Our Real Foodie Circus in Florida, and More about the Best Stainless Steel Electric Frying Pan!
These days it isn't too tricky pulling off the real foodie thing around here, we're good in some areas, not so good in others. However, we don't travel often with the whole family, so in that area we're not real smooth yet, to say the least… A few examples from our Florida vacation last week:
We hauled our HUGE cooler down and around Florida and back. God bless Kent for lugging it everywhere, usually full of ice, and with nary a complaint. (Quite a few groans though.) We had what turned out to be too much meat packed and couldn't get through it all, so we turned around and hauled a bunch back with us, too. (Kent loved that.) I'd forgotten that we'd be on vacation after all, and would want to eat out at least some… But we did save a lot by cooking good food in the condo. I took grassfed ghee, lots of healthy meat from our local farm (or if you don't have a local farm, you can order safe meat here), and we picked up anything else we needed at a nearby health food store.
We also brought our very favorite stainless steel electric frying pan (pictured at the top). As we walked into Disney one of the luggage guys said, “Wow, I've never seen anyone bring a frying pan in before, are you gonna cook in your room I take it?” (I wanted to say, “Have you seen the food in that food court?!“, but bit my tongue instead.)
As we were leaving, we had the big luggage cart piled high with our 6 bags, pillows, Kasey's stuffed animals, my computer bag, the big frying pan, a couple of bags with paper towels, ziplocks, sea salt, and other kitchen stuff, and also my bag of coffee supplies, including my beloved ceramic pour-over coffee maker. (I actually took that plus coffee and filters into gas stations all the way there and back to make my own coffee with their hot water, to avoid the crappy gas station coffee.)
So we were heading out of the hotel and CRASH!
How sad when that bag and a few others fell off the luggage cart and my ceramic pour-over coffee maker broke into a zillion pieces. 🙁 Thankfully a couple of the girls working there saw and stopped to help get our circus show back on the move. Our oldest whispered to the youngest, “That is why you always walk a way behind the rest of the family…”
More scoop on the pan:
I love how big ours is (16″), but you can get the smaller size (12″) if that's all you need. It's bulky to store, but we keep it in a big corner cupboard in the kitchen because we use it several times a week. It also cleans up really well, and food doesn't stick as long as you use enough healthy fats, which we have no problem with, obviously. If anything does stick, then we just turn it on high, boil some water, then scrape it with a metal spatula and it comes right up.
Why an electric frying pan?
I love having an extra pan, because often my stove burners are full (bone broth is usually bubbling on one of them and other things), but even more, this pan is great because of its size. Instead of using two cast iron pans or these safe nonstick frying pans for something like pork chops or fried potatoes, I just use one. As you can see in the picture above, I can crank out grilled cheese for a crowd pretty quickly. (Which was especially nice when I was still doing day care.) Basically we pull this sucker out 4 or 5 times a week because using it is just so convenient.
Get one here. or Read more here about why to avoid Teflon pans!
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Ron W says
Hi – Please tell us exactly where these electric stainless steel skillets are manufactured. We are looking for something that is fully made in the USA (or Canada) but not just “assembled in USA with components made elsewhere…”
Hope you give me the answer I’m hoping for. My “Buy” key is ready to click.
Thanks much,
Ron
KitchenKop says
Hi Ron, I’m not the manufacturer, I’m just someone who bought one, so I don’t know the answer to that. Let us know if you contact them and find out! 🙂
Kelly
Carol in MT says
Love the smart child who realizes to stay out of the way as to not be blamed, or yet have mom and dad embarrass you!!
Heather says
Love it! Kitchen toys are my favorite and I love taking them with me.
Renee says
I’m curious what the “nonstick” surface is made of, but might have to put this on my Christmas list if I’m not the lucky winner! You have already given away stainless steel straws, right?
KitchenKop says
It’s all stainless steel! For us it’s only “nonstick” because we use enough healthy fats. 🙂
But it does clean up well, we just boil water on the really hardened stuff and it comes right up with a spatula!
Kel
Marina Velius says
Sign me up for the give away!!! Would love to win a pan like that!!!
Marina
Anastasia @ eco-babyz says
Hm, sounds awfully similar to our real foodie vacation this summer! We’ve also brought food back 🙂 Actually, we were forced to leave 3 days early because my husband got sick and couldn’t sleep in the ‘Chinese water torture’ cabin with a dripping shower head!
I actually write about it in great detail here: https://www.eco-babyz.com/2013/08/our-newfound-lake-vacation-story-photos.html
I would LOVE a pan like that! That would make it so much easier to make grilled cheese several times a week!
Beth says
Thanks for doing this and including all of your subscribers!
Liz says
Never seen anything like this — smart idea to take it with you on vacation. 🙂
Sue E. says
LOL!! I was just imagining your oldest saying that to your youngest…..Did he want to crawl into a hole and die??!!
As you know, we are heading to Florida soon and flying, so we won’t have the “luxury” of taking a fry pan with us. I am bringing snacks of which I can read the ingredients (or they are whole food already), and we are planning breakfast in room/condo with a packed meal in the parks. I have resolved myself to the fact that I won’t be able to control much of this trip’s food, and I am remembering the 80-20 plan. Guess these 10 days will be the 20, mostly!
Way to go for you, though, since you could drive and take food you know is healthy for your family!
Blessings,
Sue E.
Maryjane says
What a great idea for avoiding gas station coffee! Thanks!
Tammy R. says
Ooooh! I’d love to win this! We have been talking about traveling more but eating out really has me dreading it but maybe if I won this my worries would be over 🙂
Betty says
I have really been wanting this pan.
Carol says
Looks like a great pan!
I WIlkerson says
This is a great giveaway (I am already a subscriber). I have another use for this–cooking outside in the summer when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen. I already do this with my Nesco Roaster (see https://artofnaturalliving.com/2011/08/02/beating-the-heat-summer-kitchen/) and the lightbulb went off yesterday that an electric frying pan would be great for this too!
Pam@behealthybehappywellness says
So funny. When we travel (and yes to Disney sometimes) I always bring our Blender and popcorn popper as well as our skillet for omelets. Doesn’t everyone??? 🙂
Kimberly says
What an awesome giveaway!!
ra thompson says
I cook a ‘lot’!..and have looked at various electric fry pans thru the years and always ‘wonder’ and move along…be great to win one…thanks for the ‘review’ and how to use and cleanup…:)
Carol G. says
Really great giveaway! I would love to win it, but if not it will be a nice item to add to my wish list too. Thanks!
Connie Lemmink says
So happy you enjoyed your time away!! Another coffee suggestion, taking a small French press? I’ve never had an electric skillet, why do you like it so? Do tell!!
KitchenKop says
Connie, I just updated the post to add more info on why I love the pan. 🙂
Kelly
Connie Lemmink says
Thanks, Kelly!! I guess this is one to add to my wish list!!
Karen D says
Beautiful….hoping!
Rust says
Your vacations sound like mine! 🙂
Beautiful pan …