The weather in Chicagoland has been wonky lately—more so than usual. Just over a week ago, it got so hot and humid that my dog didn’t even want to chase the rabbit he saw in the backyard, which was so unlike him. And yet, as I was walking him this morning, I could already feel the crisp, cool air of autumn. Later in the morning, I went to a farmers’ market near where I live and saw at least fifteen apple varieties—another confirmation that fall is indeed fast approaching. (My favorite is the crisp, sweet, and tart Cox’s Orange Pippin variety, which is rarely found in the US. So when I caught a glimpse of some Cox apples this morning, I let out a polite, socially acceptable squeal that was loud enough for the vendor standing a couple of yards away to ask whether I was British. (I don’t think it was the squeal; I think it probably has to do with the fact that Cox apples are apparently adored in the UK, whereas they’re practically unknown here.)
So, as we’re looking at a period where we spend more time cooking and doing things indoors, I thought I’d share with you a few things I love and would love to recommend to you.
A stainless-steel tier steamer: I generally love tier steamers, and I think everyone should have one. A tier steamer is much more useful than an electric steamer (or one of those collapsible steamer baskets that can’t do anything well other than cooking small pieces of quick-cooking vegetables). Because I often steam things requiring a longer cooking time, I find a steamer with a water pot that can hold at least half a gallon of water more versatile. When you have to steam things over rapidly boiling water for a longer period, this feature is crucial because you can be sure you have enough hot steam throughout the entire process without having to replenish the water multiple times along the way and then wait for the water to come back to a boil after each addition. You lose the heat. The temperature in the steaming chamber fluctuates. Whole fish may not suffer too much from this, but temperamental things like Asian-style steamed buns (especially ones where you want the tops to crack), cakes, or—the mother of all finicky things—Thai steamed custard-filled pumpkin1 most certainly will. Besides, this part of the ensemble can also double-duty as a stockpot.
However, not all tier steamers are created equal. I Iove this stainless-steel tier steamer—or at least its design. Not only does it have a sizable water pot, but it also has a taller steaming basket. The assumption is that you don’t steam only flat things but also tall things—you know, soups in ceramic bowls2, desserts wrapped in small but tall packages, a whole chicken, a whole duck, the cakes and pumpkins mentioned above, and many more. In addition, this design comes with a domed lid. That means even more space (not to mention less chance of the condensation dripping on your food, which can be a big deal in some cases). Now, I don’t go out of my way to find tall things to steam, but here’s the thing about an urge to steam tall things: it can hit out of nowhere. And when it does, don’t we want a steamer that can rise to the occasion?
A rice cooker: Just as I'll never stop telling people they need a high-quality kitchen scale and a reliable thermometer, I’ll never stop saying a rice cooker is the best thing in the world to have in your kitchen if you cook rice more than once a week. Heck, it would still be a very good thing to have, even if you cook rice once a month. Using a rice cooker is not a sign of amateurship. Someone once told me that he would never make rice in a rice cooker because it was like making bread in a bread machine, a machine created for people who don’t know how to make bread. And I was too polite/cowardly to tell him that I don’t consider most Asians amateurs when it comes to cooking rice and that most Asian households and restaurants make rice daily in a rice cooker.
Anyway, my point is that a rice cooker is the easiest way to make good rice, full stop. That one little button removes the anxiety factor from your rice-cooking endeavor. And if you’ve never had one, perhaps this is the autumn when you finally do.
I have quite a few rice cookers at home, but the one I reach for most often is this cheap Aroma brand 4-cup rice cooker because it’s the least fussy and meets most of my daily needs. However, these cheap rice cookers’ main weakness is that they don’t tend to cook anything that isn’t white long-grain rice very well. So when I cook white short-grain rice (which is a bit trickier to cook well than its long-grain counterpart), any type of whole-grain rice, a combination of different varieties of rice, rice with other grains or legumes mixed in, or one of those meals where you cook rice and other ingredients to create a complete dish in a rice cooker, I go for a Zojirushi. It can handle anything. Reliably. For years. An investment you will never regret.
