Cooking Woes

Cast iron is widely considered to be the best material for cooking tools, unless you want to spend a fortune on copper. Cast iron conducts heat evenly, and, once it has acquired a patina, is nonstick without the negative aspects of Teflon. I love my cast iron stuff and have had them for years.

Unfortunately, cast iron has its disadvantages. For instance, when you fry rice in a cast iron skillet, the rice picks up the iron and tastes like blood. Some people don't notice the taste, but for some reason I'm very sensitive to it. I just threw out the rice I fried last night because I couldn't take it.

I've been cooking a lot more since I stopped working. I always liked to cook, and particularly liked to bake, but never had much time for it. Now, I've actually got the time to go to the grocery store or the farmers market and buy fresh ingredients, and the time to prepare the ingredients and cook them. This, too, has unfortunate side effects. Both my husband and I have gained some weight over the last few months, despite surfing and tennis and going to the gym four or five times a week. So, for New Years, I've given up cooking again. Well, not cooking, but baking, which was the real culprit.