Reddit mentions of Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet with Assist Handle Holder, 12", Red Silicone

lazy people! ive linked everything in the thread just read it!

cast iron

boots

pants

knife

socks

bed

For the cast iron, don't spent hundreds of dollars. Lodge makes awesome heavy duty skillets that will last a lifetime for under 50 bucks. They are much more heavy duty than either the Caphalon ones or the Utopia Kitchen ones.

Look at the weight of a cast iron skillet for an idea of how well it will retain heat (this is what cast iron does super well). The Lodge one is almost 20% heavier than the calphalon one, and is even heavier than the larger Utopia Kitchen one.

If you're on a budget then the Utopia one is OK, but if you can spend a bit more, the Lodge one will be something you can hand down to your kids.

I'll throw my vote in for a sharpening stone. If he doesn't already have a nice sharpening set, maybe consider getting him something like a nice diamond sharpening stone; I've seen them for $50 or less.

Tools are always nice. Here are some suggestions to think about:
~ microplane grater
~ Japanese mandolines can be fun to have around.
~ Fish spatulas can be a handy tool.
~ Does he have a good quality peeler? Everyone has a "normal" peeler, but I like to have a good quality horizontal peeler, like one of these, to use sometimes.
~ Does he do a lot of baking? If so, maybe some silicone baking mats for his baking sheets, or maybe some parchment paper.
~ Does he like to use fresh citrus juice very much? Does he have a citrus reamer?
~ Does he like to use fresh garlic? Maybe a garlic press?
~ Silicone spatulas?
~ Does he have a pepper grinder for fresh ground pepper?
~ Does he have a set of mise en place bowls or something to use to keep his stuff organized when he's working?
~ Does he have a scale? You can find plenty of options for home-use digital scales that can weigh up to 11 or 12 pounds, and use either pounds, or grams (if he's doing anything metric.)
~ Something like a good quality cast iron pan can be a lifetime investment, because if they're well cared for, he'll be able to pass it on to his grandkids someday.
~ A dutch oven will always be useful to serious home cooks. The enameled cast iron type are very popular, but they come in many different sizes and shapes, so keep that in mind when picking one out.
~ Knives are always nice. Paring knife, utility knife, serrated slicer, etc.

Those are just a few suggestions that popped into mind. Good luck, I hope you find something nice for him.

I've moved on from using to nonstick to stainless. It'll take a few more minutes to clean at night but nothing cooks better and nothing will last longer. I don't recommend using Teflon coated pots and pans because of their health ramifications. Pros use stainless. You'll learn how to use it soon enough.

http://amzn.com/B009JXPS6U

I also have my trusty 10" Lodge cast iron pan. It's my favorite piece in my kitchen and never leaves the range because I use it everyday for breakfast and dinner. It will soon become your favorite in a few years because you have to learn to care for it.

http://amzn.com/B00G2XGC88

TL;DR warning

Are you willing to invest in some tools? Do you like Five Guys? (skinny burgers) The fastest burger procedure that I know of is Kenji's Ultra-Smash technique, which makes a pair of thin patties in no time. Takes about a minute per burger (two patties with cheese). Details here:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/03/the-food-lab-maximize-flavor-by-ultra-smashin.html

You can also do a regular smash burger, which is thicker (McDonalds-thin), but takes longer (~1.5 minutes per side, about 3 minutes total per burger):

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/09/the-burger-lab-smashed-burgers-vs-smashing-burgers.html

The advantage of the ultra-smash is that it's super quick & you can toss a piece of cheese to melt between two patties, so you can pump out a ton of burgers in no time. You will need a few tools, namely:

1. A metal cooking surface
   
2. A hi-temp heat source
   
3. A smashing tool
   
4. A high-quality spatula
   
5. A scraper (if doing ultra-smash)
   
6. A cheap IR temp gun
   
7. A cheap digital kitchen scale
   
   It's not rocket science, but getting a proper setup will let you have a workflow that makes cooking for a crowd a breeze. I have a big extended family, so I cook in bulk a lot, but I also use this for just my immediate family because it's so fast to get setup. There is an up-front investment required, but everything you'll buy will pretty much last forever, so it's worth it if you like to eat burgers!
   
