30T09:59:00.000-05:002008-01-30T09:59:00.000-05:00Great use of alliteration, wcs. I can almost hear ...Great use of alliteration, wcs. I can almost hear the sizzle of the pan as I read your post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454946892443304749.post-48393274330181616892008-01-30T04:38:00.000-05:002008-01-30T04:38:00.000-05:00Smooth skillets signal successful sojourns, so sau...Smooth skillets signal successful sojourns, so sauté some salsify, simmer several sauces, singe succulent spinach, savor squid salads, satiate souls, satisfy stomachs, surrender sobriety, and sing.wcshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00551283829616757577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454946892443304749.post-38500409370973699052008-01-29T12:38:00.000-05:002008-01-29T12:38:00.000-05:00"The point of the journey is not to arrive." - Nei..."The point of the journey is not to arrive." - Neil PeartAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454946892443304749.post-90041461165550684182008-01-29T09:08:00.000-05:002008-01-29T09:08:00.000-05:00Charming.I'm fond of finding cast iron stuff at ga...Charming.<BR/><BR/>I'm fond of finding cast iron stuff at garage sales and the like. They tend to be well-seasoned or well on the way.Magpiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15460136246441367993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454946892443304749.post-3002254978705591632008-01-29T06:22:00.000-05:002008-01-29T06:22:00.000-05:00Another great post, Bill! And, if I may say, "May...Another great post, Bill! And, if I may say, "May your saucepans be smooth." Actually, that would be a good toast.Amy Plumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14924931331024755546noreply@blogger.com