Adler - The best little grilling cookbook

Copyright 2000 by Karen Adler. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information or storage and retrieval system, without the express permission of the publisher. CELESTIAL ARTS PO. Box 7123 Berkeley, CA 94707 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 00-131235 Other cookbooks in this series:Best Little Barbecue CookbookBest Little Marinades CookbookBest Little BBQ Sauces Cookbook Celestial Arts titles are distributed in Canada by Ten Speed Canada, in the United Kingdom and Europe by Airlift Books, in South Africa by Real Books, in Australia by Simon & Schuster Australia, in New Zealand by Southern Publishers Group, and in Southeast Asia by Berkeley Books. Grilling is a summer ritual that has become a year-round passion for many Americans. Grilling is a summer ritual that has become a year-round passion for many Americans.

Outdoor grillers who live in parts of the country with milder climates find themselves no longer waiting for Memorial Day to fire up their barbecues. And with the convenience of gas grills that only require the turn of a knob, its never been easier to grill your favorite meat, poultry, wild game, vegetables, and even pizza! Indoor grills and outdoor kitchens have also had an impact on the grilling market. With such fancy equipment, home cooks want to know the secrets to wonderfully grilled foods. A variety of recipes for every kind of cook can be found on these small pages. They are accompanied by savory rubs, marinades, and sauces. So strap on your tongs and let your taste buds have their way!

Grilling is a fast method of cooking over a direct heat source.

Because the intense heat chars or browns the outside of the food, food needs to be turned while grilling for even cooking. Grilling is suited to foods that are tender and require short cooking timeslike steaks and burgers. Grills come in a variety of shapes and sizes with several fuel choices. For gas or electric grills, it is important to read the manufacturers instructions for best results. The same goes for charcoal grills. Determining the grill temperature is easy.

If you can hold your hand 5 inches above the heat source for 2 seconds, your fire is hot; 3 to 4 seconds is a medium-hot fire, and 5 to 6 seconds is a low fire. GRILL TIPS: To start a charcoal fire, use a charcoal chimney. Place 15 pieces of lump charcoal in the top of the chimney. Put crumpled paper in the bottom and place on top of your grill. Light the paper; the coals will be white hot in about 15 minutes. Apply nonstick cooking spray to lightly oil the grill grates to help prevent sticking before you light the fire. Add a little oil to your marinades or lightly coat the food you plan to grill with some olive oil to help prevent sticking on the grill grates. Stiff wire brushes with a scraper make cleaning the grill a simple job (tackle this while the grill is still warm). Grill racks are grates to place on top of your grill to accommodate smaller and more delicate items like vegetables, shrimp, and fish, so that they dont fall through the regular grill grates. Grill woks are handy for placing on top of the grill and cooking a medley of small chopped meats and vegetables similar to stir-fry, only we call it stir-grill. Kabob baskets are time-savers. Kabob baskets are time-savers.

Instead of threading cubed foods onto skewers, just cut your food into chunks, drop them into the basket, and youre ready to grill in a snap. Fresh herbs can be soaked in water and thrown onto your hot barbecue fire to create a lovely aroma in your backyard. Try placing long-stemmed herbs on the grill rack and then cooking fish atop the herbs. Create an herb-basting brush by tying herbs together with florist wire. Then dip into a flavored oil and apply to the food that you are grilling. Long-handled utensils help to keep your hands and arms at a distance from the fire.

Mitts are also helpful to avoid too much heat to your hands. Spray bottles filled with either water or fruit juices do double duty by dousing any unwanted flames and keeping the meat that you are grilling moist. A meat thermometer makes guesswork unnecessary. A meat thermometer makes guesswork unnecessary.

Digital meat thermometers are excellent for grilling because they gauge the temperature immediately. Wood choices for grilling are wood chips that need to be water-soaked for 30 minutes prior to use. Popular flavors include apple, cherry, grape, oak, alder, hickory, mesquite, pecan, and woody herbs. Keep an assortment of nonperishable condiments in your pantry for creating quick marinades, sauces, glazes, and rubs, including assorted oils and vinegars; a variety of mustards, ketchup, barbecue sauce, Italian salad dressing, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, jams or jellies; assorted seasoned salts and peppers, chili powder, paprika, cumin, coriander; and assorted dried herbs like parsley, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, and tarragon.