Frugal Cooking

If you’re a fan of the Food Network show Good Eats, you’ve probably heard Alton Brown say that he only owns one multitasker- a fire extinguisher. Everything else he puts in his kitchen has at least more than one function. I love that philosophy and try to keep my kitchen stocked the same way because I truly believe “less is more” in almost all cases. Today my cast iron skillet does double duty as a baking pan for a low carb meatloaf.

I’m not sure why I think this recipe is French. Maybe it’s the combination of beef and thyme. It could be the silky sauce that results. It could be how simply yet delicious it is. Anyway, this came out really well, so maybe I should rename it Delicious braised short ribs.

You can apply these techniques to anything that benefits from caramelization. Now that you know those secrets, I’m going to leave you with two tips and one recipe.

There is a cut of beef that’s every bit as tender and flavorful as those expensive cuts but often half the price. I’m referring to the flatiron steak.

I used to think I didn’t like pork chops. It turns out I didn’t like pork cooked until it was as dry and tough as shoe leather like my mom used to make them.