Instant Pot Pinto Beans - Frijoles de Olla Instante

Don’t worry, my regular readers—I’m not going to be blogging constantly about Instant Pot cooking. I’m not convinced everyone “needs” one, even though I’m having fun with it. But I’ve decided there is one group of people who might need one—people who cook a lot of beans. So far I’ve just made Pinto Beans.

I’ve stuck with the one kind of bean because I wanted to experiment and find the ideal way—well, my ideal way, anyway—of cooking Instant Pot Pinto Beans. The first conclusion I came to on the subject was that presoaking is not necessary. I kept reading that you’ll have more “blown-out” beans if you pressure cook them without presoaking. 

But my experiments have shown that it’s not whether the beans have been presoaked or not, but rather it’s the length of the natural pressure release, that determines whether the beans remain whole, for the most part, or break apart. For stovetop beans, I presoak; for Slow Cooker Pinto Beans, I do not. For the Instant Pot, definitely not.

The second conclusion I came to is that the beans made in the Instant Pot taste better than the beans cooked with the same ingredients by any other method. I was amazed and have no scientific explanation for it. I can only assume that pressure cooking somehow forces more flavor into the beans. Is that true, or just my imagination? 

Cooking times can be tricky for dried beans. Whatever method you use—stovetop, slow cooker or pressure cooker—cooking times for dried beans will vary due to the age of the beans and perhaps other factors about the beans themselves. There are different cooking times for different beans.

I decided to cook my presoaked pinto beans for 10 minutes at high pressure followed by natural pressure release for 25 minutes, with the idea that if they were underdone I’d set it for another 2 minutes (it should build pressure quickly the second time) and check again.

The presoaked (for 12 hours) beans were perfectly done in 10 minutes. So 20 to 25 minutes to come up to pressure, 10 minutes to cook, 25 minutes natural pressure release—an hour or less total—instead of 7 hours in the slow cooker or 2 1/2 to 4 hours on the stovetop. And they taste better! 

But then I decided to experiment with beans that had not been presoaked. Yes, they take longer to cook—the same 20 to 25 minutes to come up to pressure, 40 minutes to cook, the same 25 minutes natural pressure release—but it’s still just an hour and a half or less.

One pound of dried pinto beans makes the equivalent of four 15-ounce/425 gram cans of cooked pinto beans and costs about the same as one can—a significant savings. You can even put the batch of beans into four pint jars or glass storage containers to freeze. Just pull one out anytime a can of beans is called for. 

Since dried beans are done so quickly in the Instant Pot, you could cook several batches of various kinds of beans all in one day, refrigerate what you need for the week and freeze the rest for future meals. Can’t wait to try pressure cooking dried garbanzo beans for hummus.

Mr Delightful is not a bean fan, but since I’m not a huge carnivore, I rely on legumes for a lot of my protein. Lovelovelove Black Bean Soup and Bean with Bacon Soup. 

Instant Pot Pinto Beans - Frijoles de Olla Instante

(Makes about 6 cups of drained beans)

2 1/2 cups (16 ounces/454 grams) dried pinto beans
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 small (about 3 ounces) onion, peeled, optional

6 1/2 cups (56 fluid ounces/1.66 litres) water 

1 Rinse beans, watching for any debris or bad beans, and add to the inner cooking pot of the 6-quart Instant Pot or other brand pressure cooker. Add remaining ingredients. 

Note: Don't skip the olive oil; it prevents foaming that could clog up the valve. 

2 Put the lid in place and turn the steam valve to Sealing. Plug in the Instant Pot. Press the Pressure Cook key. Leave the indicator lights on High Pressure and Normal temperature, and change the cooking time to 40 minutes.

Note: It takes 20 to 25 minutes to reach working pressure. This varies with the amount and temperature of the ingredients in the pot. 

3 When the beep sounds, turn it off by pressing Cancel. Set a kitchen timer for 25 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally, then do a quick release by turning the steam valve to Venting.

4 When the float valve drops down, carefully remove the lid. If the beans are not done to your liking, put the lid back on, turn the steam valve to Sealing, and cook on High Pressure for additional minutes.

5 Remove the onion; taste and adjust seasoning.

Note: The cooked beans can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Tahini Chicken Tea Sandwiches - New West KnifeWorks Review and Giveaway

This batch of Tahini Chicken Tea Sandwiches was made for a little casual afternoon tea, but it will be on the menu at my next proper afternoon tea party, along with Cucumber Sandwiches and Sliced Egg and Dill Sandwiches. 

