Have you ever heard of Cathrineholm Enamelware? When Denny and I were married in 1968, the 3-qt. pot on the left was a wedding gift from my brother Ron and his wife, Ruth. Ruthie was my new sister-in-law - they were married the month before we were. I already new enough about her to know she had chosen our wedding present with care and without regard to cost.
I liked the pot so much that when Denny's folks asked what I would like for Christmas that year I told them I would like a smaller one in the same black and white lotus design. They gave me the 1-qt. pot on the right. I've had this cookware almost 45 years and I still use it regularly.
When I started searching for more info about this enamelware, I mistakenly referred to it as Nordic ware, so it took awhile before I finally found it. Catherineholm enamel cookware comes in a range of colors and designs by Grete Prytz Kittleson. They are considered Scandinavian mid-century design classics and can be found for sale on eBay. Catherineholm was produced near the town of Halden in Norway - probably where I got the idea it was Nordic ware. The company closed in 1970.
When I first thought about where (with whom) these two cherished pans should end up when I no longer need them, I thought I would give (bequeath) them to my niece Christine. It was her Mom who chose the first one for me. It seemed fitting, with her Scandinavian heritage, that the pots should go to her. But I've re-thought this and now believe they should stay with some of the Fleming's - most likely Kathryn since they are Cathrineholm cookware.
It turns out the 1-qt. pan was just right for me to try a new breakfast food - Irish oats, aka, steel cut oats. I had considered trying these for a long time, so when HyVee had them on sale I got a package. Steel cut oats take a whole lot longer to cook than regular rolled oatmeal. I only made a single serving (1/4 cup oats in 1-1/2 cups water) and cooked them for close to 40 minutes.
Compared to my usual instant oatmeal, that's a l-o-n-g time. But, oh my, they are worth it. The taste is nuttier, the texture is chewier, the calories are about the same, though the serving of the steel cut oats was larger. And while I could easily have eaten them without any sugar, I did stir a little brown sugar into them. I'm going to try a recipe for making them the night before which calls for frying the oats in butter for about three minutes before adding the water. After bringing them to a boil, you stir them, cover the pan, shut off the fire and leave them on the stove until morning. Then you only have to reheat the oatmeal and enjoy.
I remember when Mom wanted to try steel cut oats. She couldn't find them in her local grocery store and asked me to get her some. (I still lived in Des Moines.) I don't remember what she thought of them. I do know she cooked a pot of regular oatmeal for breakfast almost every morning. She only ate about a sauce dish of it and then spoon-fed the rest of it to her cats. She did like spoiling her pets.
I don't know if oatmeal is nutritionally good for cats, and whether or not steel cut oats are more nutritional than the instant kind, I do like the taste and texture better. So, I'm likely to continue cooking my Irish oats in my Norwegian pot and enjoying a healthy breakfast - just not feeding any leftovers to any cats.
A bowl of fresh oatmeal is one of the scents that puts me right back at Grandma's kitchen table. I always think of her when I have it for breakfast. I never did let Grim have the leftovers, though.
ReplyDeleteWe tried steel cut oats once, and maybe we didn't do it quite right, but I didn't like them at all. Maybe I should give them another chance.