A trip down memory lane with a trusty electric frying pan

As a young couple my husband Terry and I cooked absolutely everything in my electric frying pan. It was a square one made by Pineware  and I remember it being so easy to clean with lots of settings and a nifty vent to let the steam escape. I used to bake scones, plum tart, even chocolate cake in it but, it was mostly used for stir-fries and stews.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS

For baking a cake: place the cake tin with batter on the frying pan's wire rack and cook with the air vents closed.
For roasting chicken: place the chicken in a roasting bag along with half a lemon, some fresh rosemary, olive oil and seasonings. Close and place the bag on a dish then on the wire rack, put the lid on and cook until done.
Our best was making French toast on a Sunday morning and I remember being so impressed that I could fit 8 slices in the pan, all at once. When we were feeling posh (and had a little extra cash), we'd make them with chocolate or Nutella.

FRYING PAN FRENCH TOAST
1. Dip thick slices of white bread into beaten eggs and milk that's been mixed with a little vanilla extract. Once the bread is dipped, leave the slices in the plate for a minute or two so that they can properly soak up all the eggy liquid.
2. Turn the frying pan to a medium heat and melt some butter along with a tablespoon of canola oil. When hot, pop the eggy slices into the pan and fry until golden.
3. Remove, spread with melted chocolate or Nutella.
4. Return to the pan, turn the heat off and put the lid back on. Leave the sandwiches for 5 minutes so that the chocolate starts to ooze a little. Enjoy with a good cup of tea.

FANCY ESCALOPES IN THE HUMBLE EFP

1. Make a quick cheesy white sauce in the microwave or, what I'll definitely do today, cheat and buy ready-made cheese sauce from Woolies.
2. Take a meat mallet and whack a couple of chicken fillets until nice and evenly flat, taking care not to bash holes into them. The best way to do this is to cover the meat with some cling wrap.
3. Place a piece of ham on one half and add a dollop of cheese sauce to it. Taking care not to press the sauce out, fold over the other half and pinch the edges down.
4. Now for the fun part. Roll the parcels in seasoned flour, dip them into beaten egg and then roll them in dried breadcrumbs, crushed cornflakes or my favourite, Japanese panko crumbs.
5. All that's left is to cook them in a mixture of melted butter and canola oil over a medium heat until golden brown and firm to the touch. Don't worry if some of the cheese oozes out, grilled cheese adds to the flavour!
6. I served my escalopes with cooked frozen peas and mashed potato. Yum.

All this talk of the olden days has made me want to go out and search for an old-fashioned electric frying pan. Hopefully it will be one with a chocolate-brown lid, like the one I had aaaall those years ago.