But before I go on (and on) about tea sandwiches, I want all of you who are not into that sort of thing to know that this knife we’re giving away is not just for tea sandwiches, so don’t click away! 

The New West KnifeWorks G-Fusion Petty Utility Knife is probably the most versatile knife in my collection. For this recipe alone, I used it for butterflying chicken breasts; chopping onion, fennel and cooked chicken; and cutting sandwiches. 

And it does so much more. It’s big enough and the right shape to use as a small chef’s knife and small enough that some cooks even use it as a paring knife. The razor-thin blade makes it great for filleting, boning and trimming silverskin.

For nearly a year, it’s been my go-to knife for shallots, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, small fruits and vegetables, chopping or chiffonading herbs, supreming citrus, cutting and trimming raw meat and carving cooked meat. But back to the tea sandwiches …

I have wasted so much tahini over the years. Love that stuff! And I use a lot of it in my Hummus and Baba Ghanoush (pardon those pictures, by the way, I was just starting out!), but then there’s always some left over. 

What else can I do with it? Mr Delightful is not a fan of dips, so I wanted to use it in a way he would enjoy, too. He likes chicken salad sandwiches, so there you go.

He’s not fussy about his sandwiches being perfectly cut, but (and now I’m talking to my Tea People) tea sandwiches must look as good as they taste. They must be cut very cleanly; squished sandwiches and ragged edges are simply not the done thing. 

So tell me, what is your favorite tea sandwich? And be sure to go to the section below the recipe for details on this very generous giveaway. If you don’t happen to need a knife, you know someone who does; and this knife would make a great and generous gift.

Blade Length 5.5 inches, Overall Length 11 inches, Max Blade With 1.187 inches

Tahini Chicken Tea Sandwiches

(Makes 32)

2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound (16 ounces/454 grams) boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
3/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons minced onion

1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup minced fennel or celery

1/2 cup unsalted tahini

2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce/30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
16 slices potato or buttermilk bread (or other soft, "wide" bread)
1 stick (4 ounces/113 grams) unsalted butter, very soft

1 In dry skillet, toast the sesame seeds over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove to 1.5-quart bowl to cool.

2 In same skillet, still hot, heat the olive oil. Add the chicken breasts and cook, loosely covered, over medium-low heat about 15 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the pieces. Season each side of chicken with up to 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Remove to plate to cool.

Note: I used the New West KnifeWorks Petty to butterfly the chicken breasts, so they needed just 10 minutes on each side. Set aside to cool.

3 Add onion to skillet and cook until very soft, about 5 minutes, deglazing the pan with the onion juices, scraping up any brown bits. Add the onion and oil to bowl with sesame seeds.

4 Chop the cooled chicken and add it to the bowl. Stir in the carrots, fennel or celery, tahini and lemon juice. Add the curry powder and remaining salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and chill for at least an hour before assembling sandwiches.

5 Spread each slice of bread thinly with softened butter. Divide the chicken salad (about 1/4 cup each) among the 8 bottom bread slices. Top with remaining buttered bread slices. Trim off crusts and cut each sandwich into four fingers or rectangles, arranging on a plate in about three layers. 

6 Lay a good-quality un-dyed paper towel on top of the sandwiches. Wet and wring out well another paper towel; lay the damp paper towel on top of the dry paper towel. Never place the damp paper towel directly on top of the sandwiches or they will become soggy. Wrap rather snugly with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least an hour or up to several hours. This will make your sandwiches “hold together” and keep them from drying out. Remove from refrigerator and uncover sandwiches just before serving.

New West KnifeWorks Petty Knife Giveaway

I chose the all black knife, but it comes in 7 other beautiful and unique New West color combinations you must check out. The knife comes with a beautiful leather blade protector.

This giveaway is open to readers in the US* who are 18 years of age or older. To enter, leave a comment below (one entry per person). Tell me the first thing you'd make with the knife and/or which color you'd choose. Please include your email address in the body of your comment. Must enter by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday February 13.

* If you are outside the US but would like to have this sent to someone you know in the US (you would have to send them a gift card separately on your own), go ahead and enter!

Winner will be chosen by random drawing and be announced here in the comments before noon Eastern time on Thursday February 14. If I don't hear back from the winner of the random drawing by noon Eastern time Sunday February 17, a new winner will be selected from the original entrants (those who commented before the giveaway deadline). 

