All posts by John & Annie

We have been selling Lifetime Cookware since 1985 and teach our customers and others how to use their cookware waterless and without adding grease to their pans. We teach you how to utilize your cookware to its fullest, sharing recipes and helpful hints and secrets to making a quick and healthy diet possible for your entire family. Happy cooking!
How to's

Cooking “hard boiled” eggs without water

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Happy Easter!  I just cooked a lot of eggs without water to make our annual Easter breakfast.  I need perfectly cooked eggs to use to make the sauce and the grated yolks from.  Here’s how I did it.

1st, prepare the pan with very wet doubled paper towel lining the bottom of the 11″ stovetop skillet.

Next, lay all the uncooked eggs on the bottom of the pan, single layer.

Cover and start on medium heat and wait until the lid puffs out some moisture.  Turn to low and cook for 14 minutes.  When finished, immediately put into an ice bath meaning ice and water.

Next peel your beautiful eggs!  I just bought these 2 dozen eggs last night!

I had to separate the yolks from the whites, but I wanted to show you how beautiful they are.  They have a moister texture and better flavor than boiling.

I’ll post our picture of breakfast in the morning.  Hope you have a blessed Easter.   Did you know that hard boiled eggs and the tradition of egg rolling symbolize the boulders that rolled away in front of Jesus’ tomb?

Sprinkle with a little Paprika and voila!  Delish!

Helpful Hints

Chicken without oil

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It’s easy to cook meats without grease.  In this case, just preheat pan on medium, wait until water beads up in pan and put meat in pan and cover.  Wait 5 minutes; flip over; wait another 5 minutes and your food is ready to eat!  Enjoy!  Let me know how you did when you tried this!

Helpful Hints

Cleaning the Cookware for first time use

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When you receive your cookware for the first time and  take it out of the box, make sure to immerse it in hot soapy water with 1 C white vinegar .  Scrub well all over with a sponge.  It takes the manufacturing oil off along with the polishing compounds used to make it shiny and new!  Once you do this, you will never have to do it again.  If you don’t do this and you heat your cookware, it will turn a golden yellow and things will tend to stick to it.

Recipes

The Best Oatmeal Ever

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Want something simple yet elegant?  Here’s a recipe we made by accident.  I’m not a real fan of oatmeal.  I don’t like sugar in it, either.  John always asks me if I want some of his.  I usually don’t, but this one day I did.  I wasn’t ready to eat it when he was so he put it back on the burner.  We love fresh frozen blueberries  heated up in it and I love bananas in it, too, but usually just added on top after served.  He had added the bananas and put it back on the burner on low.  I ate it about 1/2 hour later.  The bananas caramelized  & tasted like plaintains!  Oh, the oatmeal was so good!  Mmm, warm oatmeal heated w/blueberries and caramelized bananas!  Here’s the recipe:

  • 1 C quick cooking oats
  • 3 C water
  • 1/4 C blueberries, frozen or fresh
  • 1 T flax seeds
  • 1 T chia seeds
  • 1 medium-sized banana

Directions

  • Add water to the oatmeal.  Add the flax and chia seeds.   Bring mixture to a rolling boil and boil 1 minute.
  • Turn burner to low and add blueberries and bananas.
  • Cover pan.
  • Cook on low for 5-10 minutes until bananas are caramelized.

 

 

 

 

Helpful Hints

What to do if your food is sticking to the pan

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Are your foods sticking?

  • Always use a stainless turner to flip foods over.  Nonstick utensils tend to melt at a lower heat and therefore it’s your turner, not your pan.
  • Have you cooked your meats long enough?  Initially when you put your meat in a preheated pan it should stick while it’s searing.  Give it a little more time and it will easily release.
  • Did you overheat your pan before adding your food?  Take the pan off the burner for a minute and resume your cooking.
  • Are you covering the pan to allow the moisture to stay in your food?  Even while frying chicken without the oil, it’s best to keep the lid on the pan.  Meats will still brown nicely.
Helpful Hints

What to do if you are burning food

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Having trouble burning things?  This could be why:

  • Check your heat, probably starting too high or leaving on higher heat too long.
  • Preheating pan too long before adding meats to the pan.  If you flick water in the pan, it should bead up and roll around like a marble; if it sizzles it’s still not preheated hot enough.  If the water turns color, it’s like burning the minerals from the water in the pan…way too hot!  Just take the pan off the burner for one minute and resume.
  • Preheating a pan to cook fresh vegetables.  Start with a cold pan and then start your burner on medium heat.  When the lid spins, turn down to low and make sure the lid stays loose.  If it sticks on, your burner is too low.
Recipes

Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe

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Jumbo popping corn makes the best caramel corn
Jumbo popping corn makes the best caramel corn
Pop corn but don't add the butter or salt
Pop corn but don’t add the butter or salt
Spread popcorn onto 2 13x9" baking pans
Spread popcorn onto 2 13×9″ baking pans
Melt the brown sugar, Karo Syrup, butter and salt together
Melt the brown sugar, Karo Syrup, butter and salt together
Bring liquids to a boil
Bring liquids to a boil
Bake and stir every 12 minutes
Bake and stir every 12 minutes

 

John loves Caramel Corn so he made this tonight and I have to say it is delicious!  We found the Pop Secret Jumbo popcorn at Target this afternoon and he came home and made this.  So much better than buying it already made.  Extra good!  Here’s the recipe he used.

We used the Lifetime Cookware stainless steel  9 X 13 pans and the 2 qt. Lifetime Cookware stainless steel saucepan for mixing the caramel ingredients.  Use a wooden utensil while mixing ingredients so it doesn’t absorb the heat.

