Products We Love: Bobby Flay’s Stoneware Line

New cookware? Yes, please.  Those were my sentiments when I received new casserole dishes from Kohl’s 2013 spring line of Bobby Flay’s Stoneware  collection.  Heavy and durable were my first impressions of the sangria colored oval casserole dish but it would take adding my cooking to the pot to see if it really would stand up to the test.  What better way to test out a new casserole dish than with mac n’ cheese?  The recipe is below:

Ingredients

1 lb. elbow macaroni noodles
1 stick of butter
1 package of Velvetta cheese (regular size)
1 can of evaporated milk
Salt/Pepper (to taste)
1 package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 eggs
*Johnna’s tip: garlic powder (to taste)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove. Add macaroni noodles. Boil noodles until tender (a fork can go through the noodles). Drain noodles, do not rinse. Pour noodles into baking dish, add stick of butter, allowing stick of butter to melt while continually stirring the noodles in with the butter. Cut the Velvetta up into cubes and place in a large microwavable bowl. Add half of the can of evaporated milk to the Velvetta bowl and heat in microwave for 5-7 minutes. Add the Velvetta bowl to the noodles in the baking dish and stir in so the Velvetta and milk spread throughout the noodles. Stir half of the packaged shredded cheese. In a seperate bowl crack the 3 eggs and stir. Add the egg mixture to the baking dish. Season the noodles with the salt, pepper and *garlic powder(optional) to taste. Stir all ingredients in well in the baking dish. Add the remainder of the evaporated milk to the baking dish (do not stir, the milk will evaporate during the baking process). Bake for 35-45 minutes (until browning a little on the edges and milk looks evaporated). Add the remainder of the shredded cheese to the top of the macaroni and bake for about 10-15 minutes (until cheese is melted and brown on top). Serve immediately!

*Johnna’s tip:  The outcome??  The stoneware oval casserole dish was perfect!  For years, I had been using a basic glass baking dish that had certainly done its time in my oven.  Sealing in the moisture of the evaporated milk was the key feature of the new casserole dish.  The mac n’ cheese seemed happier on my palate because it was not overcooked with crunchy noodles brimming at the top, which is typical when I simply use aluminum foil for the cover.  The weight of using casserole dishes is my only complaint.  They are so heavy! I suppose this is across the board, however, where my Le Creuset weighs a ton.

Bobby Flay’s 4-piece knife set accompanied the delivery, which was a rainbow for a cooks eyes:  Red, Green, Purple and Blue handles.  Unfortunately, they were not as sharp as I had envisioned.  I expected to slice straight through an onion without delay where I found myself having to use some extra knife skills to get through the basics.  They add a delightful tone to your kitchen, however, with these cheerful shades.

All in all, I am ready for summer with my new hues and casserole recipes lined up.  Any suggestions??

Tags: Bobby Flay, cookware, gadgets, Kitchen tools, Kohl's Spring Collection, macaroni and cheese recipe, Prepping Knives, Stoneware

Category: Announcements, Food.Fun.Stuff., Product Review, side dish, Various Cooking Styles