The cast iron has great heat retention and is a traditional way of preparing fat free foods. Others like the feel of the typical heavy solid one piece construction cast iron offers. Even to the point of that slight iron taste that can enhance the flavor of some foods. Even those with the condition of anemia find cast iron cookware to be a healthier choice because of their iron deficiency.

Now just don’t go out to the store, buy cast iron cookware and start cookies veggies in it. There is a process you will want to go through to make sure the cast iron is seasoned before use. Some benefits of seasoning is it provides a non-stick effect, great for health cooking when bypassing adding the typical oil. You are going to put your cast iron through a process known as black oxide, helping protect it from corrosion.

Seasoning a Cast Iron Skillet

When you buy a cast iron pan it will tend to come unseasoned and seasoning may be a bother for some but many it’s a ritual of sorts, as it requires a skillful hand to create that tough layer of grease.

First clean out your cast iron cookware with dish soap and water, make sure you rinse it thoroughly. Place it on the stove top at a low temperature to dry all remaining water, allow pan to cool. Apply a good layer of vegetable oil or animal fat (lard) for 24 hours. You could heat the pan and then allow things to cool but the effects are similar in nature.

After 24 hours has passed wipe the excessive grease with a paper towel and preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to line the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil or a cookie sheet on the lowest rack to catch the drippings. Now be prepared once you put the cookware in the oven it’s going to get smokey so it’s best to have proper ventilation.

Once your oven has reached 500 degrees place the pan upside down for an hour, take the pan out and let cool to room temperature. Remember to use oven mitts to remove any hot items from the oven and put the pan on a heat resistant surface to cool. As mentioned above you may see and smell smoke, it’s all part of the seasoning process.

This is one way to season your cast iron cookware, there are other methods that require heating your over to a very high temperate but. Keep in mind that some foods such as eggs may still stick to the bottom without additional oils or grease. This process may have to be repeated several times to achieve that nice layer of grease and re-seasoning at a later date may be required.

Gourmet flavored coffee can best be described as coffee that has been enriched with flavors right after the roasting process is complete. The flavors are usually concentrated and are added in small amounts to achieve the desired taste.

First of all, when gourmet coffee beans are roasted, they will lose weight or shrink in the roasting process. While the beans are roasted, they will swell to twice their normal size, but they will shrink down after they have been roasted. This means that if you start out with a pound of green unroasted coffee beans, you will end up with less than a pound when you are done roasting. This is something to keep in mind if you ever decide to home roast your coffee because 1 pound of green coffee beans will not yield 1 pound of roasted coffee beans.

The longer that the gourmet coffee beans are roasted, the darker in color they will become. This will also cause a greater amount of shrinkage or weight loss, which means that it will take more coffee to make up a pound. Basically, if you are roasting a lighter roast of coffee, then it will take less green coffee beans. If a darker roast is being roasted, it will take more green coffee beans to make up a pound.

Gourmet coffee beans will normally shrink up to 20%, but a darker roast can shrink up to 25%. If it is an extremely light gourmet roast, it can shrink as little as 11% during the roasting process. One thing to understand is that many types of commercial coffees are under roasted to save costs overall for the business. With more gourmet brews on the market and an increase in gourmet coffee sales, it shows that the customer truly prefers a fully and authentically roasted coffee over the shortcuts often found on the market.

When it comes to roasting gourmet coffee, there is something called the Optimum Degree of Roast, which will bring out the best flavor characteristics for each type of coffee. This will provide the customer with the perfect taste and aroma within the specific coffee blend. This is something that is unique to each different roast, based on the characteristics of the coffee beans themselves.

Last of all, if coffee is under roasted, it will have an astringent or grassy flavor because the beans will still be partially green. If a gourmet coffee is over roasted, it will taste burnt or smoky, which will be apparent in the brew. There are many different flavor combinations and characteristics available with each specific roast, but it is still important to know the step-by-step process of roasting gourmet coffee to pick the best roast and blend for you. Gourmet coffee is more popular than ever, and for a reason. This is a premium method of roasting fresh and high-quality coffee beans for your cup of Joe!