Cast Iron

I love to cook. I especially love to barbecue and grill (and for those of you who didn't know, there is a difference between the two. And it has nothing to do with sauce. Just thought I'd throw that in there). I have a couple of nice ceramic cookers that I can cook almost anything on. So if I was going to cook a burger or a steak, you'd automatically think I would toss it on the grill, right?

Well, if you did, you'd be wrong!

I've been really enjoying cooking on my cast iron pan lately. Part of it is because when I cook, I usually have very little time to do so. It is much easier to get my pan to the right temperature on the stovetop, than it is to fire up my ceramic cooker and get it to the precise temperature that I want. I also don't have to worry about hotspots with my pan. Not having to worry about the temperature means that the food has a much greater chance of being cooked just right.

I can sear my meat nicely on the cast iron pan. It retains heat quite well. And I can also collect any bits from the bottom of the pan if I need to make a sauce (although I will usually go with my stainless steel pan to sear things if I'm going to be making sauce afterwards).

So is this strange? Sometimes I feel bad for wanting to cook my burgers in a pan rather than on a grill. I feel less manly somehow. I think if I had more free time, I'd probably fire up the grill, just because it's so much fun. But for right now, I'm far more satisfied with my pan-cooked steaks and burgers than my grill cooked ones.