Disclosure: New West KnifeWorks provided a knife for review purposes and one for the giveaway. The views expressed here are entirely my own. I always tell my readers what I really think!

Jean

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Slow Cooker Beef Stew was the first thing I wanted to make in my new Instant Pot. Yes, folks, I finally broke down and bought one. I didn’t have room for one more countertop appliance, but I needed to replace my slow cooker’s cooking pot. Here’s the story.

I love my slow cooker, the Cuisinart 6-quart multicooker slow cooker, but I damaged the nonstick surface of the cooking pot and so was going to have to order a replacement. Since I was interested in trying a pressure cooker, I thought I’d try the combination slow cooker pressure cooker Instant Pot with its uncoated stainless steel cooking pot.

This photo shows how I protect the wall and undercabinet lighting from grease spatters with a dish towel when sauteeing in a countertop appliance. Or I can set it on something on top of the stove and turn the range hood on.

This time I used packaged grass-fed stew meat, but I really prefer to buy a piece of chuck (about 2.75 pounds) and trim it and cut it up myself into larger pieces. 

I’ve written my recipe instructions for the cook who is new, as I am, to using the Instant Pot as a slow cooker. If they are not clear, do tell me so that I can clarify them. Anyone using a regular slow cooker (or the stovetop) can easily make adjustments. 

Then I’ll try out the Instant Pot in its main function as a pressure cooker. I’m brand new to pressure cookers, probably because my mother and grandmothers didn’t use them, so it’s going to be an adventure. Have you jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon yet? I think I might be the last person on the planet to get one!

Update 01/17/19: Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot Beef Stew, Classic Stovetop Beef Stew.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

(Serves 4 to 6)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 1/4 pounds (1.02 kg) lean beef chuck, cut into 1.5-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) drinkable dry red wine or water

1/2 large onion, chopped (6 ounces/170 grams—about 3/4 cup)

1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces/680 grams) Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 medium carrots (12 ounces/340 grams), peeled, cut diagonally into 1-inch slices

3 stalks celery (6 ounces/170 grams), sliced diagonally into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces/355 ml) chicken broth or water

4 to 5 tablespoons (half a 6-ounce can) tomato paste

1 teaspoon marjoram
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

Slurry of 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup water

Garnish: 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley and/or 1 cup of frozen peas

1 Brown the beef in two or three batches. (I do three because I’m really into thorough browning.) Plug in the Instant Pot. Select the Saute program. Press the Saute key again to go from Normal temperature to More. When the word Hot appears on the display, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the stainless steel cooking pot of the Instant Pot. 

2 Dry the beef cubes a batch at a time with paper towels, add to hot oil and brown very well in single layer, sprinkling with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Transfer browned beef to a bowl. Repeat. (And repeat again if you’re doing three batches.)

3 Deglaze the cooking pot with 1/2 cup wine or water. Press the Cancel key. Add the beef back to the Instant Pot, along with all remaining ingredients except the slurry and garnish. 

4 Put on the optional Instant Pot glass lid, or use the pressure cooking lid with the steam release handle turned to Venting. Select the Slow Cook program. Within 10 seconds, press Slow Cook to set temperature to Normal. Within 10 seconds, press “+ or –“ to set time to 6 hours.

Note: Instant Pot users have reported all kinds of timing differences in the slow cooker function, so you’ll just have to see about this!

5 After 6 hours (if your stew is done), shake together flour and water until mixture is smooth. Stir the smooth slurry into the stew, taste and adjust seasoning; press Saute and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes to thicken. Remove bay leaf, and sprinkle on parsley or stir in frozen peas. 

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support.

Jean

Classic Scones - Traditional Scones - A Tutorial

Today, Classic Scones. I’ve blogged several different scones over the years: Cream Scones, Fresh Blackberry Scones, Fresh Peach Scones, Gluten-Free Scones (even Classic Scones, but that was in the first month of the blog, so most of you missed it). 

And looking over that recipe, I’ve decided it perhaps didn’t give quite as much detail as a novice scone maker might need; so if that’s you, this one’s for you! A tutorial, you might say.

First, let’s talk about the texture of a scone. I’ve had scones that were made by folding and rolling the dough a few times to achieve “layers.” They were delicious, but uh uh. If you want layers, I’ll give you Croissants, Danish or Butteries. 