   So the first two things you need are a metal cooking surface & a heat source that can pump out a lot of heat. I don't recommend a regular grill because they simply don't get hot enough; you need 600 to 700F to do this. You can either do a compact setup (a 2-burger surface with a single burner) or invest in a quality flat-top setup (more expensive, but lets you do more burgers at once). The ideal surface to do this on is a Baking Steel, which is very expensive. There are knockoffs for cheaper, but I like BS because they have a Griddle version with grooves to catch the grease:
   
   http://www.bakingsteel.com/
   
   You can also do it with cast iron. Lodge has a griddle for $25:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LDP3-Double-Reversible-Griddle/dp/B002CMLTXG
   
   If I'm just doing a single regular smash burger at a time, I use a 12" cast-iron pan. $28:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cast-Iron-Skillet-L10SK3ASHH41B-12-Inch/dp/B00G2XGC88/
   
   If you do get into cast-iron, read up on this seasoning procedure (i.e. the way to keep it smooth & slippery without Teflon). It's a bit of a pain, but it's worth learning because anything you buy in cast-iron can be handed down to your kids because it lasts forever:
   
   http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/
   
   You will want a heavy smashing tool as well. I have this massive 2.5-pound cast-iron press. It fits inside the 12" pan above (but not the 10"). $13:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Update-International-Heavy-Weight-Hamburger-Commercial/dp/B002LDDKZ6
   
   If you plan on doing ultra-smash burgers, you'll need a scraper. This is the one Kenji recommends, but you can probably find something locally: (Home Depot or Lowes)
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Plextool-Wall-Paper-Stripper/dp/B00AU6GQLQ/
   
   Anyway, getting back to the cooking part: you'll need a hi-temp burner. I like Bayou Burners, they sell them on Amazon. I have an SP10: ($50)
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-SP10-High-Pressure-Outdoor/dp/B000291GBQ
   
   I use that with my 12" cast-iron pan for when I'm just doing a few burgers for the family. 15 minutes = 5 burgers. You can also slap a flat surface like a cast-iron griddle or Baking Steel on that puppy. Also comes in a square version (not sure how the BTU's compare). I also have some KAB4 burners that I use with my Baking Steel, among other things. More expensive, but larger shell & burner: (more even heat over the cooking surface)
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-KAB4-Pressure-Cooker/dp/B0009JXYQY/
   
   For cooking more at a time, you can get a cooktop. Blackstone has a 36" cooktop available, but it doesn't get very hot (don't get me wrong, it's an awesome tool, but I've had trouble breaking 500F on mine, which means you're not cooking 1-minute burgers on it, plus the heating is kind of uneven, so you have to work in the hot spots for faster cook times). Also comes in a slightly smaller 28" version (but it's only like $50 less, so it makes more sense to get the full-sized version because you get so much more cooking area). The nice thing with this setup is that for $299 (or a bit less if you shop around at places like Cabela's), you can cook like 20 burgers at a time, it's absolutely insane! I make epic breakfasts on it. Plus it folds up for transport, which is really handy. We use it for all of our family events & holidays:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DYN0438
   
   A better version is from Tejas Smokers. They make camping stove carts that have burners built-in & have griddles available separately. They get super hot, downside is the cost: you can easily spend $700 on a nice setup.
   
   https://tejassmokers.com/Camp-Stove-Carts/23
   
   Oh yeah, Blackstone did just come out with a compact outdoor griddle which can run off those little one-pound green tanks if you want. They go for around $99 ($79 if you have an Ace Hardware near you). I have not tried this, but it gets good reviews. I'd be curious to see what kind of temperatures it can achieve:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Blackstone-Portable-Griddle-Outdoors-Camping/dp/B0195MZHBK
   
   So that's a basic introduction to the cooktops: you need some kind of decently-sized metal surface, a hi-temp burner, a smashing tool, and optionally (but recommended) a scraper. You will also want to get a strong, high-quality spatula. A good one is $32:
   
   http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/07/equipment-the-due-buoi-wide-spatula-my-new-fa.html
   
