Category — Grills

If you have this extra feature on your gas grill, use it! It’s so easy to make a delicious dinner for a family. Serve it with a salad, baguette and wine or cole slaw and French fries. Either way, it’s gourmet and good times!

The simple way to make a perfect rotisserie chicken. You will need:

• a 3 pound bird
• 1/4 cup butter
• paprika
• salt
• pepper

Put the chicken on the rotisserie, turn the grill to high and cook for ten minutes. Mix the other igredients. Turn the heat to medium and baste with the butter mixture. Close the lid and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, basting between sips of wine and good times. When the leg jiggles and could easily be pulled off, you’re ready to roll!

I have to add real life experience to my June 30th post.

I went to a fabulous barbeque throw down at a friend’s place. The food was all home cooked, Southern style: mac and cheese, bbq baked beans, collard greens, potato salad. All delicious, all made with love and skills.

I was happily anticipating my burger which had been marinated over night in a special sauce. When it came off the grill and I had my first bite, my friend asked to me if I could pick the secret ingredient in the marinade…

Uh, “lighter fluid” I thought.

I could not taste anything on that burger but nasty chemicals. I asked other friends afterwards and we all agreed. None of us could finish the burgers. Besides tasting foul, we all imagined we’d drop dead with cancer if we took a second bite.

I now firmly stand for gas and electric grills only. Besides being more green, they are also way better for your health. And they seal the deal for the reason you’re grilling in the first place; your taste palette.

It might look cool and bring back fond memories from childhood but, in my opinion, the charcoal grill should die with the dinosaurs.

You’ve probably heard the claims that cooking meat over an outdoor barbeque comes with an increased risk of carcinogens. That’s because when meat is cooked at a high temperature (including frying and broiling) the amino acids react with creatine to form heterocyclic amines (Has) which are worrisome chemicals. Grilling over a flame is double trouble because it exposes the meat to the cancer-causing chemicals contained in the smoke. Yikes!

Here are some ideas to help cut down the risk factor for you this summer.

• Marinating meat is thought to be helpful by some but the evidence isn’t concrete. Whatever! It still tastes good. Check out my Mediterranean Marinade recipe tomorrow. It rocks!
• Grill smaller pieces of meat - they cook faster at a lower temperature
• Choose leaner meat - It’s the fat that makes the flames that makes the smoke which is bad
• Flip a lot - that way both sides heat evenly
• Buy natural briquettes and wood chips from a natural food market
• Choose an eco-friendly propane grill instead of a charcoal grill
• Don’t use lighter fluid
• Choose low fat meats and trim off the excess fat
• Don’t eat the burnt bits

Or just go vegetarian! Try Boca burgers, meatless chicken and lots of veggies!

I’m a huge fan of indoor grills for many reasons. See if any of these considerations influence you toward the indoor…

• Cancer - it has been documented that cooking meat over an open flame at high heat can increase the risk of cancer.
• You can use an indoor grill all year round.
• They’re multi-purpose - I’m in love with grilled sandwiches.
• Less hassle - clean up is a cinch and you don’t have to worry about rust and other damage that comes from outdoor exposure.
• Less expensive - You can get a basic model George Forman Grill for 20 bucks and the most expensive indoor grill on the line is about $200 compared to the thousand-dollar + price tag on some outdoor grills. The Breville Indoor BBQ and Grill 800GRXL is not only sleek-looking and multi-purpose (makes sandwiches) but you can also unfold it and use it as a large open grill.

If the fun part of grilling for you is hanging out in your back yard while drinking beers and talking with your friends, grab an extension cord and move the griller outside. Or consider an indoor/outdoor grill. Whatever your choice, just know you have options!

Besides red, white and blue, a grill is the one element that makes our upcoming American summer holiday distinguishable. So, if you don’t already have one, I’m here to help. There are hundreds of choices out there and I want to make sure you’re spending more time celebrating than shopping. Take my Get a Grill Quiz and find out which type of grill is best for you!

Questions

1. Are you a basic burger cook or a gourmet chef?
2. Do you cook for a select few or do you like to throw down for a massive posse?
3. Which rates higher for you, the classic smoky bbq taste or neat grilling with an easy clean up?
4. Where will you be grilling? A few steps from your kitchen? A trek across the yard?
5. When you’re not grilling, where will your grill live? Under cover? Out in the open?

Answers

1. For basic burgers look for a straight up grill. For a gourmet chef you can go all the way with side shelves, rotisserie, lights, radio, cabinet space… you name it, they got it, but buyer be ware: the features cost extra.
2. Grills come in all sizes. Think about how many burgers you’ll need to cook at once to suit your party. Look at the surface area of prospective grills and go from there.
3. To charcoal or to gas, that is the question! A charcoal grill is more mess but if you really want that Fourth of July flavor, just jump in the pool afterwards! There are plenty of sleek gas grills on the market in all price ranges. If you want it ready for the 4th make sure there’s not a tedious instillation process necessary.
4. Consider a grill with shelves, side trays and even cabinets if you want to keep cooking utensils and condiments next to the action.
5. If your outdoor grill does not have a place to live that is completely covered, you must get a stainless steel grill unless you want to add rust to your next bbq recipe!