Homemade Caramel Corn Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 qts. Popped Pop Secret Jumbo popping corn
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • ½ C light or dark Karo syrup, I use light
  • ½ C salted butter
  • ½ t salt
  • 1 t Penzy’s vanilla extract
  • 1/2 t baking soda

Directions

  • Spray 2 -9 X 13 cake pans with PAM.  Add popped corn and put it into a 250 degree oven while making the brown sugar caramel.
  • Mix brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a medium sized saucepan.  Stir often as you bring this mixture to a boil over medium heat.  Stop stirring and boil ingredients for an additional 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and the baking soda.  Blend well.
  • Pour caramel over popcorn and mix until it is all coated.
  • Spray pan with PAM and put 9 X 13’s in oven at 250 degrees   Bake for 45 minutes, but stir popcorn every 12 minutes.
  • Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

 

Baking, Recipes

Caramel Flan Impossible Cake

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Caramel Flan Impossible Cake
Caramel Flan Impossible Cake

 

 

Lifetime Cookware 6 Qt. Dutch Oven, cold and sprayed with PAM cooking spray
Lifetime Cookware 6 Qt. Dutch Oven, cold and sprayed with PAM cooking spray
Pour blended flan into pan on top of cake mix
Pour blended flan into pan on top of cake mix
Spread flan evenly over cake mix
Spread flan evenly over cake mix
When cake is done, flip cake out upside down onto a plate or pan
When cake is done, flip cake out upside down onto a plate or pan

 

Utensils

  • Electric Mixer
  • Lifetime 6 Qt. Dutch Oven and Cover

Ingredients

  • 1 Box  Caramel Cake Mix, mixed per instructions on box

Flan Recipe Ingredients

  • (1) 12 oz. can evaporated milk,
  • (1) 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk,
  • 4 eggs and
  • 1 t vanilla.

Directions

  • Prepare cake mix as directed on box.
  • Using a blender, mix flan ingredients.
  • Place cold 6 qt. dutch oven on stovetop.  Spray with PAM cooking spray.
  • Pour in cake mix.
  • Pour blended flan on top.
  • Cover with lid and bake on low for 1 to 1hour 15 min.
  • Invert cake onto cake plate and slice for a rich slice of warm cake.

Serve warm or cold.

 

 

 

Baking, Recipes

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake Recipe

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Hot Fudge Sundae Cake Recipe

Happy Valentine’s Day!
This is a great recipe to serve your loved ones! Delicious!  Definitely one of Annie’s favorites and she doesn’t even like chocolate that much!  Use the large electric skillet for this one!

Cookware Used

  • 12 ½” Electric Skillet
  • Kitchen Aid mixer

Ingredients

  • 1 C all-purpose flour
  • ¾ C granulated sugar
  • 2 T cocoa powder
  • 2 t baking powder
  • ¼ t salt
  • ½ C milk
  • 2 T vegetable oil
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1 C chopped nuts, opt.

Directions

  • Mix above ingredients together & pour into pan.  Do not preheat pan. 
  • Meanwhile,  combine 1 C packed brown sugar and ¼ C cocoa powder and sprinkle over mixture in pan.
  • Pour 1 ¾ C hottest tap water over all &  turn on electric skillet & bake at 200℉ for 15 minutes.
  • If using the 11” stovetop skillet, bake on low heat for 20 minutes.
  • Serve with a dollop of vanilla ice cream!

NOTE:  This cake is best scooped out of the pan it is baked in  & served while warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to help soften the richness of the cake.

Recipes

Brussel Sprout and Kale Salad made like the Cracker Barrel Restaurant

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Use a food chopper on a cutting board or buy chopped pecans then toast in skillet for 60-90 seconds
Use a food chopper on a cutting board or buy chopped pecans then toast in skillet for 60-90 seconds
Combine chopped brussel sprouts and chopped kale, add craisins and toasted pecans.
Combine chopped brussel sprouts and chopped kale, add craisins and toasted pecans.
As you mix your vinaigrette, it will thicken slightly.  Pour into and incorporate it into the salad.
As you mix your vinaigrette, it will thicken slightly.  Pour into and incorporate it into the salad.
Kale and Broccoli Salad Recipe
Kale and Broccoli Salad Recipe

John and I travelled to FL for Christmas this year and stopped at Cracker Barrel on the way home for dinner.  One of their new sides is a Brussel Sprout and Kale Salad that we just loved.  I went online to get the recipe and pretty much followed it.  If you’ve never had this salad and never been to Cracker Barrel, you have to try this salad!  We made it on New Year’s Eve and we just finished it up today, 1-3-18.  I hope you will like it as much as we did!  By the way, I had it with the lightly fried (cornmeal) Catfish.  YUM  Getting hungry again!

 

Copycat Cracker Barrel Brussel Sprouts n Kale Salad 2017

Shredded brussel sprouts and kale, craisins, and toasted pecans dressed in a maple vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch kale, stems removed, rinsed and  shredded in food processor
  • 1 lb. fresh brussel sprouts, rinsed, trimmed and shredded in food processor
  • 1 6 oz. bag craisins (dried cranberries)
  • 8 oz. pecans, chopped & toasted in hot skillet 60-90 seconds before adding to salad

Maple Viniagrette

  • 1/2 C  olive oil
  • 1/4 C  apple cider vinegar
  • 4 T  first drawn pure maple syrup 
  • 1 t dry mustard

DIRECTIONS  Shred or thinly slice kale and brussel sprouts and put in salad bowl.  Toast pecans in skillet over high heat for 60-90 seconds.Add pecans and craisins to bowl. Blend all vinaigrette ingredients well.Pour vinaigrette over salad and stir to evenly coat.  Serve immediately or refridgerate and use.  Mix will hold well in a  tight container for several days.  Absolutely delicious!

 

https://www.sixcleversisters.com/copycat-cracker-barrel-brussel-sprouts-n-kale-salad-recipe/