   Available here:
   
   http://www.duebuoi.it/x/uk_usd/catalog/p/spatulas~805-16x10.html
   
   If you opt for cast-iron, get an infrared temperature gun (doesn't work too well on shiny metal surfaces like steel tho). $17:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-1080-Non-contact-Thermometer/dp/B00DMI632G/
   
   A cheap digital kitchen scale is useful too, for measuring out the proper amount of meat. $14:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Kitchen-Capacity-Stylish/dp/B003E7AZQA/
   
   This collection of tools ensures that you have the proper workflow: a metal surface to cook on, the ability to bring the surface to a high temperature (and know what that temperature is for precise control), the ability to weigh your meat so you can pre-measure out what you need, the ability to smash the burger down, and also to properly scrape it off. Again, it's not rocket science, but if you have a wussy grill or a crappy surface or weak smashing/scraping tools, you're gonna have a bad time. You just need the right setup to pump burgers out fast!
   
   So on to prep. For ultra-smash, you do a pair of 2-ounce ground beef balls. In the tutorial above, they use a mix of meat for 25% fat. I just grab some regular 80/20 ground plus some salt & pepper. For regular smash burgers, do a single 4-ounce ball (optionally 5 ounces...useful if you have a big cooktop for a bunch of burgers at one time & are only doing a single patty per burger). The nice thing is, there's no special prep required for the meat, so you can make all of your burger balls ahead of time. If you have 10 people & are doing ultra-smash, let's say half of them get 2 burgers, so 15 burgers total, or thirty 2oz balls. If you have 20 people & are doing regular smash, again with half getting an extra burger, that's 30 burgers total or thirty 4 or 5oz balls. So that takes care of prep...adjust as needed. If you're feeding mostly dudes, you'll want to add more seconds (and thirds) to the equation.
   
   There are a variety of buns you can get. Crap buns will make for a crap burger. See if you can find potato buns or brioche buns. Those are pretty soft. Buns aren't overly hard to make, but I have yet to find a decent recipe that takes under 40 minutes, so I usually only doing fancy home-baked buns for my family rather than a crowd. Buying 5 or 10 pounds of ground beef & making smash balls out of them will take you all of ten minutes, but making buns can take forever. Here's a good recipe if you want to try it out tho:
   
   http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/07/light-brioche-burger-buns/
   
   Or this, if you wanna get crazy:
   
   http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/05/fresh-cemita-rolls-mexican-sandwich-burger-bun-bread-food-lab-recipe.html
   
   Or this one, nom nom nom:
   
   http://amazingribs.com/recipes/breads/brioche_hamburger_buns.html
   
   But eh, just hit up Sam's/Coscto/BJ's and buy some hamburger buns in bulk, problem solved. Or find a local bakery that has good rolls. There's a good shootout of buns here:
   
   http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/04/the-burger-lab-whats-the-best-bun-for-my-burger-taste-test.html
   
   (continued)

American here. I use a Lodge Carbon Steel 12" skillet, cast-iron Lodge and Field 12" skillets and a stainless steel, aluminum core All-Clad D3 12" skillet.

I like all these skillets and all have their own niches in my cooking with plenty of cross-over.

I still have a non-stick Calphalon skillet too but I no longer use it. I get plenty of non-stick characteristics with my other pans and I feel the other pans are more versatile and healthy.

I’d suggest a large cast iron skillet instead of a pizza stone—similar result for pizza, can be used for other things too

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00G2XGC88/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile

I got this on amazon, it's very affordable and comes pre seasoned and with the silicone handle.

Lodge Cast-Iron Skillet L10SK3ASHH41B, 12-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G2XGC88/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_zVPIwbQ4B6J1Y

The reason the handle is off in the oven is because it's not oven proof and can melt.

How about Amazon?

Yes, do try it with the leftover bacon grease. It's even better in a cast iron pan - $25 dollars at Amazon

Forget all this modern non-stick mumbo jumbo, go with seasoned cast iron.

You can't go wrong with a #8 (10.25") or #10 (12") Lodge skillet. They are both pretty cheap on Amazon or at Walmart.

