Interesting article about fat...

[kelownagirl]

Hey I was looking at the silicone stuff the other day. Does it change the way you bake at all ie length of time, temp etc?

As far as the teflon etc thing - I'm not afraid. I gave up on worrying about every little thing, for better or worse. If the govt says it's bad and takes it off the market, then I'll stop using it. Maybe I got my head in the sand but it isn't worth the worry to me...

[smilingcat]

love butter. Used to buy it case at a time(30lb to a case) unsalted for cooking.

My cookies do not use crisco, or vegetable oil nor do my brownies. My palmiers only use real butter and so does my brioch. Come to think about it I DON'T USE CRISCO or the spray on stuff. I only use old fashioned unsalted butter, olive oil, canola, peanut and sesame. I've learned not to use lard.

my pancake recipe has butter. so does my bread, muffin, ...

The trick is like Beth says: IN MODERATION. I use butter to season not to drown my food in it.

Most all of my sauces start with butter or use butter to "polish" the sauce. The sauce I make are really flavorful and wonderful. You only need a dab. You don't have to drown your food in it.

my fav sauces: Bechamel, Mornay (adulterated Bechamel), Hollandaise, Bernaise, mayo (and its variation) all use butter.

Gravy is a sauce. I only use small amount of dripping to give it depth. Use the dripping to make a roux. brown or dark is fine. then I use strong stock and DRINKING wine. I polish the gravy with little bit of butter and lemon juice for that sparkle in taste.

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fried eggs: its not fried if ain't fried in butter or bacon drippings. If you don't want it stuck on the pan and not use a cast iron or teflon, have it poached. Eggs Benedict with terragon hollandaise sauce.

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who was asking about the silpads or the silicon mold. DON'T GREASE them. Silicon molds and silpads are there to release your cupcake, bread, cake etc without the need of butter or oil. I wash my "silpads" with strong detergent at the end of the day.

Temperature setting and baking time varies with the brand you use.
If the pad is thick add about 5 minutes. if it is dark brown or dark orange drop the temperature. And if you are using a convection oven, drop the temperature a minimum of 25 degrees and reduce your cooking time. Unfortunately, only way to know for sure is trial and error. Oh the only exception is when I'm baking choux pastries as in puff pastry or eclair shells. Those have to be baked at 425F

smilingcat

[Tuckervill]

Lodge sells pre-seasoned cast iron these days. However, it's not difficult to season cast iron. Grease it up and put it in a low oven. I cook outdoors with cast iron Dutch ovens and I seasoned those in the fire. The best way to season them is to use them. Don't use soap to clean them (gets in the seasoning and "flavors" your food). Dry thoroughly before putting away. I do it the old fashioned way by putting it on the stove and turning on the heat until hot, then let it sit there until cool.

I spray Pam on my Dutch ovens before I put them away in their cases until next time. I never oil the pans I use daily, because they live on the stove top and don't have time to rust.

I lusted after the Le Creuset, but settled for a cheaper alternative.

Karen

[Eden]

Crisco is pure hydrogenated oil.... I wouldn't even use it to grease a pan....

My brownie recipe has applesauce in it ... no oil or butter needed. The only added fat is from the egg yolks and you'd never know. I've recently discovered that in some baking recipes applesauce is a great substitute. It will not work in recipes that use fat to create flakiness - so no biscuits, pies etc, but it does work really well in brownies and quickbreads.

[Jolt]

Crisco is pure hydrogenated oil.... I wouldn't even use it to grease a pan....

I agree--YUCK! When I'm home, I always give my mother a hard time if I see her use it.

[emily_in_nc]

I use Le Creuset enameled cookware and love it. It's pricey even at the outlet near us, but lasts a LONG time. Also have a Calphalon stainless steel wok. We dumped all our non-stick after reading articles online about its toxicity. Ours was even flaking. Scary!

I love real butter (organic, preferably) and extra virgin olive oil. No margarine or Crisco in our home, ever.

Yes, I'm a bit of a food snob....

Emily

[Tuckervill]

It's so much easier to enjoy your food and eat sensibly if you use the quality ingredients. I feel like a food snob sometimes, when I get very critical over a menu at a restaurant, looking for the healthiest thing. I had lunch with my mother on Friday, and I could sense she was thinking I was being snobby. Why not just order a hamburger, is what she's thinking, you know? I'm just trying to ensure and protect my health. I deserve that.

Karen