The sizzle! The flames! And oh that aroma! There's simply no other cooking method that delights all the senses more than grilling. From the moment the blaze comes up, you know something special is in the making. While you wait for the heat to rise, there's anticipation building to hear that all-important sound when the meat hits the metal: "Shzzzzz!"
As the fragrance fills the air everybody for blocks around begins to take notice. "Somebody's grilling!" The smell is almost contagious, proven by the number of people who walk inside and suggest, "Honey, let's grill out tonight."
The dark, golden color transforms your entrée into a treat for your eyes as well as your palate. The entire experience escalates to the point where you take the first bite and simply sigh. There's nothing that can compare!
A Fear of Overcooking
As popular as grilling is, you would think most people are perfectly comfortable with this cooking method. Truth be known, many have a fear of grilling, with a common complaint that they overcook their food. Let's go to a place where warm weather - and grilling - is prevalent, Scottsdale, Arizona. Cooking school instructors here offer some easy fixes for this problem that can have you claiming the title of Grill Master in no time.
Regulating heat is an important part of grilling according to one Scottsdale culinary arts school. They suggest creating a cool zone that you can move food to if it becomes too hot or begins to cook too quickly. If using gas, an upper rack can serve as your cool zone. With charcoal setups, simply slide food to the outer edges of the grate away from the coals.
The use of indirect heat is also a wonderful way to prevent overcooking. When grilling with indirect heat, hot coals are placed only on one side of the grill leaving the other side cool. The transfer of heat when the lid is closed creates a circulation that regulates the cooking temperature. Gas grills can offer also the benefit of this technique by lighting only one burner. Obviously, cooking with indirect heat takes longer, but often delivers better results.
Matching Meats With Temps and Times
Scottsdale culinary arts students quickly learn to adjust temperatures and times according to what they will be grilling. Thicker, whole, more dense meats (such as chicken breasts and steaks) will require a longer cooking time. However, a lower temperature will also be required so that the outside of the meat doesn't burn while the inside remains undercooked.
Cooking with smaller, less dense meats (shrimp, hamburger patties) or meat cut into pieces (chicken wings) will take much less time and less heat. Giving consideration to what you'll be grilling is a primary factor in avoiding undercooked or overcooked meats.
Grilling Side Dishes
The vast majority of time, meat is what we cook on our grills. However, thanks to some ingenious tools and accessories, practically anything can be grilled these days. Fish racks and cedar planks make it easy to cook and flip tender varieties of fish that might otherwise break or tear. Specially designed baskets allow you to prepare vegetables on the grill. There are skewers for kabobs, rotisseries for chicken and even grill-quality pots for sauces and marinades. Getting creative is part of the fun of grilling so let your imagination go wild!
When you take time to give some consideration to what you're cooking along with the grilling method, temperature and cooking time, you'll find your end results are more juicy and flavorful than you ever imagined!
Mike Churchill provides online marketing support for Scottsdale Culinary Institute, an
Arizona cooking school. Applications are currently being accepted. If you love cooking, attending culinary arts school could be the next step. Visit us at
http://www.chefs.edu. © 2007, All Rights Reserved
