Pans, No Flash

Tea: Mandarin Green

Music: This Train, "Technology"

Time: Night.

I can't honestly say that I love my cast iron skillets and my woks. They are, after all, only worked metal, and could be replaced if necessary. But I am rather fond of them.

Part of it is remembrance of stir-fries and fish fries, of sizzling bacon and twice-cooked pork. Good meals nourish more than once. But there's something else.

These particular pans aren't low-maintenance. They require care. None of this dishwasher-safe nonsense. Put soap in a well-seasoned cast iron pan or steel wok, and you undo -- in some cases -- years of work. Try to wipe them dry, or let them air-dry, and they rust. Forget to oil them after they're dry, and you run the risk of losing the conditioning.

With all that work, why put up with them? There are electric woks and nonstick pans. And in certain situations, those have their uses. I wouldn't rig up a charcoal fire in the dining room for hot-pot, for example.

But when you want a crisp crust on your corn pones, you want cast iron. When you want concentrated heat at the bottom of the pan and a cooler place along the sides, so your beef cooks and your broccoli doesn't get mushy, you want a hand-hammered wok.

The really good stuff takes work, more than might seem reasonable to people who don't "get it." But it's worth it. And that's true in the kitchen, too.

Tonight's scary story: Algernon Blackwood, "The Wendigo"

Cup XVI: Caffeine Cuisine

Tea: Vanilla Lapsang Souchong

Music: The Rainmakers, Flirting with the Universe

Time: Late afternoon

Much more than a cup today, but only one cuppa -- if you know what I mean.

I have a huge bag of vanilla Lapsang Souchong, hand-blended by the friend who sent me nearly all of the teas in my collection. I love the stuff, but it takes up a lot of room. So, whenever possible, I cook with it.

The second half of the first steeping went to soak dried shiitakes. The other half, still way too hot to drink, went over sliced pork tenderloin to half-cook it. Then I made a second steeping, drank part of it and put the rest of it over the thirsty mushrooms.

The pork and shiitakes (the latter drained and sliced) went into Wok No. 1 (I have three), along with slices of Japanese eggplant and red bell pepper. Then, in order: sweet chile sauce, a ginormous scoop of crunchy peanut butter, and the tea in which the pork marinated. Toward the end, two and a half zots of soy sauce. The whole thing went over rice noodles.

Vanilla Lapsang has this great smoky sweetness that plays really well with shiitakes and eggplant (which in turn gets along wonderfully with pork).

So, when you're looking to get creative in the kitchen ... all I am saying is, give teas a chance.

Cup III: Jeo-pu-er-dy, or is that Jeopar-tea?

Tea: Pu-er with ginger, hand mixed, heavy on the ginger

Music: Theme from "Jeopardy!"

Time: Late afternoon.

Some of the tea is being used to soak dried shiitake mushrooms. They'll go in the wok, drained and sliced, along with some tofu, eggplant, onions, peppers, carrots and, um ... whatever sauce I decide I want to mix up.

Yeah, I know ... yesterday, I said carnivores rock. They still do, and I still am one. I'm the tofu stir-fryer, not the tofu buyer.

All three people missed the Final Jeopardy answer (Question: What is "London Bridge"?) Boneheads, all around.

"But Steve," you say, "could you do better?"

Than this bunch today? Yeah. Better than Ken Jennings? Who knows? I took the Jeopardy test a couple of years ago, and qualified for the contestant pool, but that was the year he went on that long tear and they didn't need quite so many contestants.

(A lot of people were howling at the time: "Go back to the five-day limit for champions! It's not fair for one person to be on so long!")

This, to be polite, is a load. Someone reaches the top in a competition like that, he or she ought to be able to hold the crown as long as the challengers fail to take it.

I'll take the test again someday. At least, I'd like to. I'm not addicted to any show, game or otherwise ... but Jeopardy?

I'll take "Things That Would Kick Butt" for $2,000, Alex.