I've been thinking about buying a cast iron pan. Do you use one? If so, what do you cook in it?
Great question! Yes, I own a cast iron pan and use it just about every night. I've found that a twelve inch width is a perfect size to cook meals for my family (wife, son and myself). Cast iron is awesome because it retains heat and distributes it evenly. I use my pan to brown cuts of meat (steaks, chops, meatballs, small roasts, poultry, etc.), cook hash browns and roast vegetables. I don't prepare seafood in it. Clean up is a cinch. Just rinse the pan with water and wipe it out.
Do you have a favorite style/shape of pasta and if so what is it? – Leslie from Naples, Florida
Hmmm, this is a tough question to answer because I love all pasta! I definitely lean toward stuffed pastas as a favorite, however I don't prepare this style often. There's a lot of labor involved (making pasta dough, making pasta filling, rolling the dough out, stuffing the pasta and forming it's shape, making a sauce, combining all parts to complete the dish) with stuffed pasta and I generally reserve it for special occasions. Agnolotti is my favorite shape of stuffed pasta. I can make this shape faster than others. It contains the perfect amount of filling and has a little pocket that collects any type of sauce that's paired with it.
If you could only use one knife in the kitchen what you it be? - Carolyn from Richmond, Virginia
If I was limited to just one type of knife in the kitchen I'd have to pick a six-inch utility knife. It's large enough to quickly cut larger items, however the blade is small enough to perform detailed work on smaller vegetables. It's also sized well properly for breaking down poultry if needed. I feel confident is saying that this was my most used knife when cooking professionally.