Note: This post was published as an introduction on why I started using Stainless Steel pans in the kitchen. You can read about properly heating and cooking in your stainless steel pans here.

On August 11, 2012 I am cozied up in my parents’ guest bedroom. I am holding a wrapped package and Skyping with my husband. He is deployed in Afghanistan and it’s my birthday.

“Ok, I’m ready. Open it now.” His eyes all gleaming filled with wishes that he were here with me.

I open the gift and…act quickly. Maintain composure. Smile and try to trick the one person who I’ve never been able to emotionally trick.

“Diamond earrings!! Oh my gosh. Wow. I mean WOW! Thank you so much, baby. They are so pretty.” Smile. Keep smiling. Pick them up. More “oohs and aaahs”…

Inside I am thinking, something has gone horribly wrong. Do I wear diamond anything? Ever? In fact, when I first went ring shopping with my roomie I did not even want to look at diamond rings. I wanted a pearl.

I am Zales’ worst nightmare. Every kiss does not begin with “K” (well, I mean it does, but not with a diamond from Kay Jewelers) and diamonds are not this girls’ best friend.

I am not trying to be ungrateful. I was just shocked at the gift but overwhelmed with gratitude for the gesture. I smiled and gushed and put them on. After we hung up I went to bed. Grateful for a husband who makes my birthday special.

As I closed my eyes, I talked to the only One who really knew how much I missed my husband. Just like the previous four months, sleep consisted of a prayer for his safety and desires for peaceful rest.

A few days later we’re Skyping again and Beau says what we both know, “You don’t like them, do you?”

“No! I love them. I just have to get used to wearing them. I’m not a diamond kind of gal, you know?”

“I can return them.”

“No! I mean, it’s not like they’re real. I like them and I will end up loving them I am sure. “

“What? They are real and not inexpensive and if you do not like them I should really return them. Really. I could get you quite a few things you like in exchange.”

“THEY’RE REAL?!! Oh my gosh. WHAT? Ok, maybe we should return them. I did not know they are real…What?!”

So, he returned them. When he got home several weeks later he took me out shopping for something I would really like. And I came home with….pots and pans.

You heard me. Actually, a dutch oven and stainless steel pans 🙂 Take that diamond earrings.

As a newlywed who was convinced she did not like cooking, kitchen tools were pretty low on my priority list. Really low. In fact, if I had it my way, my registry for all things kitchen would have been summed up as: one personal chef. Apparently, people don’t ask for those as wedding gifts.

Fast forward one year later and cooking has become a release, a passion, and a getaway for me. And Beau loves being in the kitchen with me which makes it all the more fun! Except when we don’t communicate.

And all of a sudden our muffins are sprinkled with salt instead of sugar.

And then we have to talk about the importance of communication.

It’s like marriage counseling for us. But the counselor is usually a vegetable or burnt pecan pie.

But, it’s all good because we end up kissing and making up and slicing off the muffin tops and calling them food nouveau. It’s so french 🙂

Anyway, I had been noticing that proper kitchen tools could make my cooking experience more enjoyable and better.

And so begins my journey with my new pots and pans! In fact, I encountered quite the resistance when I went to purchase Tri-Ply stainless steel pans vs. non-stick pans. And not from Beau, from the sales lady.

She was quite convinced that I could not master stainless steel pans. “These non-stick pans are very easy to cook with. No sticking. No mess.”

After that sentence I knew what I had to do….I just had to rebel. And hope to keep cursing limited in the kitchen while I learned how to use these shiny vessels.

After much research and a little bit of practice, I have mastered my stainless steel pan. And I’m revealing what I found tomorrow in the high-kick tip of the week. You won’t want to miss it. Unless you already know the trick. If that’s the case I have nothing to say to you. But you should still read the post for the jokes…(Note to self, put jokes in post.)

What amazing gift has someone gotten you that you exchanged for something unexpected?