Kitchen Essentials

Time and time again, you will find yourself reaching for this piece of genius. Its limits are unknown to modern man and technology. No, it is not the iPhone, it is a Royal Blue Le Creuset Dutch Oven. You will use this piece of cookery at least once a week; that is a guarantee. However, feel free to choose a different color.

It is perfect for Red Beans. Saute some tasso or ham, a little trinity, garlic, add the beans, some water, place the lid half on and walk away. It will bubble and toil on the stove while you do the stuff you need to do. Same results with gumbos, but a different process.

ASIDE: While I heartily agree and love the tradition of Red Beans on Monday, I think we can all agree that most of us work on Monday. You do, we know you do, cause you read us on Monday, not on the weekends. Thus, it is likely you aren't doing the wash on Monday. Red Beans (and gumbos, braises, roasts, etc...) are always better the next day. Therefore, by the power invested in me by the great state of the Internet, I hereby declare that from henceforth Red Beans shall be made on Sunday and eaten on Monday.

A dutch oven was a multi-tasker before Steve Jobs invented the word. It can fry, it can roast, it can braise, it can make soups, it can bake bread, hell I think it even changed my oil last week. The secret is that a dutch oven, especially a cast-iron one, retains and distributes heat remarkably well. So there are no hot spots on the pan which means no uneven cooking which means you can go home and kiss the prom queen.

I tried to think of something a dutch oven couldn't do. Steak, it cant cook a steak. But then, it got me thinking. One of the best ways to cook steak is to sear it on the stove, while spooning hot butter on it, then sticking it in the oven to finish cooking through. So what if I got the pot smoking hot, seared off a thick cut filet on both sides, then shut the heat down, put the lid on and let the meat continue to cook in the "oven." Hmmmmmm....