10 Commandments for Le Creuset Pots

There are all kinds of pages and sites in facebook that I am part of, and one of them is called "Friends of Le Creuset". Well it's good to see so many people love their colorful, versatile cast iron pots, but it's also jaw-dropping to see many people didn't have a clue how to care for them or maximize their potential, while keep on bragging about the many pots they "captured" and kept in mint condition - forever.

Cooking at home: Focaccia

We are obsessed with our new kitchen toy recently - the KitchenAid food processor. I always wanted one but never had the space for it, but finally, we decided, what the heck, let's try to make some room for it, so we did. Since we brought it home we have been using it almost every other day and keep asking why we didn't get this earlier.

One of the best thing I realize this food processor did best is bread making. Even better and convenient than the bread machine, you may ask? Yes, because of the many varieties it can make, plus I love getting my hands on my dough to feel it. I have already tried quite a few batches of bread recently, but focaccia is perhaps one of the easiest. It doesn't get your hands too dirty with messy dough and with the simplest ingredients. Basically focaccia is an Italian flat bread, just in case you wonder - it's very similar to a pizza dough but usually thicker and usually to be eaten without any toppings or cheeses.

63-Degree Eggs - playing with Sous Vide Supreme

Come meet my new friend Sous Vide Supreme! Ever since I got it in early December I have been experimenting and trying out dishes that I had difficulties making without this super machine that can keep temperature to 0.5 degrees (Celcius) accuracy.

I have been trying to cook a few things with this new kitchen yoy but particularly here's a simple dish I made over the new year for a vegetarian friend of mine - hearty lentils combined with fresh mushrooms that I got from the farmer's market, and eggs cooked at 63-degrees sound like a perfect winter appetizer dish to me in this occasion.

Breakfast Panini

Whenever my brother comes home from the States is always good news to me. Well of course that's mainly because I can get to see him and hang out, but more importantly - in a way - he can also help bring me goodies from the States that I cannot get locally. Why need Amazon when there's a personal delivery available?

I saw this cast-iron panini press online a few months ago and actually went around local kitchenware stores to see if they carry it. But either they have no idea what I am talking about, or only have those really bulky electric models (like those George Foreman type). So as my brother's coming back for a short trip last week, I just have Amazon sent it to his home and he brought that back to me. This one made by Lodge, an American company specializes in cast-iron cookware, is just perfect for those who already owned a ribbed grill pan. Now the grill pan can double as a panini maker and open up a whole new set of possibilities for casual cooking.