Into The Kitchen: Grilling Tips

During the month of October, I will be participating in the Write 31 Days hosted by Crystal Stine. My category is Food, Health & Wellness and my theme is "Into The Kitchen". 

Are you a grill master? Do you love the sound of the gas lighting up, the smell of the fire, or the glowing embers of charcoal? Whatever your preference, grilling is fun, it brings people together and the food speaks for itself.

Grilling isn't complicated, but there are a lot of variables and grill options. Gas or charcoal is what most people use, and those are found at every hardware and home improvement store as well as many big department stores. 

There is always going to be the debate over which one is better, but that's not the point here. This is an overview of how to grill successfully.

Having said that, charcoal is definitely a popular method, and the one I grew up with. However it is more affected by the weather than gas grills, thus timing is more unpredictable and the main reason I use gas.

Direct or Indirect?

Many foods lend themselves to grilling, but not all require the same heat or time to cook. For proteins, there are two main methods of cooking, direct heat and indirect heat. For foods that cook rather quickly, you use the direct method of placing the food directly over the heat. Usually all burners are on and set to the same temperature; you may use a higher temperature for searing then reduce the heat. Foods using the direct method include steaks (2 inches or less), burgers, hot dogs, fish and shrimp.

Your thicker cuts of meat, bone-in chicken and roasts, which take longer to cook, use indirect heat. You preheat your grill as normal, then turn one burner off and place your food there, leaving the other burner(s) to maintain your desired heat.

Image Source: Norton Farms

How will I know when my meat is done?

That is a good question and one that hits on the more complicated aspect of cooking (not just grilling) meats. The easiest way is to use an instant read thermometer and you will find much information and charts here. 

There are other methods, including the hand and finger method described here.

Most of the following tips apply to either gas or charcoal grilling.

Tips for Success:

• When lighting a gas grill, always leave the lid up to avoid a dangerous accumulation of gas.
  
• Always check your gas before beginning. It is no fun to jeopardize your expensive steak by running out of gas in the middle of cooking.
  
• Preheat for at least 15 minutes, and longer is better.
  
• Keep your grill grate clean. Scrub the hot grill down with a long-handled brush (I prefer brass bristles). You don't want residue from last weeks barbecue chicken on your salmon.
  
• You may oil your food and/or grill. If you oil your grill, do so just before putting the food on otherwise the oil will just burn off before you're ready to cook.
  
• Never slap a piece of cold meat on a hot grill. Always take your meat out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before grilling.
  
• Remember sugars burn at high heat, so always wait until your meat is nearly cooked before brushing on sauces containing sugar, e.g. barbecue sauce.
  
• Use tongs or a spatula to turn or remove your meats. Never use a fork as piercing the meat will allow the juices to run out.
  
• Always let your meat rest for at least 10 minutes after taking it off the heat. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat giving you a juicy steak.

From the simple hibachi to the Big Green Egg or anything in between, grilling is a delicious way to prepare food, and best of all, there is less to clean up in your kitchen.

Discussion questions:
What is your favorite grilled food?
Gas or charcoal?






If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Know Your Sausage

During the month of October, I will be participating in the Write 31 Days hosted by Crystal Stine. My category is Food, Health & Wellness and my theme is "Into The Kitchen". 



Sausage may be a love it or hate it food. I love it and always have some in my freezer. I seldom think about what type it is beyond whether it is spicy or mild and whether I need to really cook it or just pop it on the grill until it is browned and sizzling.

There is more to sausage than initially meets the eye. It is basically ground meat, usually but not always, pork, mixed with seasonings. It may be stuffed into casings, formed into patties or sold in bulk by the pound. Following are some of the different types of sausages and a little information and examples for each one.

Four main types of sausage:

Fresh. These need to be refrigerated or frozen if not used immediately. Fresh sausage must be fully cooked before eating. When cooking, prick the skins so they don't explode because that spurt of hot grease when you turn them is impressive. Also, fresh link sausage can be removed from the casing to be crumbled and cooked for other dishes.

• Breakfast links and patties
• Italian
• Bratwurst
• Mexican Chorizo

Pre-cooked.  All pre-cooked sausage start with a smooth pureed filling, which may be partially cooked before stuffing, but all are cooked after stuffing. You still want to cook these or at least heat thoroughly to bring out the flavor. Many deli meats fall into this category.

• Hot dogs
• Bologna
• Mortadella
• German Wursts

Smoked. These are cooked over a cool fire which produces a lot of smoke. This provides

flavor and preserves the meat. These can be eaten as is or cut up and used in other dishes. Like the pre-cooked, you often find these in the deli.