Do read through all the great tips and information in the FAQ. Cast iron is different than most other modern cookware, so learning cooking, cleaning, and care tips is important.

For searing steaks, I like to use the "reverse sear" method, and Alton Brown's method works great.

Hey scourgeobohem!

I really don't know much about curing meat, other than that it requires precise conditions/temperatures - an apartment might not be the best environment for it.

As far as aging/pan-searing your steaks though, I would point you to this guide by food-genius J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Absorb every consonant, for it is gospel. He is the final word on making the ultimate steak at home, without a grill. My first piece of advice would be to stop using the stainless steel and get yourself a cast-iron pan. It's able to absorb/distribute much more heat, and will go a long way in getting that crunchy sear you're after. Above all, it'll last a lifetime, and this nice silicone-handled one is only $24! They require a little love - no washing with soap, ever, and obviously never run through the dishwasher. But their ability to sear the everloving fuck out of steaks is second-to-none. Also, when used properly, they're naturally non-stick - making them ideal for eggy brunch bakes, fish, and more!

Now when you say apartment-friendly smoker - do you mean indoor smoker? Because if you wish to live, none such smoker exists. Smokers, by definition, produce smoke, which can't be done indoors - you will die and everyone you love will die. That being said, if you have a balcony or some such, these little vertical smokers can be very effective and not take up much space. But frankly, I prefer a steak with a crispy, seared crust and rare interior - something very accomplishable with the humble aforementioned cast iron pan.

Lastly, when making fried veggie (let's say spinach) balls, I would definitely go with shredded leaves. If you use whole leaves, and take a big ol' bite of your ball, and don't bite clean through that particular leaf of spinach (which you definitely won't), you'll drag the whole leaf out of the ball, tearing it apart. Check out any kind of vegetable fritter - you'll see that the veggies are chopped up/shredded into little bite-sized pieces!

Got this guy at Target for $20. Lodge Cast Iron 12" Skillet.

Skillet

Pan Pizza Baking Process (from SeriousEats)

Usually Amazon is cheaper as long as it is sold by Amazon and not a marketplace seller. I ended buying this one for $24.97. Not a bad deal since it came with a handle cover which comes in handy.

Make sure you're getting plenty of fiber. I eat less b/c of it and feel fuller/better energized throughout the day.

I've been eating a breakfast of shredded wheat/rolled oats/flax/kiwi/banana/unsweetened almond milk and sometimes blueberries.


Soups are super easy, use water or veggie broth and get some lentils and boil that sucker up and on the simmer phase throw in the works...Zuccinni/squash/mushrooms/spinach/carrots (towards the end). Mix it up sometimes with rice/spices/whatever. An hour of time to basically get meals for a week.


Grilling veggies is really easy and tasty. I'm not a big "salad" person, but I LOVE grilled veggies. Get a cast iron pan like this.

Takes next to no time to heat up and you can throw some garlic/mushrooms/peppers/sweet potato slices/onions/portabellas/broccoli/carrots/corn/whatever your heart desires. I eat a lot of veggies for lunch/dinner because of these two methods.

I love cooking! I especially enjoy cooking on cast iron and in the slowcooker. I do it on Hard Mode too, because both my SO and I eat mostly vegan (exception: I eat eggs), so it's fun and challenging to revamp old favorite recipes and dishes but in vegan form. A new cast iron pan can be bought for under $30, and small slow cookers are really cheap too. There are tons of vegan cookbooks out there, but I get most of my recipes and meal ideas online. My favorite site is Finding Vegan, a recipe amalgamation site. Beautiful pictures, and some really great food.

Also, I play ocarina! It's really easy to learn to play, and GREAT quality ones can be bought for really cheap, too! I suggest starting off with a basic, single chamber, transverse style ocarina in the Alto C. It's a professional-quality instrument, but it really will not break the bank, and as long as you don't drop it (it could break!) you will get a lifetime of beautiful sound out of it. There are no replaceable or tunable parts (like strings or reeds), so it's a one-time purchase with no future maintenance to worry about figuring out. Every ocarina I've ever purchased has come with a little fingering guide, plus a few tabs of easy songs, and once you practice just a little bit, you can play pretty much anything, provided your ocarina is in the right range/plays enough notes. And if you practice for years, you can be as good as my favorite ocarinist, Osawa Satoshi!

