April 27, 2009
Braising Questions
I’m getting married soon, which means registering for gifts, which means much rejoicing in the kitchen. Last week, a set of Le Creuset enameled cast-iron cookware arrived on my doorstep. I have been reading and hearing great things about this stuff for years now—how evenly it distributes heat, how it lasts forever, how nice it looks, etc.—so I jumped for joy when I opened that box. (Or at least, I tried to jump. That stuff is heavy!)
The set includes four things, two of which I can figure out how to use pretty easily (a grill pan and a casserole dish). But then there’s also a Dutch oven, and, more perplexing, a braising pan. I have plans to try Mark Bittman’s no-knead bread in the Dutch oven someday soon, and I imagine that sort of pot might also be good for soups and stews.
But a braiser? I’ve honestly never seen one before, never mind used one. My fiance had the same reaction: Wow! What an awesome gift! Um…what is this thing?
After a bit of research, I think I see why. Braising pans are mostly intended for meat, and we don’t cook meat, other than occasionally grilling some fish. (We’ll also eat chicken sometimes in restaurants, but neither of us really knows what to do with it in the kitchen. Maybe this is our cue to learn.)
And so I turn to my wise readers: I’m sure you must have some tips or recipes to share. Can I braise vegetables, or even tofu or tempeh? What do you do with your braiser?
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Since braising is a slow wet cooking method, it tends to break things down pretty well. I wouldn’t go for tofu, since one normally likes tofu in its somewhat solid state, but you can certainly braise beans. Same with the veggies – you don’t normally want to break them down to mush; braisers are usually used for tough roasts, short ribs, and that kind of red meat. I don’t have a specific braising pan, myself – I just use a soup pot and weight down the lid if need be, but if you want to get rid of yours… you can just let me know. ;)
Anything you can do in that braising pan, you can do in a Dutch Oven. You could cook tagine or maybe paella in the braiser, but unless you eat a ton of them, I can’t recommend having a pan for just one or two dishes.
LeC. is a delight to deal with. See if they or the store the pots came from will let you exchange for something else. I use an oval French Oven to braise green beans as well as a really easy french-braise of chix (see below). Or a 2 qt pot, which is my workhorse pot of the kitchen.
French Braise of Chicken:
1) Saute a chopped onion, a chopped carrot and a chopped celery stalk in olive oil in the oval oven.
2) Optional step: remove the veggies, brown the chix on all sides (this gives you better skin but takes another 20-30 min).
3) Put the chix in the pan, on top of the veggies, breast side up.
4) Cover pan with tin foil, then the pan lid (this keeps in all the liquid and provides a steamy environment).
5) Roast till done = 165F in the thigh. You get a very tender moist chix that’s not strongly flavored and a small amount of amazingly tasty liquid.
Basic method via Cook’s Illustrated.
The braiser you received is actually a very versatile gift. You don’t eat meat, but braising is a way to cook inexpensive cuts of meat (like a pork shoulder or chuck roast) slowly, with a little bit of liquid, for a long time. This makes the meat extremely tender and it falls apart. I add onion, garlic, tomatoes, etc. for a wonderful sauce it will make while cooking. But I use mine for other things – for instance, risottos. Because of the sloping sides of the dish, it’s perfect for stirring risotto. I also make lots of vegetables in mine, when I want to add a little liquid with the vegetables, put a lid on, and let them “steam” a little, then take off the lid and finish cooking by letting the liquid cook off. You have a great pot there! Enjoy it.
Yea, really…I’ll take it off your hands! Just be grateful you were gifted one. They’re expensive but well worth the price. I have several pieces handed down to me by my grandmother. Those babies are at least 30 years old.
You can use that braiser on the stove top, under the broiler and in the oven. Just do some research on the types of foods you like to eat and their cooking methods and look for things (like beans) that you can use that for. Even if you only use it once or twice a year, it’s a wonderful thing to own and you can always pass it down to your kid or grandkid one day. Congrats on your upcoming wedding!!!!!
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Thanks for the helpful advice and good wishes, readers! I’m definitely going to try that chicken braise recipe, and a risotto, sometime soon.
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