Cooking With Spirits

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Behind the Scenes

Cooking With Spirits Social Media

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Social Media

Love it or hate it, social media is here to stay. If you’re on our website reading this you know about our site but did you know you can find Cooking With Spirits in several other spots online?

We finally started a YouTube channel!  Have you subscribed onYouTube?  After you hit the subscribe button be sure to click on the bell to be notified when we upload new content.

Did you know we also have a Facebook page? On Facebook, we try to share our latest content, news articles that relate to cooking and of course information from our favorite cooking sites.

Do you prefer photos? Ride It Wrench It is on Instagram too! We try to post photos from our adventures along with interesting motorcycles we see while we’re out and about.

How You Can Help

I’m sure most of you know Cooking With Spirits only has a few people behind the content. There is no big marketing team, photographer or social media guru. We all have full-time schedules and do our best to keep relevant content coming to you. You can help us by sharing the content on the various social media sites when you see it. Even a like on Facebook has a huge impact on how many people Facebook shows our content. Since our goal is to inspire as many cooks as possible we appreciate every time you show our post some love!

Get to Know Us

We are working on bio pages for everyone on the team but until those are finished you can get to know us a little better on our about page.

Our Favorite Blender for Cooking and Mixed Drinks

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Our Favorite Blender for Cooking and Mixed Drinks

 

Our Favorite Blender for Cooking and Mixed Drinks is the Vitamix 5200 blender. You won’t just find the Vitamix 5200 blender in restaurant kitchens. You’ll find it in home kitchens around the world. We use the Vitamix 5200 blender in our test kitchen and at home.  The price point is a bit higher than some of the other Vitamix models but the features are well worth it.  ...

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Cooking with Spirits is Partnering with Days Well Spent

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Cooking with Spirits is Partnering with Days Well Spent

 

Cooking with Spirits is excited to announce we've partnered with Days Well Spent on YouTube! Days Well Spent will be producing videos to go with many of our recipes. Below you'll find the announcement video they did. Days Well Spent all ready has a lot of great recipes and videos on their channel and website. if you've not already subscribed to their YouTube channel be sure to do so. That will make sure you stay up-to-date on all their new videos. ...

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Cast Iron Use & Care

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Cooking Tips

  1. Cast iron comes seasoned and ready to use! Just give it a quick rinse and hand dry, and you’re ready to start cooking.
  2. Use any utensils you like, even metal. There is no chemical coating to damage.
  3. Cast iron can be used on all stovetops, from induction to electric to gas, even on the grill! It also works great on glasstop stoves.
  4. Cast iron performs best when heated and cooled gradually, so give it a few minutes to pre-heat before adding your food.
  5. Cast iron retains heat very well, so using a lower heat setting can prevent food from sticking. And don't forget to use a  hot handle mitt!

Cleaning Tips

  1. Wash cast iron by hand with a nylon bristle scrub brush. If needed, use a pan scraper for stuck on bits. For extra sticky situations, simmer a little water for 1 minute, then use the scraper after cooled.
  2. Dry promptly and thoroughly with a lint-free cloth or paper towel.
  3. Rub with a very light layer of cooking oil or our Seasoning Spray, preferably while the cookware is still warm.
  4. Hang or store cookware in a dry place.

Occasionally, you may notice some dark residue on your paper towel or cloth when cleaning. This is perfectly safe -- it’s just the seasoning (the baked-on cooking oil) reacting to foods that may be slightly acidic or alkaline. It will disappear with regular use and care.

Soap isn’t always necessary, but if you like, a little mild detergent is fine. Promise. Stay away from dishwashers and metal scouring pads, which can harm the seasoning.

Seasoning Tips

  • Seasoning is simply oil baked onto the iron, giving it a natural, easy-release finish.
  • Lodge seasons all of its cookware with soy vegetable oil and nothing else.
  • Any food-safe cooking oil/shortening will work for maintaining your cookware. We recommend vegetable oil or canola oil, like our Seasoning Spray.
  • The best way to maintain the seasoning on your cast iron is simply to use it! Cooking in it regularly using any kind of cooking oil is a great way to keep your pan looking and performing well.
  • If your pan becomes dull, gray, splotchy, or gets rusty, it could probably benefit from being re-seasoned. Just follow these easy steps:

Cooking With Fine Italian Wine

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Instead of enjoying a fantastic glass of your favorite fine Italian wine with dinner, consider using the nectar of the gods as an ingredient in your favorite dish. Cooking with wine has never been more popular and endless recipes abound that incorporate all different types of wine into favorite dishes and unique spins on classic cuisine. When you cook with Italian wine, the alcohol evaporates, so the dish will be appropriate for individuals unable to consume alcohol, underage eaters, or individuals who do not wish to imbibe any alcohol....

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Scotch, Whiskey and Bourbon, What’s the Difference Between Them?

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The main difference between scotch and whiskey is geographic, but also ingredients and spellings. Scotch is whisky made in Scotland, while bourbon is whiskey made in the U.S.A, generally Kentucky. Scotch is made mostly from malted barley, while bourbon is distilled from corn. If you’re in England and ask for a whisky, you’ll get Scotch. But in Ireland, you’ll get Irish whiskey.

What is Scotch?

Technically, Scotch is whisky (spelled without the "e") that must be produced in Scotland, made from mostly malted barley and aged in oak barrels for three years or more. (The number following the name on a bottle of Scotch tells you how long it was aged.) Some Scotch tastes a lot like bourbon, but with a signature smokiness that lingers at the tail-end of a tasting. For this reason, some people avoid it, but for others, the acquired taste only makes the experience better. We think this pairs nicely with some stews and smoked meats.

For a whiskey to call itself bourbon, its mash, the mixture of grains from which the product is distilled, must contain at least 51% corn. (The rest of the mash is usually filled out with malted barley and either rye or wheat.) ... The distillate must be aged in a new charred oak barrel.
 

Rye

"Rye whiskey" can refer either to American whiskey, which must be distilled from at least 51% rye and aged two years or more, or Canadian whisky, which may or may not actually include any rye in its production process. Full in body and spice, rye -- which had been playing second fiddle to its closest cousin, bourbon, ever since U.S. corn production increased in the decades following Prohibition -- has been making a steady comeback on cocktail menus across the country in the last decade.

Rye's bold, slightly burning bite cuts right through sweet mixers, making for intense beverages with layers of flavor.

Does it Matter in Cooking?

Yes, it does, but you can interchange them. Remember, the alcohol content may be different, and the flavor will be too.

The Whiskey Sour

If you are looking for a great drink to use whiskey in Real Life with Lulu will show you How to Make a Whiskey Sour.