There are also more "casual" ocarinas, that cost quite a bit less, and offer a different fingering style, which isn't as intuitive as the transverse style, but it is easier for some people to learn, as it's just pattern memorization and tabs, and you really do not need to know how to read music at all. (you don't need to know it to play a transverse oc either). A lot of the smaller ocarinas can also be worn as necklaces as well, so you can take it with you and practice wherever you are! Fun! And they sound just as great as the more pro ocs too!

They are actually easier to learn than recorder (imo) and sound SOOOOOOO much better, as they are basically impossible to make do that horrible shrill screech that so many elementary school kids are able to make recorders do. They are also not very loud. If you live in an apartment with shared walls, you could go with a MUCH quieter (but more expensive) handmade wooden ocarina. Good news though! This craftsman also has a little kit for $25 where he sends you the pieces and you just glue it together. The great thing about wood ocs is that they are definitely quieter than ceramic, but they ALSO will not break if you accidentally drop it. I mean if you spike it, it might shatter, so don't do that, but just a clumsy fumble won't hurt it.

Just listen to how beautiful this wooden one sounds!

Anyways, if you are interested, check out those vendors I've linked (Songbird and Hind) and poke around their websites to see what's out there. There are also a few great amature ocarina players on youtube, so go watch some videos!

Word of warning though: if you start seeing STL ocarinas pop up during your searches (you will), take those reviews with a grain of salt. They have some iffy business practices, crappy customer service, and subpar ocarinas. Stick with Songbird and Hind. They are both great craftsmen, and great people to do business with. If you live outside of the USA, you should also consider Focalink-Stein, based out of Samoa (they used to be based in Taiwan). Songbird has a business partnership with them and is (as far as I know) the only American company that is authorized to sell the Focalink-Stein ocarinas, and they are literally some of the best ocarinas there are. If you live outside the USA, compare the shipping costs between Songbird and Focalink-Stein, and go with the least expensive option. They both excell at customer service, and will personally answer any emails with questions you may have. Again: Stay away from STL. Their (bad) ocarinas are nowhere near worth the hassle of dealing with them.

Anyyywaaaays, so yeah, vegan cooking and ocarinas.

Also, if yu have a pet of any kind (even a fish), you could try doing some clicker training. It's really fun and easy, and all you need is your animal, a clicker, some yum treats, and some patience. It's way cute. I've trained my cat to do lots of cute tricks like high fives and spins and stuff. :)

I am not sure of what you already have or what you would need, I am listing a few things on top of my head:

• Crock pot
  
• Cast iron skillet
  
• Dutch oven
  
• Victorinox chef knife
  
• Microplane zester
  
• Bread maker machine
  
• Mandoline
  
• Mortar and pestle
  
• Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza
  
• Tartine bread
  
• Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
  
• Espresso maker
  
• Cookie Sheet and cooling racks
  
• Meat Thermometer

I was comparing two similar irons, both 12". I ended up going with this one since it seemed easier to bake in with the steeper wall.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G2XGC88/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_UPJhybWP78WDV

You know what adults really love at things like this? Shit they actually would use and not throw away. Like a cast iron pan, or a chef's knife (side note: I wouldn't buy that personally but it's the best looking one I can find for $25). I still have a blanket that I got from a White Elephant a few years ago. Doesn't match a thing in my house, but it's comfy and comes in handy all the time.

For the kids, and adults honestly, I'd recommend a nerf gun (expect to remember people getting shot with it the entire rest of the party), Jenga, or a mini helicopter.

Even if a kid gets stuck with a cast iron pan you know their parents are going to give them twenty bucks for it to make em happy.

For whatever it's worth, you can get a similar set of Lodge pans from Amazon for about $12 more (but only one silicon handle cover instead of 3):

​

Lodge 12 inch with silicone holder: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G2XGC88

Lodge 10.25 inch: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006JSUA

Lodge 8 inch: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008GKDG

​

​

1. You'll probably want at least one non stick pan for eggs. Teflon is not harmful provided it's not heated to around 500F. It's used in medical implants and is totally inert in the body.
   
