This story originally aired Jan. 17, 2018.
"Stein, some women spend money on shoes and jewelry. I buy pots." And Nancy Leson has the cookware to prove it.
Nance especially loves her enamelware Dutch ovens. I'm not so crazy about them. I like enamel for cooking anything acidic like tomato sauce, which would damage the seasoning on my straight cast iron. But even over moderate heat, the enamel pots tend to scorch the fond when I brown meats or even a mix of minced vegetables.
Nancy claims that never happens with her enamelware. And she says they clean up better. "When I make that pork roast with Coca-Cola that famously burns the inside of the pot, I just soak it overnight and it comes off."
I never have to soak my regular cast iron. Just a few passes of the fiber brush under running water and they come clean no matter what I've been cooking in them. Probably because I have been cooking in them for decades and they're almost as slick as non-stick. Check it out:
Though enamelware can be expensive, Nancy stresses that she's picked up many of hers at thrift stores for cheap. To which I ask: If enamelware is so great how come so many have been donated to thrift stores? Answer me that, whydonchu?
"An unwatched pot boils immediately." – H.F. Ellis
