I wrote last week that the veteran starters the Twins have been signing add up to a vote of no confidence in the inexperienced starters we saw last year. Another way to look at it, though, is as a vote of no confidence in the veteran starting candidates the Twins have: Blackburn, Duensing, Swarzak, Manship, etc. I don't think anyone here still had any confidence in them, at least as starters--a couple of them might be okay in long relief--but it's nice to think that maybe the Twins have now realized those guys aren't good enough, too.
I saw TR said in an interview that he thought Blackburn could reclaim a starting spot, so I'm not sure that it's completely sunk in that some of their veterans are terrible.
I'm really hoping that Duensing and Swarzak are back in the bullpen, where they are serviceable.
You can't take Nic_ Blac_burn out of the rotation. He is an inspiration to children who aren't good at anything everywhere!
Blackburn COULD reclaim a spot, but it would require a lot of the staff needing Tommy John
I'd rather the Twins pitch their cheap, controlled starting candidates than sign or trade for new, more expensive starting candidates.
Christmas Eve day? Child wakes up sick. Check.
Double ear infection. Hopefully medicine will produce a silent night.
Boo on the ear infections. Best wishes, Phyllo.
We celebrated Hanukkah on saturday. mrsS is getting just what she wanted -- some new light fixtures. The kids got just what they wanted -- straight cash, homey. I got just what I wanted:
i recently received a giant skillet of theirs and looooove it. i need to get myself a smaller one for more frequent use.
cast iron cookery rocks the house.
i'm in negotiations to acquire and develop further cast iron prospects to replace aging veterans.
TANSTAACIP.
cast iron steps into a starting role pretty much from day one, and lasts longer than Jamey Moyer (if properly seasoned).
speaking of, what's your maintenance method (always looking for improvement)? i just scrub mine down with warm water and a stiff dish brush, dry it, and oil it up again after each use. yes?
that method works fine. I usually just rinse the scrubby sponge out a few times (to minimize soap) and use its scratchier side with hot water.
once a good seasoning is in place, they are pretty much indestructible. I see mrsS use a soapy scrubby sponge on my cast iron pot and frying pan frequently, and have learned not to cringe (much). They get wiped out, dried on a burner for ~2 minutes, then (only occasionally) oiled.
I use my (non-enameled) cast iron dutch oven probably 3-4 times per week to make indian dals, curries, etc., which often means several cups of water. Indestructible.
i have a dish brush that's only purpose is to clean the skillet. jane doesn't bother to clean it as i have too many preferences, which is fine by me.
I used to go through the effort of cleaning the cast iron frying pan with a paste of kosher salt and oil, but gave that up after a couple of years.
While y'all are talking about this, any suggestions for "re"-seasoning an enameled wok? It had a good build up, then something chipped away at a little spot, and now that little spot has kept growing. My attempts to rebuild with oil have proved fruitless.
I did not know that enameled anything required or desired seasoning.
That should have read "non-enameled". Oops. It's some sort of fancy metal, came with very specific instructions re: seasoning. They were followed, and everything was good for several years. Only recently has there been any erosion in the seasoning.
Huh.
Well, Phyllo. All I can think of is to wash it, dry it well, then give the pan a light coating of crisco and put in a low oven, upside down, for a couple of hours (top rack, with a piece of foil on the bottom rack to catch any drips.
That's basically the procedure for seasoning a new cast iron pan. Or you could venture into the wilds of teh Intertubez. I liked this one because it gives at least the appearance of being science-based.
Thanks. Maybe I'll give that a shot. The seasoning instructions that came with were very different (much more "heat, oil, heat, rub, cool, repeat" kind of things), so I'll keep a close eye. The metal really seems closer to aluminum than cast iron... Maybe I'll check out the internet. ::shudder::
the one I linked to seemed pretty plausible. You really do have to wipe the oil almost dry before baking it on, lest you get thick, gummy stuff that doesn't really adhere.