I’ve also had scones that were fluffy or cakey. Uh uh. A proper scone has a certain characteristic texture, and that’s not it. Following the recipe directions below should give you the proper texture. More crumbly than flaky, drier perhaps than an American biscuit but not dry.

Don't forget to Pin it and share it!

Now, let’s talk about the shape. You can make them round or you can make them wedge-shaped. One is not more “correct” or “British” or “authentic” than the other. If you prefer round scones, cut the dough with a round cutter (2-inch/5 cm maximum). 

But I nearly always make the wedge shape, for two reasons: 1) That’s the way my mother and her mother and her mother’s mother made them since the 1880s or earlier in northwest England, and 2) It uses all the dough the first time around, so there are no scraps that have to be worked together for a second cutting.

This is perhaps a bit more butter and sugar than my grandmother used but not so much as what some American scone recipes call for. But you want to taste the butter, right? And my mother and I were never ones to pile on the jam quite like my grandmother, so a little more sugar than she used is called for.

The scones I baked today were for elevenses (British English for midmorning tea break). For an afternoon tea, I serve clotted cream, lemon curd and raspberry or strawberry jam with the scones. For everyday tea, though, I enjoy them unadorned.

Of course, I’m being terribly opinionated about all this. But if you offer me a scone made by another method along with a nice cup of tea, I’m not going to turn it down! What are your preferences and opinions on scones? Round or wedge? Plain or fruit?

Classic Scones - Traditional Scones

(Makes 16 scones)

1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) milk
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 dip-and-sweep cups (10 ounces/283 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces/85 grams) cold unsalted butter, coarsely shredded or cut into little cubes
Finely grated zest of one medium orange or lemon, optional

1/2 cup (2.5 ounces/71 grams) dried currants or other chopped dried fruit, optional
1 large egg (medium, if you’re in the UK)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Preheat oven to 500F/260C/Gas10. In glass measuring cup stir together cider vinegar and milk. Let stand to thicken a bit for 5 minutes as you proceed. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle a bit of flour lightly in two 6-inch circles.

Tip: My OXO Good Grips bench scraper has a 6-inch ruler on the edge of its stainless steel blade, making it a perfect multi-use tool for making scones.

2 In medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With your fingers, rub the butter (shredded with the Microplane extra coarse grater) into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal or fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the orange zest (Microplane zester grater) and dried fruit to coat and separate. Add the egg and vanilla to the soured milk and whisk together; remove 1 tablespoon of the mixture to use as an egg wash.

Tip: It’s best to keep ingredients cool. If it’s a hot day, or your hot little hands are making the butter melt, pop your mixing bowl in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes.

3 With a large fork stir the wet mixture, a little at a time, into the dry mixture and gently mix until just combined. You may not need to use all of it (or you might need to add a bit more milk); use just enough to make a soft, but not wet or sticky, dough. Do the final mixing with your hand; the dough should not be sticking to your hand or the bowl. Do not knead; there's no need to knead!

4 Divide the dough into two roughly equal (no need to weigh, but I love my food scale) smooth balls and place them on the floured circles and gently pat the dough, dusting with flour as needed, into two 5.25- to 5.5-inch (14 cm) rounds. Take a moment to make sure your discs are smooth and flat, almost 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick, and have smooth, straight edges. With a bench scraper or long sharp knife, cut each round into 8 wedges. Pull the wedges out and space them an inch or two apart.

Tip: Again, if it’s a hot day, or the heat of your hands has softened the dough, pop your baking sheet in the fridge to cool the discs off before cutting them into wedges.

5 With silicone pastry brush, brush tops only with the reserved tablespoon of milk-egg mixture. Place in oven, and immediately reduce oven temperature to 400F/205C/Gas6. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Put on the kettle and make a proper cup of tea. Enjoy the delightful repast!

For how to throw an afternoon tea party and a roundup of afternoon tea recipes, see Afternoon Tea Party Tips.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites.

Jean

Egg and Dill Tea Sandwiches - New West KnifeWorks Review and Giveaway

Tea sandwiches must look as good as they taste. If you’re an afternoon tea aficionado, you know that tea sandwiches must be cut very cleanly; squished sandwiches and ragged edges are simply not the done thing.

