Grilling is one of the healthiest ways of cooking. It means eating less fat and butter and in the case of meat and vegetables, helps retain more nutrients. Grilling is a fun outdoor activity that takes some skill. Here are some tips and tricks when cooking using a grill.
Before grilling
Clean and oil
Working with a clean grill is one of the most important tips. Scrub down any remains from the previous usage. Use a metallic grill brush if the grill is hot. Preheating before cleaning helps loosen any stuck food improving the likelihood of better cleaning. After cleaning, oil the grill to keep food from sticking on it while grilling. If the grill is hot, oil a paper towel and use tongs to spread it on the grill.
Preheat
Preheat the grill with the lid closed during the preheating process. Preheating the grill helps prevent the food from sticking to the grate and gets the grate hot enough to sear properly.
Room temperature and salt
Take the meat or whatever food you’re grilling out of the fridge and let it sit out for at least half an hour. The colder the meat is, the longer it takes to cook which is a problem because the key to a good steak is cooking at a high temperature for a short amount of time. It is best practice to salt and/or pepper the meat at least an hour before you start cooking to create fuller seasoning and retain the meat’s natural moisture. A rule of thumb for home cooks is to salt meat twice as much as you think is needed.
Research
Do some quick research to find out what’s the best way to grill the food you’re cooking. Different foods have different grilling times and temperatures. Salmon would take an average of 6-8 minutes while a whole chicken would take an average of 75-90 minutes.
The best steak needs a high temperature for a short time. For crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside chicken, it’s best to use low heat and turn often. Fish can be sticky, messy, and even fall apart, and coating it with mayonnaise helps hold it together. For vegetables, you can wrap them up in foil to keep them together and prevent smaller pieces from falling through the rack.
Thermometer
Consider getting a grilling thermometer. It is the most reliable way to check for readiness. A thermometer helps you make sure you’re cooking at the right temperature and makes it easier to achieve consistent results. Different meats are cooked at different temperatures for the best results.
When using the grill
Keep the grill lid down
When grilling, it is best to keep the grill lid down. This keeps the grates hot enough to sear the food. It speeds up cooking time and prevents the food from drying out. Keeping the lid down is safe because it prevents flare-ups by limiting oxygen. It also traps the smokiness that develops when fat and juices vaporize in the grill.
Create heat zones
Don’t spread the charcoal evenly on the grill. Create different heat zones where some areas are hotter than others. This allows you to move food from the hottest areas to medium zones when the outside is done so that it cooks slower for the inner parts. On a gas grill, have one burner on high and another on medium when grilling.
Don’t move or poke food
Resist the impulse to keep touching, flattening, poking, or moving food around while on the grill. If the meat is stuck, let it cook for a while more and it will unstick itself. Poking, squeezing, and constantly moving the food can lead them to dry up because you’re squeezing the fat and moisture out of them.
Use skewers
Skewers make it possible to hold food that would otherwise be difficult to hold. Smaller pieces of meat and vegetables, for example, would be difficult to flip without skewers. Skewers are also a good idea if you are short on time, just chop the meat into pieces and skewer them for a shorter cooking time. Before grilling, soak the skewers in water for at least 15 minutes to keep them from burning.
Apply sauce late
To reduce the amount of blackening or browning, it’s best to apply sauces, especially those containing sugars during the last minutes of grilling.
Take it off a little early and let it rest
Food continues to cook after being taken off the heat which is why it’s best to take it off before it’s at your desired level of perfection. When grilling, take the food off about a minute or two before it’s perfect. Let the meat rest unsliced for 5 to 15 minutes before digging in. The bigger the piece of meat, the longer you should let it rest.
Clean the grill
It’s best to keep the grill clean, it increases the grill’s longevity, and it makes your work far much easier the next time you’re grilling. Use a brush to scrub all the food pieces left are gone.
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