I've never done more than one coat, but YMMV. Particularly if you are more patient than I.
Phyllo, I just finally clued in that you were talking about a wok -- prolly one of those high-carbon steel ones?
Back before the mrs inadvertently ruined my wok (read: she put pieces through the insinkerator, then lost the handle entirely), I just used a bamboo brush and water to clean it, then got it nice and hot and gave it a light coating of oil.
I actually used it to prep the onions for our french onion soup tonight and whatever I did last time to treat it had it looking a lot better than I remembered. Or maybe I misremembered. Or maybe it was a Christmas Miracle! I think that's the one I'm going with.
Agreed. I have a set of three skillets. They get heavy use. Plus, it gives you a great excuse to cook bacon for conditioning purposes.
Who needs an excuse to cook bacon?
Like.
Also, this gives me an excuse to point out that the applewood-smoked bacon at Costco is really, really good.
In others news, I want a back that doesn't hurt all the time, my own brewery, a kid who cleans up after himself, and for there to be new episodes Seinfeld. However I am not getting any of those either.
that article made me laugh.
I mean, good for the Cleveland GM making a call and all, but..... wow
Okay, new flatscreen is set up to surprise Mrs. Runner when she gets home tonight. I hope that HDMI cable arrives in the mail today...
this sounds like one of those wife gifts that ... mostly please the husband. 🙂
also, if you haven't been on the BookFace of late, I can recommend some reading from our house (err, basement) preacher. It's going viral.
Oy...I've had a lot of forgettable Christmas Eves since I left Minnesota, dudes, but this one is way up there. The Milkmaid and Skim have an engagement, so two of the only three people I'm close to that I can actually see today aren't here, and I worked from 9:30-6 so I didn't see them during the day, either.
I wrote last week that the veteran starters the Twins have been signing add up to a vote of no confidence in the inexperienced starters we saw last year. Another way to look at it, though, is as a vote of no confidence in the veteran starting candidates the Twins have: Blackburn, Duensing, Swarzak, Manship, etc. I don't think anyone here still had any confidence in them, at least as starters--a couple of them might be okay in long relief--but it's nice to think that maybe the Twins have now realized those guys aren't good enough, too.
I saw TR said in an interview that he thought Blackburn could reclaim a starting spot, so I'm not sure that it's completely sunk in that some of their veterans are terrible.
I'm really hoping that Duensing and Swarzak are back in the bullpen, where they are serviceable.
You can't take Nic_ Blac_burn out of the rotation. He is an inspiration to children who aren't good at anything everywhere!
Blackburn COULD reclaim a spot, but it would require a lot of the staff needing Tommy John
I'd rather the Twins pitch their cheap, controlled starting candidates than sign or trade for new, more expensive starting candidates.
Christmas Eve day? Child wakes up sick. Check.
Double ear infection. Hopefully medicine will produce a silent night.
Boo on the ear infections. Best wishes, Phyllo.
We celebrated Hanukkah on saturday. mrsS is getting just what she wanted -- some new light fixtures. The kids got just what they wanted -- straight cash, homey. I got just what I wanted:
just the pan, not the roast.
Here's to getting dutch ovens! (I got a 5 qt Lodge)
i recently received a giant skillet of theirs and looooove it. i need to get myself a smaller one for more frequent use.
cast iron cookery rocks the house.
i'm in negotiations to acquire and develop further cast iron prospects to replace aging veterans.
TANSTAACIP.
cast iron steps into a starting role pretty much from day one, and lasts longer than Jamey Moyer (if properly seasoned).
speaking of, what's your maintenance method (always looking for improvement)? i just scrub mine down with warm water and a stiff dish brush, dry it, and oil it up again after each use. yes?
that method works fine. I usually just rinse the scrubby sponge out a few times (to minimize soap) and use its scratchier side with hot water.
once a good seasoning is in place, they are pretty much indestructible. I see mrsS use a soapy scrubby sponge on my cast iron pot and frying pan frequently, and have learned not to cringe (much). They get wiped out, dried on a burner for ~2 minutes, then (only occasionally) oiled.