A grill pan: I grill outdoors as much as possible and nearly always on a charcoal grill. However, during the fall and winter, when the days are too cold and short to grill, I use my Lodge’s double-burner reversible grill/griddle. Love it. If you can’t handle a heavy grill pan—and this one is pretty heavy—go for a Lodge’s single-burner grill pan instead—or two in order to get the same grilling surface.
Now, grilling indoors is more convenient and, at times, even necessary, but, as you know, you don’t get the smoky aroma and flavor you get from charcoal. One way to make up for that is to employ the dhungar method, a genius way of adding smoky aroma to food indoors, which is used in South Asia and the communities self-identified as Thai Muslims in Thailand. I’ve written about the dhungar method in my book, Flavors of the Southeast Asian Grill, but you can also read what I’ve written for Epicurious here.
A large carbon-steel pan: I used to tell anyone who would listen that the best pan for making pad thai is this 17-inch cast-iron pan by Lodge, and I still stand by it. You get excellent heat retention from cast iron and better evaporation from a large cooking surface, ensuring your pad thai won’t get soggy so easily, especially if you make more than 2 or 3 servings at a time. But, again, being large and made of cast iron, the pan is quite heavy. Also, for a cast-iron pan to perform the way you expect it to, you need to maintain it well—or even sand it smooth like I did. Cast-iron cookware can be a lot of work.
And this is where carbon-steel pans come in handy. You get most of the benefits of cast-iron pans but with less work. I recommend Matfer Bourgeat’s 17 3/4-inch black carbon-steel frying pan. It’s terrific.
Emile Henry 9x13-inch baking dish: You want one. Actually, no—you want one in every color. It’s beautiful enough to use as a serving container, and its heat distribution is great. I love its depth (your lasagna will not spill over) and its large surface area (straight sides, a true 9x13-inch pan). A few years ago, as many people I know started making curries in an Instant Pot3, I started making more Thai curries in the oven. We’re talking about some very traditional, very old-school curries, too. So, my Emile Henry baking dishes have been getting a lot of use. And I know with the autumn approaching, I’ll be grilling less and less outdoors and making more and more curries in the oven. I love this product. Highly recommend.
Lastly, since the fall means we’ll hunker down inside, let’s do some reading. Here are a few titles about Thailand that I’ve enjoyed tremendously.
Welcome Me to the Kingdom by Mai Nardone: Not a feel-good novel, but raw, honest, and revealing. Also, dang, the man can write.
A Good True Thai by Sunisa Manning: Many of you who have asked me about some historical and political events I’ve eluded to in My Favorite Food Halls in Bangkok—Part Two will enjoy reading this novel, with its stories and characters intertwined with and affected by those life-changing, life-defining events.
Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad: The Bangkok-centric story involves many lives, places, and time periods, and it can be a bit complicated in the beginning until everything comes together and you go, hmm, I like it. Pitchaya is a wordsmith. If you love a great story told through beautifully crafted sentences, this novel is for you.
That’s it for this installment of These Are a Few of My Favorite Things. Thanks for subscribing! I’ll see you next time.
You may also like:
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things: The 2022 Holiday Edition
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things: The Grilling Edition
Please note that some of these links are affiliate links, meaning I get a tiny amount of money if you buy the items. However, I’m not paid by the manufacturers, and you’re not paying more in any way.
Which I simply don’t see how I can write a recipe for unless I turn it into a three-part series. A million things can affect how your custard-filled pumpkin turns out.
I bought an Instant Pot and used it a few times. I never loved it. I’ve loved my air fryer to death, but the Instant Pot? Never loved it. Never even liked it. Never looked at it and thought, wow, where have you been my whole life? So, we had one of those it’s-not-you-it’s-me talk, then I gave it away.