The Pioneer Woman Cooks (4 page)

The Ranch Horses: Buddy, Snip, Jack, Peso, and L.B. (above, my personal favorite). Their personalities are as strong as those of any humans I know…and our family couldn’t get by without them. A ranch horse is a companion like no other.

The Cattle: Angus, Hereford, heifers, steers, yearlings…If someone had told me in high school I’d one day even know what those words meant, I would have thought they’d lost their minds. Cattle are the basis of our operation.

The Dogs: From McCormick to Hamilton, Lady to Charlie, the canine members of our family are the comic relief in our home. Without them, our front porch would be a very lonely place.

AROUND MY NECK

Nikon D3: My Big Girl camera. I use it for all my outdoor action shots, as well as for my cooking tutorials. It’s my one true love, aside from Marlboro Man and coffee ice cream.

Canon 5D: My “spare” camera. I use it for portraits and for food, whenever Marlboro Man steals my Nikon for the day.

IN THE KITCHEN

Butter: I’m not afraid to use it. It’s flavorful, versatile, and a necessary component in most of my recipes. Unless otherwise specified, I use regular (salted) butter in everything.

Iron skillet: If properly seasoned, an iron skillet will become not only your best friend in the kitchen, but also your uncle, cousin, grandmother, and brother. Iron skillets get nice and hot, perfect for searing a juicy rib-eye steak.

A good mixer: I’ve had my mixer for thirteen years, and it’s never sputtered, puttered, or complained. I use my mixer for making cake batter, cookie dough, and meringue; for mixing meat for meatballs; and, of course, for whipping cream.

Kosher salt: Available in most supermarkets these days, kosher salt has large flakes that adhere more easily to the surface of meats and vegetables. Kosher salt is also more forgiving, so it’s harder to oversalt things.

Dutch oven: Whether enameled cast iron or stainless steel, a heavy, wide-mouth, medium-height pot with a lid is what you need for roasts, stews, soups, sauces…and deep-frying doughnuts.

Commercial baking sheets: My family considered an intervention this year, because I collect these 18 x 12-inch babies the way some women collect Marie Osmond dolls. They’re the perfect size for my Chocolate Sheet Cake (Sweets) and hold more cookies than the average cookie sheet. They’re just right for roasting new potatoes or other veggies. And they’re rimmed, which means juices and mess won’t drip all over your oven.