Kitchen timers are essential! They are positively priceless when it comes to timing dishes in the oven or on the stove. They are critical when making hard boiled eggs or cooking fish.They come in handy while overseeing a study session or enforcing a "time out". For me, they are critical when I am developing and testing recipes.
However, did you know that your little kitchen timer can help you achieve maximum efficiency in your everyday life? As a writer, I am constantly researching different waysto improve my productivity and efficiency. I am always looking for ways to avoid distractions or tackle writer's block.
During the summer, I discovereda fabulous podcast where they mentioned something called The Pomodoro Technique. In a nutshell, the technique segments tasks into 25 minute increments and the increments are timed by the use of a little kitchen timer! Created by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s, the technique has proven to bevery effective for many people.
I put the technique to the test earlier this week when I had to tackle one of my least favorite tasks. There was no way around the tedious task, so I just decided to clear the kitchen table, set the timer, and hunker down. Much to my delight, my little timer prodded me through the task right to the finish line.
Have any of you ever used your kitchen timer to tackle a least favorite task? If so, how? Have any of you used The Pomodoro Technique?
--Melissa A. Trainer
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1. Preheat the skillet: Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet on the middle rack of a 450-degree oven until it is hot, about 10 minutes. If you dont preheat the pan, the crust of the bread will be soft and pale rather than brown and crunchy.
2. Toast the cornmeal: Toast the cornmeal in the oven (while the skillet is heating up) until it is fragrant and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Toasting the cornmeal before making the batter deepens its flavor dramatically.
3. Soften the toasted cornmeal with buttermilk: Mix the warm toasted cornmeal with the buttermilk and let it sit for a few minutes to soften before making the batter. If you skip this step, the cornmeal will retain its hard, crunchy texture in the finished bread.
4. Use oil and butter: Add the oil to the hot skillet and continue to heat in the oven until just smoking. When the oil is hot, carefully swirl in the butter to melt. Most of this hot fat is added to the batter, but some of it is left in the pan to ensure a crisp crust and flawless release of the bread after its baked. The combination of oil and butter is great because the oil can get very hot without burning, while the butter adds good flavor.
5. Add the batter while the skillet is hot: The hot skillet is what gives this bread its crunchy crust, so dont let it cool off before adding the batter.
6. Cool the bread in the skillet, then flip it out: When removing the cornbread from the oven, use good potholders because the skillet is heavy and the handle will be very hot. Let the bread cool in the skillet for 5 minutes, then flip it out onto a wire rack. If you try to flip the bread out before cooling, it will crumble apart.
