Thursday, March 5, 2020

Mirror Mirror

I pulled out one of the workhorses of my kitchen tonight. A high-end, 12-inch stainless steel sautoir pan, I use it for everything from searing to sauteeing to braising. I can even whip up a pretty nice stew for two in there, with a little leftover to pack for lunch. Tonight I was making winter succotash, a ghost of its full-flavored summer self, but with frozen vegetables, still a satisfying side dish at any time of the year.

As I sauteed the onions, I observed a sticky spot, where the onions were browner, near the edge by the handle. It was easy enough to deglaze, but it was a flaw in the pan I'd never noticed before. I might need a new one of these, I thought, and then laughed, because that was silly. I can save myself a couple hundred bucks and scrape that spot whenever I need to.

As it happens, just this weekend my brother and I were watching old videos we had found when we cleaned out my mom's condo. The first was Christmas '96, and although it rightfully focused on my young nephews, the rest of us made cameos. I especially scored screen time because I was holding 18-month-old Treat, and though the actual unwrapping has been lost to posterity, he and I do spend quite a bit of time admiring our reflections in the brand new finish of that very sautoir.

Treat was an adorable child who has grown into a handsome man. The skillet and I? Have seen better days!

5 comments:

  1. I love how you find significance in a kitchen item...a coincidence too!

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  2. I love that the kitchen tool brings on a fun memory

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  3. Don't worry, just scrape the spot whenever you need to and you'll be just fine.

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  4. Sounds like you've been a great influence on Treat if he, too, appreciates a good sautoir!

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  5. Yes, scrub that spot! I have yet to master the art of properly seasoning a cast iron pan.

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