the regular black knob is heat proof.
the stainless one is more heat proof. i switched because i took mine to 500 deg when i was using it to make bread.
500 would wipe out the black knob. braising, no problems.
Right, I think it's rated 425/450F.
Stainless looks nicer too.
All I can add is get out of the habit of tapping your spoons and tongs on the edge to clean them off.
Jim,
I strongly suggest this book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0393052303/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
It gives a lot of good info on the science behind braising, dos and donts, general recipe composition, and several very good/great recipes.
All I can add is get out of the habit of tapping your spoons and tongs on the edge to clean them off.
I've had the pleasure of working with Molly Stevens on a couple occasions. IMHO, her braising book is the gold standard where braising is concerned.
wooden spoons seem to be ok...but definitely nothing hard.
There's the rub see? I'm a creature of habit and don't differentiate between wood and metal when I'm rockin' out so I've had to get out of that habit altogether when using my enamel dutch ovens.
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