Preparing Hard-Cooked Eggs the Easy Way: In the Oven!

This couldn't be easier.  I mean who really wants to wait for that saucepan of water to boil?  Besides, with this method, it's much easier to cook 12-18 eggs all at one time. No more overcooked, tough, green yolks - yea!  

Eggs (I always bake as many as my mini muffin tin will hold, which is 12 or 18) 

1 mini muffin tin

1 large bowl of ice water

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

• Stand eggs in mini muffin tin and place into the preheated oven.

• Bake eggs for 30 minutes. 

• Using a pair of rubber-tipped tongs, remove hot eggs from tin and plunge immediately into bowl of prepared ice water.  

• Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.  

• Peel and eat as usual, or store in the fridge until ready to use.

**You may notice some brown dots on the bottom of the eggs when you remove them from the muffin tin. Don't be alarmed - these will come off in the water bath. 

Now You're Cookin',
Chef Alli

Oven Bacon

My boys ADORE bacon and it's a Sunday morning tradition. 

If you've found stove-top bacon to be a messy event, switch to the oven-cooked method and you'll NEVER look back! 

Not only will you keep all the mess in the oven, following these steps below will ensure that your bacon comes out in nice, crispy strips, instead of that "curled and shriveled" experience. 



Here's you go:

1.  Cover a large baking sheet (with sides) with bacon strips placed side-by-side, as closely as possible.

2.  Place bacon into a COLD oven. 

3.  Turn oven to 400 degrees F. Cook bacon for 15 minutes. Fip bacon and continue to cook an additional 5-10 minutes until it's browned and crisped to the degree you like it; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool for a few minutes. 

Now You're Cookin',
Chef Alli

Oven Caramelized Onions

8-10 onions, sliced
1-2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. dark brown sugar
splash of good balsamic vinegar
splash of white wine
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place onions into a greased 9 x 13 pan; drizzle with oil and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar.  Add balsamic vinegar and wine; season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cover pan with foil and place into the oven for 40-45 minutes or until onions are softened and translucent.  Remove cover and continue to cook onions until nicely browned and caramelized, adding broth to pan if onions are beginning to become to dried out.  Cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.

Now You're Cookin',
Chef Alli 

Season Your Cast Iron Cookware in 4 Easy Steps

I love cooking with cast iron!  Let me tell you why:

Cast iron has very even distribution of heat, making it superior for cooking and baking; it does take longer to preheat than some materials, but this is what makes it such a reliable and steady servant in the kitchen. 

It’s versatile – going from the cook top directly into the oven is a plus. Cast iron is also great for serving from at the table because it keeps foods warm for an extended period of time.

And, yes, cast iron is heavy (probably the only down side), but that weight guarantees reliable temperature control and a super hot surface that ensures a good crispy sear on steaks and salmon fillets every time. 

Seasoning Cast Iron

Now days, most cast iron comes pre-seasoned from the manufacturer.  However, there may be times you will need to re-season your cast iron cookware or you may be starting out with an un-seasoned skillet.  Either way, you can follow these steps:

1. Wash – Only use soap on your cast iron prior to seasoning it and NEVER again.  Rinse well with hot water, making sure to remove every bit of soap.  If you are re-seasoning the surface due to stuck-on fond or food particles, go ahead and use steel wool to create an even, clean surface.
2. Dry – Place your skillet into a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or on a burner over medium heat for 10 minutes to thoroughly dry. 
3. Season and Bake – Using canola oil and a paper towel, rub a thin layer of oil all over skillet, including the outside and the handle.  Place cookware into a cold oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Once oven is preheated, bake cookware for 1 hour, then turn oven off and let cookware cool down with the oven.  Once skillet has cooled to room temperature, store in a cool, dry place (I store mine in the oven.), and always coat cookware with cooking oil in between use to maintain seasoning layer. 
4. To Clean After Use – Never put your cast iron cookware in the dishwasher!  Allow cookware to cool before rinsing with hot water.  If there are food particles that don’t want to come off the bottom and sides of the cast iron cookware, simply simmer some water in the pan for a few minutes until particles loosen and can be removed easily. 

Tips for Cooking with Cast Iron

• The more you use it, the slicker the seasoned surface will become over time. 
• Because the bottom of most cast iron skillets is uneven in nature, do not use it on a smooth-top stove.  Heat pockets can form between the bottom of the cook ware and the smooth-top that can cause damage to the cook top. 
• Remember that cast iron handles become just as hot as the cookware.  Always use a good oven mitt when handling cast iron to prevent burns. 

Now You’re Cookin’ (With Cast Iron!),

Chef Alli 

Love At First Knife

Most good cooks know there are two must-haves for the kitchen: a good knife and a good saute pan; all the rest is fluff. When I make this statement in my cooking classes, I often see questioning looks on the faces of my students, most likely because a wide array of the latest and greatest culinary gadgets lies before me on the counter. And though I do use (and love) many of these tools, not a single one of them would be grabbed up in case of kitchen fire - I would be too busy seeking out my favorite knife and saute pan before running out the door.

And though I can truly appreciate a good saute pan, nothing separates me from my chef's knife. This "love of my life" has come to the rescue on many an onion, carrot and garlic clove, and these days I really need that. I am finding myself spending more and more time cooking at home, trying to stay ahead of the appetites of my two youngest sons, ages 12 and 14. It seems they eat constantly! Since I feel it's my duty as Chef-Mom to keep them well fed, I keep my chef's knife constantly chopping and slicing on their behalf, trying my best to keep their bellies full.

My family and friends all know that if you invite me into your kitchen to help you cook, I WILL be examining your inventory of kitchen tools, including a check of the knives in your utensil drawer or butcher block. I don't do this to belittle my friends and family like one may think - I just want to know how hard I'm going to have to work while I'm there. A dull knife is likely to ensure me of a trip to the E.R. for a few stitches and I want to know my odds going in. I also like to anticipate how much Ben Gay and ibuprofen I'm going to need the next day for my sore shoulders and arms – another treat a dull knife doles out.

Recently, I visited my sister-in-law and noticed she was slicing vegetables with a knife that looked like it had weathered countless tree branches and lots of baling twine. (This is why my knives are not accessible to my sons around our farm or I would have the same problem.) A good inch of the tip of her knife was broken off and I could visibly see how dull it was by the pressure she was exerting as she pressed through each vegetable onto her cutting board. (And yes, I was surprised she was using a cutting board – I didn't realize she even had one. But thankfully she wasn't cutting onions or I literally would have been crying in my beer from 20 feet!) Keep in mind this is not unusual in her kitchen as she spends ZERO on culinary tools, always assuring me that would be a total waste of her hard-earned money. Though she never says it, I know she feels the same about my wardrobe, so that makes us even: I wouldn't be caught dead with her knife in my hand and she wouldn't be caught dead wearing my clothes!

Using good, sharp chef's knife is comparable to riding in a Cadillac. Once you float over the road in a Cadillac, you wouldn't possibly consider riding in that sluggish little Volkswagen any longer. And so it goes with a dull knife. There's nothing worse, at least in this chef's opinion, so I'll leave you with this bit of corny culinary humor: BE SHARP and buy a good knife – you'll find there's no going back.

Now You're Cookin',

Chef Alli