2. Generally it's better to go for quality, but you don't have to go all out. For any of the big premium price names, there's a mid priced brand that's virtually the same product. Stuff on the very low end tends to be trash.
   
3. You should have around a 10" nonstick pan, an oven safe 12" pan you can use at high temperatures, a 4-6 quart pot or dutch oven, and maybe a larger stock pot. Supplant that with some baking sheets and you've got enough to cook for 4-6 people or so.
   
4. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004WULC3I https://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Tri-Ply-Stainless-Cookware-Everyday/dp/B003L0WE78 https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Skillet-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet-Silicone/dp/B00G2XGC88 https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Enameled-Classic-Enamel-Island/dp/B000N501BK https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Natural-Aluminum-Commercial/dp/B0049C2S32 https://www.amazon.com/Checkered-Chef-Cooling-Stainless-Dishwasher/dp/B06Y5F3NGY https://www.amazon.com/Vollrath-Economy-Mixing-5-Quart-Stainless/dp/B07BB3SPR2 https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-Chefs-Knife-8-Inch/dp/B008M5U1C2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00151WA06 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002HDXVO https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GRFHXVQ
   
5. I'd say follow your interest in recipes more than anything. Motivation is a big deal, and if you think the food is boring you'll be tempted by the drive through.

This bad boy. It cooks like a dream.

/r/cheapmeals & /r/eatcheapandhealthy : Good place to find recipes to print for her. They also have a ton of slow-cooker recipes.

Lodge 12" Cast Iron Skillet : Print out a card on how to maintain it. Cast Iron pans are great, nuff said.

Outstanding! For a cast iron skillet, the Lodge brand at Amazon is an especially good value.

Blackened Tilapia and Roasted Asparagus

This is one of my favorite meals and it is packed with protein and delicious.

Warning: please only cook this outdoors, it will smoke up your house

Macros:

626 Calories
72g Protein
38g Fat
5g Carbs

Ingredients:

8oz (225g) Tilapia

A lot of Cajun Seasoning

12 Spears (12 metric spears) Asparagus

2 (30ml) tbsp Butter

1/2 (7.5ml) tbsp Olive Oil

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Equipment:

Gas Stove $23 on Amazon

Cast Iron Pan $24 on Amazon

Cookie Sheet

Hot pad

Lack of Fear

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C)
   
2. Wash and pat dry asparagus and cut off the ends that taste gross and are fibery
   
3. Pile up the asparagus on the cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil
   
4. Salt and pepper the asparagus while rolling it around in olive oil
   
5. Melt butter in the microwave in a measuring cup
   
6. Go outside and place your pan on top of the camp stove and crank it up all the way, this sucker needs to be hotter than hell itself, let it preheat for ten minutes (It's scary the first time, I didn't kill myself, you won't either)
   
7. Immediately after turning the stove on run back inside and throw your asparagus in the oven, these little bastards are going to cook for ~12 minutes. If you bought thin asparagus wait 5-7 minutes before putting them in the oven and subtract that from cooking time
   
8. Drizzle your fillets with the butter, coat both sides of each fillet and leave about half the butter still melted in the measuring cup
   
9. Coat both sides in the cajun seasoning, make sure to do it to your taste. I completely smother it
   
10. After the pan is done preheating ~10 minutes head outside and lay the fish in the pan, make sure to lay them away from you!
    
11. Those things should be smoking like snoop lion
    
12. Drizzle some more butter on top of the fillet as it is cooking
    
13. After about 1.5-2 minutes you will see the fish begin to pull away from the pan. Flip it
    
14. Drizzle the remaining butter over the fish
    
15. After about 1.5 minutes on this side your fish should be done. Try cutting through the thickest part with your spatula, it should be a bit flaky and cooked all the way through
    
16. Take the fish off and run inside and pull out the asparagus praying you didn't burn it
    
17. Eat like a god
    
    
    This is all written from memory, criticism is appreciated.
    
