If you have the chestnut pan collecting dust in a cupboard, waiting for autumn to come back so you can use it, it’s time to get it back in summer too. Or, really, anytime you want to cook over the embers of a barbecue, grill, or campfire.
The castañera, common name by which the typical deep iron frying pan with holes that let the air circulate, it does not have to be a utensil with a single use in the kitchen. Probably today many homes give up on getting one precisely because of its apparent lack of versatility.
But if we look at the manufacturers of culinary accessories in other countries, we can see how very similar pans are made without mentioning the chestnut anywhere, pointing directly to its destination in the grill and the barbecue.
A good quality chestnut box, made in strong ore iron or steel With a good thickness, it will be perfect for cooking foods such as vegetables, potatoes, hot foods, fruits, seafood or smaller pieces of meat and fish, such as chicken wings, or vegetable proteins such as tofu and seitan.
This type of pan conserves and conducts heat very well, easily achieving that caramelization and toasting derived from the Maillard reaction that makes us salivate with any product. And the ventilation holes allow to pass flames and intense heat from the embers, with its touch of smoke, through the pan itself. The holes also let the water out that release some foods, facilitating evaporation and preventing them from cooking.
COM-FOUR® barbecue roasting pan with removable wooden handle, for grilling, as a tray or plate (black + red)
KitchenCraft Carbon Steel Chestnut Frying Pan with Holes, 50 x 27 x 15 cm – Black
IBILI 450726 – Chestnut Pan 26 Cm
Ilsa Chestnut Frying Pan, 26 cm, Silver, Centimeters
So summer can be a good time to invest in a chestnut pan to start using it in outdoor barbecues, and to have it at home for when the season of roasting chestnuts returns in autumn and winter. Try to make it suitable for the oven, ceramic hob and/or induction if this is the case with your cooktop, and it will be much more versatile.
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