Tag Archive: sausages

  1. Toad in the Hole by Brad Carter

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    Kicking off the 2022 British Food Fortnight, organised by Love British Food, is this amazing Toad in the Hole by our friend and top chef Brad Carter.

    We asked Brad what makes food ‘British’ for him and what his favourite British dish would be. This is what he said:

    “My dish would be Toad in the Hole, it’s the ultimate British comfort dish in AW! I love the simplicity of it & the overwhelming feeling of comfort in every bite, it’s dependent on the best sausages you can afford & a well cooked yorkie batter – I cook mine on pork lard for extra flavour & add an extra egg white or two for extra rise!”

    Brad has very kindly shared this amazing recipe with us so you can enjoy it too! Brad used our Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Roasting Pan, Copper Tri-Ply Saucepan and Copper Tri-Ply Stockpot for this recipe. He’s a big fan of all our ranges so check out the website for the best copper cookware, copper base cookware, and stainless steel cookware in town!

    Written by Eliza

    Serves: 4

    Ingredients

    • 6 Tamworth Sausages
    • 150g Tamworth back-fat, rendered
    • For The Yorkshire Pudding Batter
    • 3 large free-range eggs
    • 2 large free-range egg whites
    • 450ml whole milk
    • 225g plain flour, sifted
    • 8-10g salt

    For The Gravy

    • 500ml beef stock
    • 300ml your favourite beer
    • 4 onions, sliced
    • 2 sprigs thyme
    • 1 tbsp Coleman’s French Mustard
    • 1 tsp Coleman’s English Mustard

    Equipment

    Cooking Method

    1. Set the oven to 200c.
    2. To make the Yorkshire pudding batter start by adding the milk to a large jug & add the eggs & egg white, whisk until incorporated.
    3. Add the flour in 3 stages & whisk well, then add the salt & whisk until you have a nice smooth batter. Pass the batter through a fine sieve to remove any last lumps, this can stop the batter rising, rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature or in the fridge overnight.
    4. Heat a saucepan & add 50g of the rendered fat, add the sliced onions & the thyme then lower the heat, cook the onions, stirring constantly for around 15-20 minutes until golden & caramelised
    5. Turn the saucepan containing the onions back up to high & add the beer, bring to a boil & reduce the beer until it’s half of its original volume.
    6. Next add the beef stock, reduce the heat a little & bring the beef stock to a simmer for around 15 minutes or until reduced & thickened to a gravy consistency.
    7. Add the mustards & stir thoroughly check the seasoning, add salt if need be & set aside for the toad in the hole later.
    8. Take a roasting tray that is approximately 30cm x 25cm, if your’s is a little bigger or smaller don’t worry, the toad in the hole will work it will just be taller or flatter.
    9. Add the remaining rendered fat to the roasting tray & place in the oven for 10 minutes to heat up the fat.
    10. Remove the tray from the oven, carefully add the sausages, turn them over a few times, be cautious as they may spit, then put the tray back into the oven for 5 minutes.
    11. Once the sausages have been in for 5 minutes & started off cooking pour over the yorkshire pudding batter, also taking care as the batter will spit & bubble, that’s exactly what we you are looking for the get the ‘rise’.
    12. Add the toad in the hole to the oven & cook for around 25-30 minutes until we’ll risen & roasty brown.
    13. Rest the toad in the hole for 5 minutes then carve onto plates distributing the sausages evenly.
    14. Warm a little of the gravy & spoon over each plate, enjoy the toad in the hole with any seasonal vegetables you have, welcome to flavour town!

  2. Non-Stick vs. Stainless Steel – The Test

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    The Test

    To compare the results achieved from stainless steel alongside non-stick we have devised simple experiment. Heck sausages are a favourite among ProWare staff. Not only are they a lunchtime saviour for us at The GoodFood Show, their range of meat and vegetarian sausages truly has something for everyone. In recent times, they have also ventured out in burgers, veggie balls and even sauerkraut.

    It is with great pride that I can announce that Heck’s Chicken Italia sausages will serve as yardstick in this highly scientific endevour!

    The sausages were cooked as follows;

    Proware Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 28cm Non-Stick Frying Pan
    Hob – 30 minutes, medium/low heat

    ProWare Stainless Steel 28cm Frying Pan
    Hob – 5 minutes, medium/high heat
    Oven – 25 minutes at 180°C

    NB – Both of our Stainless Steel Tri-Ply frying pans are oven safe, however, the non-stick pan is only safe up to 200C, we therefore decided to exploit the advantage of the former for the purpose of this test and used the non-stick pan on the hob only.

    Proware Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Frying Pan Oven

    The Results

    The end results did show a difference between the two pans but in all fairness it was perhaps not as obvious as we had anticipated. The sausages in the stainless steel pan certainly did brown better which gave them a better caramelised flavour; and should you be making bangers and mash, you could have made a stonking onion gravy with the sticky juices left in pan. It would also be within the realms of possibility to add some Yorkshire pudding batter, sling it in the oven and make a toad in the hole.

