I’ve made some fabulous, savory explorations recently, all of them with my newest kitchen love, this carbon steel pan:
Turns out, you really can fry up some delightful dishes if you’ve got a pan that can heat up like the blazes. And it’s oven safe, too! All of those lovely stovetop-to-oven dishes, finally within my grasp!*
I will mention, though, that I had a hell of a time seasoning the thing. Making the creamed spinach linked to below stripped off great pieces of my initial seasoning attempts, I’m not sure why. But now the following method seems to be working just fine: clean pan after cooking, heat up in oven, apply thin layer of oil, continue baking for another half hour or so.
Here’s what I’ve been making!
These reminded me so strongly of latkes, and as that association suggests they were delicious: crispy and fried, savory and yet full of vegetable goodness. I made them here large enough to be an entree, but I’ve also made them smaller to serve as an appetizer. As the linked recipe suggests, the sriracha mayo was excellent, do not skip it.
Steakhouse Steak and Almond-Milk Creamed Spinach
This is one of the first things I made in my new pan, and it did not disappoint. Creamy, cheesy, silky savory goodness… delicious. This was also great further proof that you can easily substitute almond-milk for cows milk. I’ve been keeping almond milk in my fridge as a staple these days, merely because it lasts longer in my one-person household.
Crispy Tofu Stir-Fry with Teriyaki Sauce
This was another great discovery with my new pan: it really is possible to get crispy, fried tofu! Amazing. I combined Budget Bytes crispy tofu method and teriyaki sauce; add whatever vegetables are on hand and put it all on top of some quinoa… I’ve made it twice in one month already, and might be making it next week as well!
Here’s to great new kitchen equipment!
*And if you wanted to insert some maniacal laughter here, I say go right ahead.
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