As soon as I received the New West KnifeWorks Deli knife, the first thing I did was whip up a batch of Egg and Dill Tea Sandwiches to test the knife. It was fabulous, dahling! And a friend had an afternoon tea party coming up, so …

I took the knife over to her so she could try it out on the six dozen sandwiches she would be making. Knowing she has the dullest knives in town, I gave her the safety schpiel, reminding her that, though a sharp knife truly is a safer knife, it can do some serious damage if she gets distracted.

She called me midway through to rave about the knife! But it isn’t just for cutting tea sandwiches. You can use it for anything you’d use a utility knife for and anything you’d use a serrated knife for.

Of course, you can’t slice a big loaf of bread with a 5.5-inch blade, but you can slice baguettes and bagels. And Toasted Teacakes! You can make paper-thin slices of tomato and cucumber and cut all kinds of fruits and vegetables. You could even carve a Small Roast Beef. 

See the giveaway below, which is open to readers everywhere. But first, check out one of my most-requested tea sandwiches. What is your fave?

Egg and Dill Tea Sandwiches

(Makes 24)

5 large eggs, cold
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarse black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
12 slices dill rye bread (1-pound loaf), bottom slices buttered with soft unsalted butter and top slices spread with mayo

1 Place eggs in a single layer in pan. Add enough room temperature water to cover eggs completely and an inch over. Bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water is bubbling lightly, remove pan from the heat and cover tightly with the lid. Let stand for 14 minutes. Drain and add cold water to pan; repeat twice. Leave eggs to cool for 15 minutes in cold water. Drain, and proceed with recipe or refrigerate until ready to use.

2 In a 1-quart bowl, finely chop the hard-cooked eggs. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper and dill. Taste and adjust seasoning. Divide egg mixture among the lightly buttered “bottom” bread slices; spread evenly, skipping the edges and round part at the top because they are going to be cut away.

3 Put lightly mayo’d “top” bread slices in place. Trim off crusts and cut each sandwich into 4, arranging on a plate in about 3 layers.

4 Lay a high-quality white paper towel on top of the sandwiches. Wet and wring out well another paper towel; lay the damp paper towel on top of the dry paper towel. (Placing the damp paper towel directly on top of the sandwiches would result in soggy sandwiches.) Wrap snugly with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least an hour or up to several hours. This makes the sandwiches “hold together” and keeps them from drying out. Uncover sandwiches just before serving.

New West KnifeWorks Knife Giveaway

I chose the all black knife, but it comes in 7 other beautiful and unique New West color combinations you must check out. The knife comes with a beautiful leather blade protector.

This giveaway is open to readers everywhere who are 18 years of age or older. Leave a comment below (one entry per person). Tell me the first thing you'd make with the knife and/or which color you'd choose. Please include your email address in the body of your comment. Must enter by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday May 2.

Winner will be chosen by random drawing and be announced here in the comments before noon Eastern time on Thursday May 3. If I don't hear back from the winner of the random drawing by noon Eastern time Sunday May 6, another drawing will be held and a new winner selected from the original entrants (those who commented before the giveaway deadline). 

Disclosure: New West KnifeWorks provided a knife for review purposes and one for the giveaway. The views expressed here are entirely my own. I always tell my readers what I really think!

Jean

Perfect Scrambled Eggs - Review and Giveaway Le Creuset Nonstick Fry Pan

Perfect Scrambled Eggs—Now there’s a claim! This is one of those dishes that even experts can’t agree on. It all comes down to what you like. If you are perfectly happy with your scrambled eggs, skip right on down to the Le Creuset pan. I won’t be offended.

But if you’re not quite sure your scrambled eggs really are the be-all and end-all, stay with me here. Of course, all you’ll get is my opinion. For every so-called expert who insists you must do or add something, there is another of equal stature who insists on just the opposite.

I like scrambled eggs that finish in soft, fluffy folds rather than tiny pieces of egg that look like a pile of gravel on the plate. They should look slightly moist, but not wet or gooey. If they look matte/dry or, heaven forbid, browned, they are overcooked and rubbery.

How is this "perfection" accomplished? I’ll tell you in the recipe, but let’s start with the pan. A slope-sided (rather than straight-sided) pan of the proper size for the number of eggs is key. I’m usually scrambling 4 to 6 large eggs, so a 10-inch pan is perfect.

Should you beat the eggs in a bowl or right in the pan? Beat them in a bowl, vigorously, with a whisk, for 30 seconds or so, right before you pour them into the heated pan. Add milk, cream or water? None of the above! Just eggs. Salt or other seasonings? No. Just eggs.

