Rainy Day Cookware

Sunday night is steak night: T-bones, New York, porterhouse, grilled on the Weber. But the Weber doesn’t work in the rain.

So this Sunday’s steaks were grilled in the kitchen on the Farberware, a lovely piece of culinary nostalgia, circa 1966. We bought it at an estate sidewalk sale in Precita Valley, San Francisco, for $20. It came with a quilted vinyl cozy and an instruction booklet, complete with such recipes as leg of lamb piquant and limed fillets. It also has a spit attachment, which roasted a duck quite successfully one rainy Christmas Eve.

For whatever reason, bone-in steaks cook better on the Farberware than boneless steaks, which quickly become tough. Though the smoky taste was lacking, the teenage chef easily produced tender T-bones, saving a weekly tradition.