I use my (non-enameled) cast iron dutch oven probably 3-4 times per week to make indian dals, curries, etc., which often means several cups of water. Indestructible.
i have a dish brush that's only purpose is to clean the skillet. jane doesn't bother to clean it as i have too many preferences, which is fine by me.
I used to go through the effort of cleaning the cast iron frying pan with a paste of kosher salt and oil, but gave that up after a couple of years.
While y'all are talking about this, any suggestions for "re"-seasoning an enameled wok? It had a good build up, then something chipped away at a little spot, and now that little spot has kept growing. My attempts to rebuild with oil have proved fruitless.
I did not know that enameled anything required or desired seasoning.
the comments on this thread about seasoning enameled/not enameled cast iron are hilarious.
That should have read "non-enameled". Oops. It's some sort of fancy metal, came with very specific instructions re: seasoning. They were followed, and everything was good for several years. Only recently has there been any erosion in the seasoning.
Huh.
Well, Phyllo. All I can think of is to wash it, dry it well, then give the pan a light coating of crisco and put in a low oven, upside down, for a couple of hours (top rack, with a piece of foil on the bottom rack to catch any drips.
That's basically the procedure for seasoning a new cast iron pan. Or you could venture into the wilds of teh Intertubez. I liked this one because it gives at least the appearance of being science-based.
Thanks. Maybe I'll give that a shot. The seasoning instructions that came with were very different (much more "heat, oil, heat, rub, cool, repeat" kind of things), so I'll keep a close eye. The metal really seems closer to aluminum than cast iron... Maybe I'll check out the internet. ::shudder::
the one I linked to seemed pretty plausible. You really do have to wipe the oil almost dry before baking it on, lest you get thick, gummy stuff that doesn't really adhere.
I've never done more than one coat, but YMMV. Particularly if you are more patient than I.
Phyllo, I just finally clued in that you were talking about a wok -- prolly one of those high-carbon steel ones?
Back before the mrs inadvertently ruined my wok (read: she put pieces through the insinkerator, then lost the handle entirely), I just used a bamboo brush and water to clean it, then got it nice and hot and gave it a light coating of oil.
these instructions look as good as any.
I actually used it to prep the onions for our french onion soup tonight and whatever I did last time to treat it had it looking a lot better than I remembered. Or maybe I misremembered. Or maybe it was a Christmas Miracle! I think that's the one I'm going with.
Agreed. I have a set of three skillets. They get heavy use. Plus, it gives you a great excuse to cook bacon for conditioning purposes.
Who needs an excuse to cook bacon?
Like.
Also, this gives me an excuse to point out that the applewood-smoked bacon at Costco is really, really good.
even Bittman loves cast iron.
The Milkmaid is getting a very similar model.
In others news, I want a back that doesn't hurt all the time, my own brewery, a kid who cleans up after himself, and for there to be new episodes Seinfeld. However I am not getting any of those either.
that article made me laugh.
I mean, good for the Cleveland GM making a call and all, but..... wow
Okay, new flatscreen is set up to surprise Mrs. Runner when she gets home tonight. I hope that HDMI cable arrives in the mail today...
this sounds like one of those wife gifts that ... mostly please the husband. 🙂
also, if you haven't been on the BookFace of late, I can recommend some reading from our house (err, basement) preacher. It's going viral.
In the end, even Hirschman could not avoid choosing Exit.
Oy...I've had a lot of forgettable Christmas Eves since I left Minnesota, dudes, but this one is way up there. The Milkmaid and Skim have an engagement, so two of the only three people I'm close to that I can actually see today aren't here, and I worked from 9:30-6 so I didn't see them during the day, either.
RIP, Oscar Madison.