Chemistry of Cast Iron Seasoning: A Science-Based How-To

Food - Recipes, Cooking, Nutrition,

The post after this one on “black rust” describes why you should heat the pan before applying oil for seasoning. This helps the seasoning to adhere and makes the pan pleasantly black.

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/02/black-rust-and-cast-iron-seasoning/

In a previous post, I illustrated how I cleaned and reseasoned an antique cast iron popover pan. This was my first attempt, and my seasoning technique was somewhat haphazard because I couldn’t find consistent, science-based advice. I used a combination of organic avocado oil and strained drippings from organic bacon. This worked pretty well on the popover pan, which doesn’t have a polished surface. But the smooth inner surface of a skillet showed an unevenness of color and texture, and the seasoning wasn’t hard enough. It was too easily marred by cooking utensils or scraping against oven racks.

I wanted to understand the chemistry behind seasoning so I’d know how to fix this, but there is nothing that addresses this issue directly. A Web page on cast iron posted by someone similarly obsessed with the science gave me two crucial clues, the phrases “polymerized fat” and “drying oil”. From there I was able to find the relevant scientific literature and put the pieces together.

The pictures below are both of the same antique cast iron skillet. The “before” close-up on the left is from a picture of the skillet in my previous blog post on making German Pancakes. I stripped the pan with oven cleaner and reseasoned it based on my new understanding. The “after” close-up on the right shows the result.

Griswold skillet closeups: old seasoning on left, new seasoning on right
Griswold skillet closeups: old seasoning on left, new seasoning on right

Continue reading Chemistry of Cast Iron Seasoning: A Science-Based How-To →

Universal Remote Control Fine Points

Technology - Tips & Fixes

In a previous post, I wrote about how I was able to use a learning remote from Universal Remote Control (the URC-WR7) to set up a Bose Wave Radio as the audio for my TV, cable box, and Blu-ray player. At the time I hadn’t fully configured everything. Now that I have, I want to share a few more things I discovered:

  • The secret to learning from the Time-Warner Cable remote, which at first appears not to work
  • What to do if you want to access more device features than the WR7 has buttons
  • Tips on using the punch-through and macro features

Continue reading Universal Remote Control Fine Points →

Bluetooth Mouse Losing Connection No More!

Technology - Tips & Fixes, ,
Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000
Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000

I have a Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 that I bought when I bought my new Thinkpad with built-in Bluetooth. At the time I was running 64-bit Vista and all was well. Then I upgraded to 64-bit Windows 7, and suddenly the mouse started constantly losing connection.

There was no detectable pattern. It would work fine for a while, and then start disconnecting all the time for no apparently reason. Sometimes it would not wake up after sleeping, but sometimes it would quit while I was using it. At first I got it going again by removing the mouse from the list of Bluetooth devices and then adding it back in. That took too much time. Then, by accident, I discovered that I could wake it up by opening my Bluetooth settings and toggling the checkbox “Allow Bluetooth devices to find this computer”. If it was off I’d turn it on, if it was on I’d turn it off. That was faster, but still a pain.

I searched the internet and found many similar complaints, but no solutions. Several sites suggested upgrading your Bluetooth drivers. There’s no new driver for the Microsoft mouse, but I updated the Thinkpad Bluetooth drivers. No joy. Then the other day the mouse started quitting on me every few minutes and in desperation I searched again. This time I found the answer. There are two separate settings that need to be changed.

Continue reading Bluetooth Mouse Losing Connection No More! →

Control a Bose Wave Radio with a Universal Remote

Technology - Tips & Fixes

The picture on my new 40″ Samsung LCD HDTV is amazing, but the sound, not so much. So I plugged the audio output of the television into the auxilliary jack for my Bose Wave Radio (model AWRCC1). Much better! But then I encountered a new problem. When the TV audio is external, the TV remote can’t control it. Luckily the radio has a remote (otherwise I’d have to walk across the room to mute the TV when the phone rings), but I’d rather have the TV volume on the same remote as the rest of the TV controls.

First I tried to set the auxilliary button on my Time-Warner Cable remote to the Bose radio. The cable remote instructions list these codes for Bose audio equipment: 070, 170, 224, 374, 409, 460, 532. I tried them all, but none of them worked. So then I tried the scanning method, holding down the channel button until the radio turns off. But it never turned off.

I did an internet search on controlling Bose devices with universal remotes and found a plethora of contradictory information, none of which solved my problem. So I called Bose customer support. Their products may be pricey, but they sure have good customer support. I got someone on the phone immediately, and he was knowledgeable. He explained the problem instantly and gave me the solution.

And now I’m sharing it with you.

