{"id":1980,"date":"2018-07-10T13:40:04","date_gmt":"2018-07-10T20:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jauntyeverywhere.com\/?p=1980"},"modified":"2023-12-07T20:24:08","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T04:24:08","slug":"cooking-with-a-hotel-iron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jauntyeverywhere.com\/cooking-with-a-hotel-iron\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooking with a Hotel Iron"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cooking with a Hotel Iron<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One day I stumbled on a YouTube video that promised an excellent steak dinner, in my hotel room – cooked with an iron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, clothes iron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I watched the video and decided to try it, as a lark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought I would amaze Jody – or at least make him laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hid my make-shift kitchen behind a half-wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The smell of seared beef wafting through the room certainly caught his attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I presented him with a perfectly seared steak dinner he wondered how I did it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combined with a Caesar salad, a glass of Cabernet, and a finale of dark chocolate he was impressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I held up the iron, he was even more impressed…and made me promise not to tell our friends.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Clothing<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The iron – as a cooking tool – opened up a new world of in-room meals, and I’ve never looked back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m an iron cooking zealot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only do I tell everyone that will listen about hotel iron cooking, we made a series of YouTube videos and blog posts to help others become iron gourmets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is that like being an Iron Chef???<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you’re looking for a great cooler for your trips, check out these top sellers on Amazon…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best Selling Coolers\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why cook with an iron?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n


Make your own food<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n


Special diets and allergies<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you have allergies or medical reasons to avoid certain foods, you know how challenging it can be to eat out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more control you have over your meal options, the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you’re trying to eat healthier overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthy restaurant eating in the cheap-to-moderate price range can be a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are following a low-carb diet, like Paleo or Keto, good luck finding restaurants that don’t feature white, starchy food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Variety <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The more cooking options you have, the more variety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We aim for dining out every other day when on the road, alternating with picnics or meals we can pull together in our lodging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we have a kitchen or even a kitchenette, this is easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a standard hotel room, which is what we get on work trips, is usually limited to a microwave and mini-fridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By adding the iron to your cooking arsenal, your meal options explode.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Grilled<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Save money<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Eating out is expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking some meals yourself is one of the easiest ways to stretch your travel budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toolbelt<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Knowing how to use an iron to cook is another tool in your tool belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You become more capable, self-sufficient, and versatile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay in<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We get traveler’s fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s the point when a traveler hits the end of their curiosity, decision-making, and will to care about anything but Netflix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those are the evenings to pick up some grocery provisions, hole up in your room, and have a quiet meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What can you cook with an iron?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Think flat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think grilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grilled sandwiches<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition to our post and video<\/a> of our favorite ham and brie sandwich<\/a>, you can grill nearly any sandwich.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plain grilled cheese, deli meats, and PB&J are a few that come to mind.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Grilled<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Steak<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Steak is perfect for iron cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you like your meat well-done pick a thin cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you prefer steak rare to medium rare, (aka. the right way) you can choose a thicker cut.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Piece<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Tuna steak<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tuna steak is best lightly seared on each side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s supposed to be enjoyed pink in the middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This makes it perfect for iron cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And because fresh tuna in a restaurant is expensive, buying it at the grocery store makes this a real hotel-room winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fish – salmon, tilapia, etc.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Any thin cut fish will cook through with an iron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may be worried about the smell, but the iron cooks so quickly this isn’t a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turn on the bathroom fan, if you’re worried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chicken Cutlets<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Look for chicken that’s pounded thin by the butcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the meat department is still open, they may agree to pound out a chicken breast while you wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chicken is such a versatile meat, cook extra, and you have lunch the next day too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pork Cutlets<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Look for pork cutlets cut very thin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These cook quickly and make a great addition to your iron-cooking menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slice cooked cutlets into thin strips and toss with an Asian salad mix. Yum!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Side dishes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What can you eat with your iron-cooked entree?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I mentioned in the videos, bag salads are our go-to choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every time I go to the store, there seems to be a new variety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many grocery stores have a salad bar, olive bar, or deli with soup and salads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mix and match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fruit<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raw veggies<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheese<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soup (Pacific Foods is a healthier option)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bakery bread<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potato (microwaved)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweet potato (microwaved)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may seem a little quirky, but try iron cooking and watch your travel meals get healthier, tastier, and less expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Jaunty<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

What would you add to the list?  <\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cooking with a Hotel Iron One day I stumbled on a YouTube video that promised an excellent steak dinner, in my hotel room – cooked with an iron. Yes, clothes iron. I watched the video and decided to try it, as a lark. I thought I would amaze Jody – or at least make him …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[350,351],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jauntyeverywhere.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jauntyeverywhere.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jauntyeverywhere.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jauntyeverywhere.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jauntyeverywhere.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1980"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jauntyeverywhere.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17714,"href":"https:\/\/www.jauntyeverywhere.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980\/revisions\/17714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jauntyeverywhere.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jauntyeverywhere.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jauntyeverywhere.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}