    Final tip; If you don't care about macros and calories (cheat days, end of a cut, etc) make this with cat fish and instead of asparagus, french fries and cole slaw.
    
    

This is a good list. I would add a few things to it. A cast iron pan, which can be found at goodwill for super cheap or For $25 from Amazon, and an enameled dutch oven . Which you can use in the oven or on the stovetop.

I personally would get the following way sooner if I was building my kitchen all over again.

Also if there is a place you can get bulk spices near by I would go there for your spices, because if you havent already noticed spices are pricey at your local megamart.

Lavatools Thermowand - Same form factor as the much more expensive thermopen but at 1/3 the price.

Lodge cast iron skillet - great for searing meats or as a good starting pan.

OXO Bench Scraper - Makes prep work much easier and safer as you don't use your knife to scrape your food off the cutting board.

Immersion Blenders - When you dont want to use your big blender or want to blend something in your pot or pan.

Stainless Steel Cookware - Has a little bit of a learning curve but is great after the fact.

Aeropress - Life is too short to make shitty coffee.

Edit: added a thermometer/spelling

I bought this one on amazon for a little over $20 when I first moved into my apartment and I use it almost daily. You can make most things in a regular skillet usually, but the cast iron is just so versatile and adds so much more flavor to your cooking that you should really look into getting one when you can.

Along with the All-Clad pans I'd add a cast iron skillet to the mix for when you are cooking particularly stick/messy foods. I've got a set of the Kirkland Signature (Costco house brand) All-Clad knockoffs and find myself using the skillet much more frequently for stovetop pan frying. This one from Lodge will get that job done well and be a more approachable price for some of your less wealthy wedding guests.

It's really a no-brainer, this is the way to go

I've had mine since 2013, which is like newborn age in cast iron years.

They're usually around $20 USD, so it may be slightly cheaper at a store. If that seems suspiciously cheap, it's not, that's normal for these.

If you want to be a little extra for your BF, get him the matching lid, these little scrapers, and this chainmail scrubby.

you didn't get it? It comes with it if you order if off of Amazon:

http://smile.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3ASHH41B-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-Silicone/dp/B00G2XGC88/

Don't get it, you don't need a griddle (it's literally just a skillet with short sides) and an enameled dutch oven will serve you better. I would recommend you get the following:

• 10" or 12" skillet, depending on if you cook for 2 or 4+ people https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Skillet-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet-Silicone/dp/B00G2XGC88/
  
• Enameled dutch oven https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Enameled-Covered-Dutch-7-3-Quart/dp/B073Q9QH5Z/

Lodge Cast-Iron Skillet L10SK3ASHH41B, 12-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G2XGC88/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Slw2xbYTMTFJG

First, CONGRATS! I'm not sure how much you want to spend, but I found a couple options that are cubba friendly :)

• This is more of a pricey, but classy option.
  
  
• This dress comes in a bunch of colors and styles, plus you could totes wear it outside of an interview.
  
  I would wear this as a good luck charm, but sterling silver doesn't like me :(
  
  Item for if I win :)

I have some bad news

I'd recommend at minimum 1 non-stick pan, 1 big and 1 medium pot, 1 big stainless steel sautee pan with high walls & lid, and 1 small stainless steel pan. At least, that's what I use the most. If you like cast iron get a skillet too.

I got my 12-piece stainless steel Cuisinart set from Bed Bath & Beyond because my mom gave me a coupon. It's very nice. I don't care for cookware with glass lids. All-clad makes great stainless steel cookware too.

For a non-stick skillet, T-Fal is recently popular. I like mine. It doesn't feel cheap yet its cheap enough that I don't worry too much about scratches. Got mine on Amazon.

For cast iron it's really hard to beat Lodge. Their skillets and Dutch ovens are top notch once properly seasoned. Never mind any cast iron that says it's pre-seasoned, best to give it 3-4 more coats to start with. It's easy just time consuming. I bought mine at Orchard hardware actually but you can find it on Amazon too.


Enameled cast iron Dutch ovens are a joy to use but Le Creuset, while undeniably top notch, is prohibitively expensive. Lodge, Cuisinart, and Tramontina are cheaper brands but I believe all their enameling is done in China.