Continue reading Control a Bose Wave Radio with a Universal Remote →

Recipe for Cast Iron: German Pancake with Apples

Food - Recipes, Cooking, Nutrition, ,

As part of my recent purge of nonstick cookware, I acquired my very first cast iron skillet – a vintage large-logo Griswold. I removed all the old crud with oven cleaner and then reseasoned it. Rust was minimal, so I was able to scrub it off with steel wool. (For more on cleaning and seasoning cast iron, see my previous post.)

Griswold #7 cast iron skillet, large logo
Griswold #7 cast iron skillet, large logo
Griswold #7 cast iron skillet, large logo
Griswold #7 cast iron skillet, large logo

I’ve been interested in recipes that use the skillet’s unique properties: nonstick, stove to oven, even heating, and good heat retention. So I decided to make a German Pancake – also known as a Dutch Baby – stuffed with apples. I looked at several recipes and then came up with my own spin on it. I’d never had a German Pancake before so I didn’t know what to expect. I was amazed when I took my first bite. It was exquisitely delicious. Here’s the recipe.

German pancake with apples in cast iron skillet
German pancake with apples in cast iron skillet

Continue reading Recipe for Cast Iron: German Pancake with Apples →

Perfect Popovers (& How to Clean & Reseason Cast Iron)

Food - Recipes, Cooking, Nutrition, ,

See this later post for a more scientifically sound seasoning technique:

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

My fascination with popovers began with a new cookbook I purchased just before Christmas. This led to a search for the perfect popover pan, which turned out to be antique Griswold cast iron. That, in turn, led to intensive research on how to restore an old cast iron pan covered with rust and crud. I succeeded, as you can see in the picture below. In this post I’ll describe how to restore a cast iron pan, and then use it to make perfect popovers.

Popovers in my newly restored Griswold popover pan
Popovers in my newly restored Griswold popover pan

Continue reading Perfect Popovers (& How to Clean & Reseason Cast Iron) →

Movie Review: It’s Complicated

Life - Miscellaneous Observations

It's Complicated

I had the opportunity to see the new movie It’s Complicated last night at a pre-release screening in Times Square. It didn’t knock my socks off, but it was pleasant and funny, and I enjoyed it. It was the first time I’d seen Steve Martin in a non-comedic role. He was totally believable.

It’s the story of a divorced woman, played by Meryl Streep, who ends up in an affair with her ex-husband, played by Alec Baldwin. And then there is the divorced architect, played by Steve Martin, who also is interested in Streep’s character. I won’t tell you who wins.

I thought the acting and direction were better than the script, which was a bit predictable. The acting was great; everyone in it was good. One very funny scene was when Streep’s character tells her children about the affair with their father, thanks to some inspired direction (or maybe it was in the script, who knows). I won’t spoil that for you, either.

The movie has many funny moments – one in particular is fall-on-the-floor funny. If you see it, you’ll know which one I mean. The film consistently held my attention, never dragged. But it became obvious fairly early on what was going to happen, so there wasn’t a lot of suspense. Nor was there much depth in the character development. This is okay in a light comedy, there just wasn’t a lot to it. It’s a simple story with simple characters.

I’d rate it good but not great, pleasant but not profound. It’s a pleasant way to spend a couple hours, but not the kind of movie you tell all your friends they have to see.

Easy Way to Cut Your Own Hair in a Curly Bob

Life - Miscellaneous Observations, ,

I’ve been cutting my own hair for years, with varying success. It started as a way to save money, and then became something I just wanted to learn how to do – seemed like I should be able to do. It usually ended up an all-day project. But I found a new method, and this morning I was able to cut my hair into a medium length, gently layered bob in just five minutes. Here’s a pic – I think it came out well! Here’s how you do it.

My 5-minute, do-it-yourself haircut
My 5-minute, do-it-yourself haircut

Continue reading Easy Way to Cut Your Own Hair in a Curly Bob →

Review: Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story

Life - Miscellaneous Observations, ,

Capitalism isn’t as well done as Sicko, Moore’s previous film. But it’s well worth seeing for its disturbing insights and information, brought into vivid high relief by Moore’s inimitable style. The film’s main themes are:

  • Capitalism is not the great moral good that we’ve been taught it is since childhood. In fact, it’s an evil system with incentives that inevitably lead to a small number of people amassing vast wealth, while a large majority of workers can’t afford the basics of life. Ironically, although the pro-capitalist religious right has appropriated Christianity to itself, capitalism goes against all the precepts of Christianity and Jesus Christ. Moore backs up this assertion with numerous and persuasive expert interviews, and some shocking facts of which most people are unaware.
  • Capitalism is actually not small-d democratic at all. The hierarchical structure of large corporations is fascist, not democratic. You have no say; you’re a cog in a machine owned and run by others. You do what you’re told or you’re fired. Capitalism was not part of our founders’ vision. There is no reference to capitalism in the Constitution, and in fact many of our founders – including Thomas Jefferson and John Adams – warned against it. Jefferson said, “Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.”

Capitalism makes its main points well, but has some weaknesses:

Continue reading Review: Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story →