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ROUSES.COM
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SAVE THE DISH
•
Don’t Scrape
— For pot-based foods like red sauce
or chili, it’s natural to scrape the bottom of the
pot with a long spoon just to see how bad it
is. Resist that urge. If you loosen the
scorched stuff, the whole batch is a goner.
•
Transfer and Tweak
— Slowly ladle
the top layer into a fresh pot,
carefully
avoiding the food near the bottom.
(Taste as you go. Stop when the
burnt taste is distracting.) If you
can rescue more than half of the
batch, consider it a win.
Live & Learn
There’s a time, of course, to know when
you’re beat, as some dishes just can’t be
salvaged. (Every Gulf Coast cook knows, for
example, that there’s no way to bring back an
even
slightly
burnt roux.) There are some days
when the best move is to throw it all out and
call for delivery. Every time you make the best
of a bad situation, you’re becoming a better, more
attentive cook.
How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet:
The trick is to clean the skillet while it is still hot off the stove. Use
hot water and a Scotch Brite heavy duty souring pad, but never
use soap, and never, ever put cast iron in the dishwasher. If there's
any stuck-on food you can remove it with an abrasive salt paste
(kosher salt and cooking oil), then wipe with a paper towel or your
scouring pad. Always towel dry cast iron, and just to be safe, give it a
quick heat on the stove to make sure all of the moisture is removed.
Season with a bit of Rouses vegetable oil and store in a dry spot.
How to Revitalize a Cast Iron Skillet:
You can bring that old skillet new life with a piece of steel wool and
a bottle of mild soap. (This is the only exception to my rule about
soap and cast iron.) First, scour off any rust with a piece of fine
steel wool — you may need a few passes before it is all gone. Then
wash the skillet in a mixture of warm water and a mild dish soap,
like Dawn. Towel-dry the skillet, add a small coating of Rouses
vegetable oil to season, place the skillet upside down on the top
rack of your oven (place a baking sheet on the bottom rack in case
there are any oil drips) and cook at 350 degrees for one hour. After
an hour, turn off the oven and leave the skillet inside to cool before
removing it. Store in a dry spot.
How to Clean a Tupperware or Plastic Container:
You can remove most stains with a paste made out of baking soda
and water (coat the container, close it and leave it
overnight), white vinegar (soak containers for a couple
of hours) or even a few hours of direct sunlight. To get rid of
any lingering smells, store your containers with a pinch of salt or
a piece of crumpled newspaper inside.
Pass the Salt:
Greasy pan? Sprinkle salt in it before you wash it, and the salt will
absorb most of the grease. Let the pan sit for a few minutes. Then
wash as usual.
Baked on Food:
You can go cold or hot. Put your empty pot or dish in the freezer
for a few hours before cleaning as usual. It will be easier to remove
the food if it’s frozen. You can also try a 4-to-1 mix of white vinegar
and water. Fill the dish with water and vinegar and place it on a
burner. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let cook
for 5 minutes. Allow the vinegar-water to cool before removing
from the stove. Wash as usual.
White Vinegar:
Vinegar can remove even the most stubborn stains. Soak stained
stainless steel pots and pans in white vinegar for at least 30 minutes
before washing. Remove mineral stains on non-stick cookware and
cloudiness or streaks on drinking glasses and wine glasses with a
wipe of white vinegar. Follow with a hot water rinse.
The Dish on Dishwashers:
To remove buildup, pour 2 cups of distilled white vinegar in the
bottom of your empty dishwasher and run on the heavy cycle.
Save the
Dishes
by
Tim Acosta, Rouses Marketing Director