Sunday 3 July 2016

Vide-Grenier Happiness

I looked at a local Emmaus last week for pans for my induction hob.  After I had deliberated about a skillet and a saucepan I returned to the shelf to discover they had been purchased! OH!  Too late! However, they were in nowhere as good a condition as those I found today at a local Brocante / vide grenier.   I am happy.  I need my mood to be lifted!
I like these because they have integral handles.  The largest is black inside. The middle one's inside is a little worn but very ok. The little brown cocotte needed a small clean to get rid of the calcaire on the outside.
The sizes are 23, 20 and 18.  These relate to the quantity of liquid they contain! 
I am happy because they cost 5e, 3e and 2e respectively. They will help strengthen my wrists when I cook! It will demand learning to use new cooking techniques but that's going to  happen anyway with a new induction hob requiring technological understanding.  I have a new Neff techno-wizardry oven with an 'escamotable' door!  It disappears into the body of the oven as it is opened ! Lucky me!
There is no doubt that I shall continue to use my camping gaz cooker in the atelier and the gas / electric oven and hob I bought from friends in March. That is also sited in the atelier.  The atelier is a well-ventilated workshop area (almost as cold as outside in the winter and thank goodness the last winter was deemed mild because I had to cook out there!).  It could easily be converted into a living room / kitchen with east and south facing conservatory, if ONLY IF! 

I've read on the internet that I must not use acidic juices (wine / vinegar) in cast ironware but that may mean 'not enamelled'.  My friend has left me two small frying pans .. one is unenamelled black which needs its surface to be regraded. One is orange whose outer blackened enamel needs to be cleaned up with caustic soda and then the black oiled again!
One should not use metals which could scratch the containers and occasional dishwasher usage is ok for the enamelled Le Creuset but not the bare cast iron!  Soaking the pots in soft soapy water is recommended but again ABSOLUTELY NOT the bare cast iron which needs to be wiped with oil after each usage. sometimes a quick hot water blanche is ok.



2 comments:

  1. RiF... the black one looks to me like the LeCreuset black non-stick finish.
    You are perfectly OK to use acidic juices in that... and in the enamel ones... a good stew of rhubarb will clean the dirtiest looking one.
    But.. it is fine to use acids for cooking in raw ironwear... just don't leave it against the iron for too long as you will find it is adding a metallic taste to the food.
    It is, however, not doing you any harm... in fact it will help your blood to ingest a little extra iron from time to time.

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