If you're fired up about grilling outdoors-not just during summer but beyond into fall and winter-these tips will make it easier while kindling a spark of creativity for your efforts:
• Apply a light coating of cooking oil to your cooking grids before grilling, to prevent foods from sticking.
• Cook similar portion sizes together, so that they all cook evenly.
• Use tongs to turn foods on the grill.
• Never pierce foods while they are cooking on the grill, as this will dry them out.
• On foods such as pork chops and steak, slit the fat strip to prevent the meat from curling during cooking. This will prevent you from spending too much time over the grill when it's chilly.
• Turn foods infrequently. Some chefs say that a good steak should never be turned more than once.
• Soak the string you use to tie up roasts and poultry on the rotisserie spit to protect it from burning. Also, soak the wooden skewers that you intend to use for kebabs for several minutes before using them for cooking.
• Use a disposable aluminum tray filled with water, fruit juice, wine or a marinade to add extra flavor and moisture to slow-cooked foods such as roasts, whole chickens, turkeys or ducks. Place the tray on top of the sear plates below the grill surface and immediately under the foods being cooked. This will buffer the heat from below, thereby slowing the cooking process and protecting the bottom of the food from overcooking.
To ignite your fire, there's a new lighter from the experts in heat and flame. Called the BernzOmatic Flexible Utility Lighter, it has a windproof flame that allows the lighter to remain lit, even in windy conditions. And unlike basic utility lighters, the stem can bend into virtually any position, allowing users to light those hard-to-reach areas, such as gas grill pilot lights, outdoor fire pits or yard lanterns. To learn more, visit bernzomatic.com. To ignite your fire in windy weather, use a lighter that has a windproof flame.
by Wendy Mitchell.
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