TEACHERS NEED TEACHING. And the best of teaching comes from the students. Years ago, a Swiss friend making his first trip to America was looking for a typically New Yorker thing to do. I took him to a Mets game, where I spent the first three innings describing and defining such intricacies as the designated-runner rule, the infield-fly rule, the real specs, nuts and bolts of the game of summer. Right around the fourth inning my friend turned to me, owl-eyed and asked, “What’s a base? Yes, well, there you have it. I had forgotten the essentials, which is exactly how I felt when John, of Teaching John to Cook, came to dinner over the Memorial Day weekend and seemed more flummoxed than helped by the recipes we’ve been offering him. One of three men whose aid we’ve come to, he well represents what I’ve heard from all three “Johns” we’re writing about here at TSP.
It seems that after his partner died, John did a bit of retail therapy and, as a result, possesses a lovely fish poacher, and some Le Creuset. Lucky man. But he just wanted a fried egg, poor guy.
I found myself thinking back on that baseball game. The essentials. What are the essentials we teach when we teach someone to cook? Is it as Jim suggests, that we start with all-in-one-pot and that great book Glorious One-Pot Meals by Elizabeth Yarnell? Such a good idea.
I could pretty much cook everything I cook (and I pretty much do) in the large cast iron skillet that was given to my mother-in-law as a wedding gift more than 65 years ago, and was then passed along to me. To this day, sometimes that divine pan sees three meals in a day in our house: it fries, it sautees; it even goes into the oven, its heavy lid securely on, and becomes the perfect roasting pan.
So, putting our best pan forward, what do you suggest I show our three friends who are learning to cook, what to cook in?
Thanks, sisters. Despite my stumble, they all report eating a little better this week.
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Love that headline, Marion.
Oh, yes. I am very familiar with one dish meals. Start him with a simple stir fry, he can’t go wrong.
I’d go with the cast iron, as you can both fry in it, bake stuff like cornbread, and also use it to roast in. Even though it’s just him, he’s probably better off with 12″ rather than 10″. I’d also get a preseasoned pan, as the whole seasoning thing can seem a bit intimidating.
The other pan I use quite a bit is a 12″ Calphalon non-stick frypan. It’s big enough to fry 4 pieces of meat comfortably in, and is deep enough to do up quick sauces — nonreactive, so you can cook tomatoes.
Hi, Janice. Yes, that cast iron skillet just makes me want to write its biography. “If This Old Pan Could Talk,” kind of thing, you know? I’ve done everything but hit someone with it. Yet. The seasoning thing did seem intimidating to me, too, until I simply plunged ahead and did it. The funny thing is I have about 5 other cast iron pans in my attic that nested within this one that I never have used. Why would I? This one does everything. So good of you to visit. Pleases come back.
Hi, April. Another vote for stir fry. Such a good choice. Thank you. And yes, that is a great book, isn’t it? Please come back soon.
Thanks, sister Anastasia.
Ah, the kitchen essentials…
Definitely a cast iron skillet. They’re lovely, for so many things.
Definitely a 3 quart saucepan – great for sauces (whoda thunk it?) and stews, small soups, reheating, etc.
And definitely the big ol’ dutch oven/spaghetti/soup pot.
Honestly, I don’t think I ever use anything but those three regularly.
Oh – a Pyrex 9×13 baking dish. Always handy for lasagna, baked beans, cakes, chicken, etc.
A slow cooker never hurts either.
Don’t forget microwave dishes…
I guess I’d go back even further–what do these guys like to eat anyway? What foods can’t they stand or do they have any allergies, etc? If you know what they like to eat when all other things are the same, it would then lend itself to what they may need to make it.
And don’t take “oh I like anything” or “I’ll eat most everything” as answers. Those are dodges, clear and simple. Gotta be specific. –djs
I’m going to divert from the cast-iron crowd and say go for a non-stick surface — clean-up is a big part of cooking, and if it’s too hard, it can sour you on cooking altogether. Also, I think you need a 13 x 9 baking pan (glass or metal or ceramic), a couple baking sheets (with rims), a 2-quart casserole dish with lid, a rubber (silicone) spatula, some big bamboo spoons, a paring knife, and a chef’s knife. And a big pot. And some measuring cups (wet and dry) and spoons. And…acquire the rest as you need it!
Hey, Roadchick: It is interesting to be asked to name what we really do use in the kitchen, isn’t it? Those you mention plus my immersion blender, and that would do, I think. Thanks.
Hi, DJ: I love the advice on not taking dodges. you’re right, of course: No one answers these truthfully. Gotta be specific. Thanks.
Hey, Christine: A non-stick pan is a great reminder. Ooh, bamboo spoons. I have not heard of these. What are their advantages? Oh, yes: measuring cups. Almost forgot. Thank you.