• Andouille
• Kielbasa

Cured. This type of sausage is made fresh then salted and air dried. These make great appetizers and snacks. Slice thinly and serve at room temperature.

• Spanish Chorizo
• Coppa
• Genoa Salami

Tell me which sausage you like and how you prepare or serve it.



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The Humble Potato

During the month of October, I will be participating in the Write 31 Days hosted by Crystal Stine. My category is Food, Health & Wellness and my theme is "Into The Kitchen". 



What is your favorite food—EVER? Pizza, ice cream, fried chicken, broccoli? Mine? None of the above. It is the very humble, very nutritious, and very versatile potato. 

Just the Facts.

• Low calorie and a good source of Vitamins C and B6
• Fat-free, sodium-free and gluten-free
• More potassium than a banana
• More energy packed than any other vegetable
• A blank canvas for flavors and the most versatile vegetable
• It is a resistant starch*

*I didn't know this, but a resistant starch is one that doesn't fully break down and get absorbed, and is instead turned into a short-chain fatty acid by intestinal bacteria. The bottom line is that it becomes food for the good bacteria (probiotics), which make resistant starches prebiotics. Read more about resistant starches here.

Red, white and blue, potatoes are patriotic, too.

Potatoes come in a variety of colors. Most are white or pale yellow on the inside. These come in red, white and yellow skin, are generally similar in texture and are good for frying or potato salad. Russets (bakers) are also white inside, but have brown skins and have a drier texture making them better for baking and mashing. 

Blue and Purple potatoes have a dark flesh as well as skin. They also have higher health benefits (the rule is the darker and more colorful, the healthier the food). This is what one source has to say:

"Purple potatoes boast more health benefits than their white counterparts. The golden rule with any fruit or vegetable is the darker and deeper the color, the more nutritional benefits it packs. They contain carotenoids and the color comes from their flavonoid content.

These potatoes are high in carbohydrates, low in fat, high in potassium, and contain a small amount of iron and a moderate amount of dietary fiber, which can help regulate blood sugar and prevent high cholesterol. They’ve also shown anti-inflammatory properties.

Blue potatoes also contain anthocyanins—an immunity-building anti-oxidant that fights free radicals, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer. The skin is rich in vitamin C and contains polyphenols. The skin also helps seal in the nutrients while cooking, so try to leave it intact."

Would you like fries with that?

Besides the ever-popular french fry, what else can you do with this versatile veggie? Just about anything you can think of. You can roast, bake or boil, mash, saute or grill it. You can slice it, dice it or spiral it. Morning, noon or night, potatoes fill the bill and satisfy the stomach.

Start your day off right with potatoes for breakfast as hash browns or home fries or grab baked potato or soup as a lunch option, but beware the loaded potatoes will get you with the added calories. Nothing dresses up dinner like creamy mashed potatoes with butter or gravy, and it goes with practically everything.

I can eat potatoes (a.k.a. taters) anyway you fix 'em. Fries, bring 'em on. Baked, with butter and sour cream, oh and maybe some cheese, please. But I've got to tell you about something called tater hash. Nope, not hash browns or home fries and there is no meat involved. These are some of the best taters on the planet, in my humble opinion.

What you need:

Baking potatoes like Russets
Fat—vegetable or olive oil, coconut oil or bacon grease
Salt and pepper to taste

First you bake the potatoes. Exact time and temperature is not critical, the lower the temperature the longer the bake time and so on. I usually bake large potatoes at 400° for about 75 minutes. Just cook them until a sharp knife goes in easily. Remove them from the oven and cool on the counter. When cool enough to put in the refrigerator, go ahead and do so. Leave them in the refrigerator several hours or overnight. Cold potatoes make the best hash!

Then you make the hash. Peel and chop the potatoes into bite size pieces. Heat your fat of choice in a skillet over medium high heat. The oil is hot when a piece of potato sizzles when it hits the pan. Cook, turning them occasionally, allowing them to develop a crusty brown surface. I usually use my spatula to further chop them up in the pan.

Add-ins

These are excellent just as they are, but you can kick them up a notch (to quote Emeril) and add onions, green peppers or other seasoning. I like mine plain with just salt and pepper. I have been eating these my entire life, and some of the best I ever had were cooked on an old wood stove at my grandmother's house. Talk about good eats!

Discussion questions:
Have you eaten blue or purple potatoes?
What is your favorite way to eat potatoes?



If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.