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I just bought a 10" cast iron and I have never cooked with one before. Is it really true that it works like a non-stick pan once I season the skillet? Do you still recommend to grease the pan with a some fats before cooking?

reggiesoang,
I would definitely still use some grease/oil on the pan while cooking. The seasoning is not a for-once-and-for-all sort of deal, and needs oil to renew itself. I have also found that food still sticks a bit to a newly-seasoned pan.

Does anyone else have problems with baking bread once the weather turns cold? I've been baking sourdough since last March, and just recently the crumb has been really tight; I can no longer get that nice open holey crumb, it's just a few really big holes. I cranked the heat up yesterday while the dough was rising to see if that would help. Have not baked it yet. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Sjbreeze, have you tried adding a little more water? Wetter doughs (~70% water) have a more open crumb than drier doughs. Giving the bread more time to ferment may also help. Another thing to try is to fold the dough a couple of times during fermentation; it really helps to strengthen the gluten and builds a very open crumb.

I haven't had much trouble with my sourdoughs even though it's getting colder, but I always ferment them in bowls that have tight lids. That way the dough has its own microclimate and always rises well.

bubble, thanks for the tips. Here's the recipe I use:
http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/07/08/my-new-favorite-sourdough/

So the fermentation is quite long (the recipe takes almost a full 24 hours), and I fold the dough a couple of times as in the recipe. I could add more water but I'm afraid it will be too wet to knead--the dough is already quite sticky, and I don't have a mixer to do the kneading for me! I should see about getting a dish with a good lid; right now, I use a pyrex dish, covered with plastic wrap, then with a towel.

I've got a couple of questions.

First on baking: I started using the no-knead recipe last year but have become confident enough to start kneading with my mixer and trying different recipes. Now I'm wondering about the other half of no-knead: baking using a dutch oven to hold in the steam. The high temperatures and long baking time in the no-knead recipe are worryingly more than most standard recipes call for and I could use some advice on how I should be making adjustments.

Second, I recently bought a small jar of foie gras, just a couple ounces, and I really don't know what to do with it. Is preserved far inferior to fresh and if so, how do I compensate for that?

Thanks.

Sjbreeze, have you tried the French fold ? It makes working with wet doughs by hand much much easier.

No I haven't! Thanks for the tip!

I have three over-ripe bananas in the freezer. What are some uses for them other than banana bread?

CallieKoch,

I throw mine in a blender with some milk (choose your own dairy product, of course), ice cubes, and a packet of hot chocolate. Or hot banana peanut butter hot chocolate = peanut butter-chocolate-banana drink, which thrills my husband. Or to prominently feature the banana itself: banana ice cubes milk sugar vanilla extract pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. I can recommend each of them.

Other ideas: thaw and use in a cake (I make a chocolate-banana bundt), muffins, cupcakes, pancakes...you get the picture. Just about any baked good.

Frozen (and then defrosted) bananas substitute beautifully for eggs in ice cream. They give a great texture to the ice cream, eliminate all cooking from the process and lower the fat content. Or they can boost the creaminess of a sorbet without adding any fat or dairy products.

Plus bananas work with a lot of widely varying flavors. I've been experimenting with different banana ice creams for a while now. You can see a bunch of recipes on my blog if you click through to my profile.

Thanks guys. I like the smoothie and ice cream ideas. I asked with non-baking ideas in mind because all I ever do with old bananas is make bread. Trying to be a bit more creative.

What type of spatula should I use when I am cooking with a cast iron without damaging the surface? thank you guys!

Can someone tell me which day(s) the Chicago Tribune includes grocery store discount coupons? Also, what day is the Food/Cooking section printed?

i bought a tin of sardines (skinless, boneless, in olive oil) on impulse yesterday. i have only ever had grilled sardines. what do i do with them?

Reggiesoang, wooden spoons or spatulas are probably the best for cast iron. Metal might scrape off some of the seasoning. That being said, I don't think cast iron is that delicate -- even if you scratch it, you can always just reseason the pan.

thanks bubble! I was just making a fried egg this morning and had trouble getting it off the cast iron with my stainless spatula; therefore, not sure if i should cook my fried eggs with it anymore.

Reggiesoang, is your new pan well-seasoned? If not, then you may have trouble with foods sticking. Not using any soap on the pan helps it build up the grease and makes it as non-stick as possible. Some people don't even wash them at all, just wipe off the excess grease and food residue with a cloth or paper towel.

thanks bubble, I am just a little worry about food hygiene so I wash it with soap every time (twice so far only) I used it. I have seasoned it once, but, not sure if I did a great job. The pan was sticky after I seasoned...that a good sign?

Hmm, usually after seasoning my pans are more smooth than sticky, but it may be just the excess oil on top that feels sticky. It took me a while to stop freaking out about the hygiene of not using soap too. I just told myself that even if the pan is not fully clean, most pathogens will get killed off when the pan is heated.

Also, you may need to reseason the pan after using it for acidic foods, like tomato sauce. You can usually tell when the seasoning is gone: the pan will look very dull on the inside (as opposed to shiny and smooth when well-seasoned).

we almost always wash our cast iron; we just rub a little canola oil all over the inside and put it over low heat for 5 minutes to do a quick maintenance re-seasoning.

after frying an egg, or just onions, then we'll frequently just wipe the pan and do nothing else- cast irons are at the best when frying vegetables and eggs :)

you can look here for tips:
http://www.lodgemfg.com/use-care-seasoned-cast-iron.asp#2