    In the face of this, the non-stick pan performed admirably and held its own. Whereas the final result may not have been quite as good, for those wanting a speedy clean up and to use less oil, this would be the pan to choose.

    ProWare Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Frying Pans Results

  3. Non-Stick vs. Stainless Steel – Which is Better?

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    It has been over 60 years since non-stick cookware was first introduced, and since then its popularity has continued to be widespread and significant. You would likely be hard-pressed to find a household in the UK that doesn’t have at least one non-stick pan. The promise of pancakes gliding effortlessly on to your plate; the prospect of never again being stood at the kitchen sink chiselling burnt food off your favourite frying pan. The appeal was, and still is, obvious. There are some strong arguments, however, in favour of the more traditional stainless steel pans that beg the question – which is better, non-stick or not?

    Whatever your feelings are toward non-stick pans, it is difficult to deny their virtues in the realm of frying eggs and making pancakes. The ease with which you can produce perfect fried eggs with nothing but a drop of oil and a delicate touch make them (in our view) worth having, if just for this task alone. Also, cleaning non-stick pans is often a breeze. If you get a decent one sometimes just a wipe with a paper towel does the trick.

    ProWare Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 26cm Non-Stick Frying Pan

    ProWare Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 24cm Non-Stick Frying Pan

    Unfortunately, they do have their limitations. The main one, which every keen cook will race to share, is that when using a non-stick pan, you cannot achieve that lovely golden colour when searing meat or caramelising. For this purpose, stainless steel pans are invaluable. Another area in which stainless steel reigns supreme is the making of gravy and pan sauces, an essential part of some dishes. All the juices that are released during cooking stick to the pan, allowing you to deglaze with the desired liquid.

    ProWare Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 26cm Frying Pan

    ProWare Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 24cm Frying Pan

    Aside from culinary matters, there are also some very practical reasons why stainless steel pans are favourable. Firstly, they are generally considered to be far more durable than their non-stick counterparts due to non-stick coatings often being easily damaged and requiring careful handling (find out more about looking after your non-stick here). To ensure the longevity of our pans we use Teflon Platinum Plus, a market leading, ceramic reinforced coating that we test rigorously (check out the video below). In addition, non-stick pans can’t be preheated in the way a stainless steel one can. This is due to good non-sticks being made up of multiple layers and when a pan is heated while empty the heat has nowhere to be transferred to which can lead to the layers deteriorating.

    Many people are deterred from cooking with stainless steel because they think everything will immediately stick, burn and it will all end in a charred, greasy disaster. What they don’t know is that it will only take a bit of confidence, some practice and the right pan for it to become a walk in the park.

    A great place to start is buying a quality pan. Pans that are very thin (some basic ones are as thin as 0.4mm), are likely to develop hot-spots and will not heat evenly. It is this which leads to food being burnt in one place and underdone in another. Our ProWare 24cm Stainless Steel Frying Pan has a three-layer construction – two layers of stainless steel sandwiching a core of aluminium. The overall thickness of the pan is 3mm, resulting in a wonderful robust feel and an ability to heat very evenly. It also means, like the rest of the range, this pan is oven safe.

    Once you have your pan, the easiest way to ensure effortless, stick free cooking is to season the pan (it is worth noting that this is not essential if you are willing to use oil a bit more liberally). Seasoning will produce a thin layer on the surface of the pan which will allow you to cook without the addition of more oil, and most importantly, without your food sticking. This is how you do it:

    Seasoning Stainless Steel

    1. Ensure your pan is thoroughly clean and over a medium heat, allow the pan to heat up for 2-3 minutes.
    2. Add a tablespoon of oil (rapeseed works very well) and swirl around the pan to evenly coat the inside.
    3. Heat the oil until it begins to smoke. Once smoking, remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
    4. Pour out the oil and wipe the inside of the pan with paper towel.
    5. Your pan is now seasoned and ready to use.

    Another useful tip when it comes to cooking with stainless steel is take your time! Do not rush and resist the temptation to constantly move your food around the pan. For example, when cooking meat, if the pan is properly preheated and the oil is hot when the steak is added you need not move it again until it is time to turn it. The meat will seal beautifully and you will be able to lift it from the pan easily, if you try to move it too soon you run the risk of tearing the flesh.

    ProWare Copper Tri-Ply 24cm Frying Pan

    The Verdict

    A conclusion we can draw in the argument of stainless steel versus non-stick, is that they both have their merits and drawbacks but it really depends on what you intend to use it for. For the more ardent cooks amongst you, we would actually recommend having one of each. Use your non-stick for things like eggs, crepes and delicate fish; and the stainless steel for just about everything else.

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0114 478 4784
info@proware-kitchen.co.uk
5 Churchill Way, Sheffield, S35 2PY
 
 
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ProWare is a small family organisation based in Sheffield, UK. Our cookware is carefully specified and manufactured using high quality materials to ensure it delivers a lifetime of satisfaction.

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