Ahh, this is what makes a house a home! A sizzling pot of goodies to fill and warm bellies with love.
Home is for the holidays, so it says on the IKEA website for Christmas. It's no secret that my family loves IKEA. But I'm not going to show you table setting ideas or festive decorations, because I think you must have seen a surfeit of those by now. If you haven't, you're welcome to browse their site!
It's nice to decorate, but I'd rather cook.
And the one thing I have been missing from my kitchen is a nice cast-iron Dutch oven or casserole pot. I've hesitated splashing out for a Le Creuset or Staub. Then I heard some people were pretty happy with the IKEA alternative - the SENIOR casserole pots at prices that are hard to beat (S$69 for 3L round pot; S$89 for 5L oval pot).
I'm only in my first week of using one and have no complaints. It's great for braising meats (top first photo), and also for baking no-knead bread (above). The enameled cast-iron seems a bit better than my Pyrex bowl at getting a golden crust. The lid knob is also metal (unlike Le Creuset's), so it does not have to be changed to take on high temperature baking.
The interior is matt enamel that's easy to clean. You do have to season it one time before using, but not afterwards. The pot lids come with little nubs that cause steam to collect and drip down, effectively basting the food automatically.
The only drawback? We only have blue in term of colour choice. Maybe if we have enough demand for these, IKEA will consider bringing in more colours? Although I strongly believe more colours will spur people to buy something in their favourite shade.
And since the kids are home a lot for the year-end holidays, it's good to keep them interested in writing and drawing. They absolutely love the IKEA MÅLA Easel! I've been eyeing this set for a while, and the price has recently come down from S$39 to S$29.90! BUY!!!
It's got a blackboard on one side, with handy tray for chalk and erasers.
And a whiteboard on the other side. In the middle you can put in a long roll of paper (available separately) that can go either side. I won't show you what Jolie's Chinese handwriting looks like!
And Christmas is an extra nice time to fill the home with scented candles!
These TINDRA candles in glass (30 hour candles just S$4.90) are always a treat. Plus you can re-use the glasses for tealights or other candles once you're done with the original candle.
Meanwhile, they've started counting down for Advent! See anything you like?
i don't know what that meat dish is but i would very much like to eat it! would you post the recipe??
ReplyDeleteHaha, thanks, I'm glad you found it appetising. I was just braising some pork belly that I'd marinated in soy sauce, sugar, five spice powder and some garlic.
Deletei don't know what that meat dish is but i would very much like to eat it! would you post the recipe??
ReplyDeleteJust bought one of these today and have been searching online all day to see if its ok to use it for tomato based and wine sauces. Been wanting to make beef bourguignon but other dutch oven brands are too expensive. So far, the site says the inside is enameled.
ReplyDelete