Recently I wrote about modern kitchen devices, which in my kitchen did not come from the word "absolutely". And today - let there be an ode to the beloved brazier
Or is it not a brazier, but a duck?
There are now problems with determining the species of the dishes. There are so many species and subspecies of it, it seems to me that manufacturers themselves sometimes do not know what they are making.
Nowadays, ducklings, gosyatnitsy, and even cauldrons can be found both in personal sections, and in one general, under the name "brazier".
At the same time, the materials used for them are very different - from cast iron with aluminum to all kinds of stones that are currently fashionable.
I have cast iron with enamel inside. Why is there enamel - who knows, because I got this vessel far from new, and, judging by its appearance, was found in the family long before my birth. Despite such a well-deserved age, I will not trade it for anything and I hope that the brazier will serve for many more years.
And that's why.
The functionality of any brazier, regardless of shape, is something on the verge of fantasy. And in a roaster, and in a gosyatnitsa, and in a cauldron with a heavy, well-ground lid, you can cook anything you want, anywhere, anywhere.
The brazier (especially cast iron) will withstand both an open fire of a fire and the heat of an oven furnace, it can be put on the burner of a gas or electric stove (that's sometimes a problem with induction), and in the oven.
At the same time, thanks to the thick walls and the bottom, the heat in it will be distributed evenly and, if I may say so, “correctly”. Almost never will burn anything in it, everything will be quenched, everything will get fried and stubborn.
Poultry in a brazier will turn out softer than just in an oven, but it will form a crust on it.
It is a pleasure to stew meat with vegetables in it, and you do not need to add water and a lot of oil.
Baking is also easy and, best of all, the meat in a brazier covered with a lid does not dry out.
And as a bonus, so to speak... The baking in the brazier turns out to be excellent, and all because if the lid is really good adjoins, the steam will not escape outside, and inside the brazier, practically the same conditions are created as in the Russian ovens.
That is, if you cannot or do not want to use a baking stone, just take a rooster, a duck, a cauldron, just a round brazier. Preheat the oven to 220-230 degrees. For half an hour - an hour before baking, put a brazier in it, and then, when the proofing of the bread is over, carefully turn it out of the towel into a mold. Cover with a lid and bake (I will not indicate the time, it depends on the size of the product, approximately - 20-30 minutes under the lid, 10-20 minutes without the lid and 5-10 minutes with the heating off.
Shl. And what is your favorite in the kitchen, if not a secret?