Le Creuset Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Nonstick Fry Pan

The Pan

As I’ve said before, such as in my How to Make Crepes post, maybe it's one of those anti-everything all-natural organic old hippie chick things, but I'm not crazy about (translation: I hate) nonstick pans. But ... I do use a well cared for, high-quality nonstick pan for a few things—omelettes, scrambled eggs, crepes and pancakes (or gluten-free pancakes).

My everyday skillet is uncoated tri-ply stainless steel, my preferred pan for cooking steaks, chops, anything I want to brown. And I’ve actually perfected the art of cooking eggs in it with almost no sticking, but it takes a lot of concentration! The nonstick version doesn’t give me a problem even if I’m distracted or half asleep!

And, squeamish as I am about ingesting chemicals or fumes, I’m quite confident that a properly used and cared for, high-quality nonstick pan used occasionally is not going to hurt me. Of course, I treat my nonstick pans properly because I also don’t like having to throw things away because, as you know, there is no "away."

A few general tips for using a nonstick pan:

Unlike with other pans, never preheat empty or over high heat. Rub a little oil or butter (I use about 1/2 teaspoon) onto the cold pan—don’t use cooking spray—and heat over low to moderate heat.

Use non-metal utensils that are not sharp or rough so as to not scratch or nick the nonstick surface. Once you’ve damaged the nonstick coating, it’s all over for that pan.

Allow to cool completely before immersing in water or filling with water. Hand-wash with a sponge or cloth. And never stack another pan inside a nonstick pan. If you must stack, put a dishcloth between the pans.

Now for the recipe. Oh, and do tell me how you like your scrambled eggs. And be sure to enter my giveaway of a Le Creuset Stainless Steel 10-Inch (26 cm) Nonstick Fry Pan, a heavy tri-ply pan that retains and distributes heat evenly so there are no hot and cold spots!

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

(Makes 2 servings)

4 or 5 large eggs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 In 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter.

Note: Actually, Number One is make sure everything else is ready and the diners are at the table before you even start. If you're having toast or whatever, it needs to be done before the eggs go into the pan. There's nothing worse than scrambled eggs that have been waiting around!

2 In a 1-quart bowl (I use a 4-cup glass measure), whisk the eggs vigorously for 30 seconds or so.

Note: I had a friend who insisted that whisking the eggs right in the pan with a fork was the way to go, but her scrambled eggs always had white streaks - a big major unappetizing no-no for me. 

3 When the butter is bubbling (but not browned), pour the eggs into the center of the pan. Do not stir.

4 Cook over medium-low heat, without stirring, until eggs begin to set at the edges.

The eggs pictured in this post are actually not as "Perfect" as usual because I cooked them a little too long before starting to push them around with the silicone spatula. But that's how it goes when you're trying to cook and photograph at the same time!

5 When the edges are starting to set, draw a heat-resistant silicone spatula across the bottom of the pan. Uncooked egg will flow into that area. Wait several seconds. Repeat a few times, forming large curds.

6 When the eggs look about one minute away from done, take the pan off the heat; the eggs will continue to cook. Plate; sprinkle with salt and pepper; garnish with chives, cilantro, flat-leaf parsley or tarragon, if you're being fancy; and serve right away.

Don't forget to Pin it!

Le Creuset® Nonstick Fry Pan Giveaway

This giveaway is open to US residents* 18 years of age or older. Leave a comment below (one entry per person, plus see below for ways to get up to two bonus entries). First comment should be about the first thing you'll make in your 10-inch nonstick fry pan. Please include your email address in the body of your comment. Must enter by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday March 14.

* If you are outside the US but would like to have this sent to someone you know in the US (you would have to send them a gift card separately on your own), go ahead and enter!

Winner will be chosen by random drawing and be announced here in the comments before noon Eastern time on Thursday March 15. If I don't hear back from the winner of the random drawing by noon Eastern time Sunday March 18, another drawing will be held and a new winner selected from the original entrants (those who commented before the giveaway deadline).

For up to two bonus entries (each in a separate comment):

• follow Le Creuset on Twitter and leave a separate comment below with your Twitter name. (Must include Twitter name!)
  

• follow Delightful Repast on Twitter and leave a separate comment below with your Twitter name. (Must include Twitter name!)

Disclosure: Le Creuset provided a pan for review purposes and one for the giveaway. The views expressed here are entirely my own. I always tell my readers what I really think!