The Williams-Sonoma Test Kitchen - The Indoor Grilling Cookbook

P hotographs E rin Scott

COOKBOOK

INDOOR

GRILLIN G

THE

CONTENTS

Introducing Indoor Grilling Smokeles s Electric Grill F eat ures Stove- To p Grill Fe atures

Tip s for Indoor Grilling

Recipes

Index

Grilled Br anzino with Lemon & F r esh Herbs (page 38)

Spatchcock ed Chicken with

Herb Butter & Grilled Garlic Heads (page 31)

Introducing Indoor Grilling

Outfit yo ur kitchen wi th a sto ve-t op grill pa n or a counter to p electric grill and you ll be serv ing grilled dis hes any day o f the yeari n summer and wint er, in sun and snow . Simple to use and easy to store , these no- fuss indoor gri lls prov ide consiste nt t emperature s and optimal contr ol for f ast, eve n searing and cooking . That transl ates to meats, chicke n, fish, vegetable s, and fruit s with perf ectly caramelize d exter iors and juicy , full of flavo r interior s.

Stove- top grill pa ns are typi cally made of c ast iron , have raised edges , and featu re a ridged cooking surf ace that not onl y gives you the carame lized sear marks of an o utdoor grill bu t also eleva tes the f ood abov e any dri ppings. They are designed to fit on a sto ve top over o ne or two burners, depe nding on the siz e and shape of the pan, and once th eyr e smoking ho t, they re tain the heat, which helps guarante e even browning . Elect ric indoor gril ls sit comfort ably on a counte rto p or table, heat quickl y, sometimes come with inter changeable no nstick grids f or diff erent ty pes of foods , have a bel ow-gri d tray to capture drippings, and promise ne arly smoke -free gril ling.

In these page s, you ll discov er how to use th ese versati le specialt y grills to create a variety of d elicious and in spired dish es, incl uding Ro semary -Garlic L amb Chops with Hot Honey (page 37 ), Grilled Pr awns with White Beans & P es to (page 41), Grilled Whole Branzino with Lemons & Fr esh Herbs (p age 38) , and Grille d Flatbre ads with Burrata & Blis tered Cherry T om atoes (pag e 17) . All the r ecipes th at follow rely on just three easy-to- master st epspre p the ingred ients, pre heat the grill, then sear and cook for turning out quick, easy , f lavorf ul dishes. From keba bs to bur gers, salad s to sto ne fruit, indoo r grilling will be come your fa vorite go-to coo king method .

SMOKELESS ELECTRIC GRILL FEA TURES

D RIP TR AY

D rippings col lect i n an easy-to- remov e tray that also helps pr event smo ke

COMPA CT SIZE

F its comfort ably on most countert ops or t ables

NONSTICK SU RFA CE

Di shwasher-sa fe nonsti ck grid requires only a thin lm of oil

EASY TO HA NDLE

W ide handles are easy to grasp, even when wearing heat-re sistant mitt s

H EAV Y CAST I RON

Readily absorbs a nd reta ins heat for perfe ct sear ing and eve n cooking

SHALLOW SIDES

Shallow sides, t ypically sloping, al low for easy maneuvering of foods

DESIGNED FOR STOVE TO PS Depending on their size and shape, pans t over one or tw o burne rs

STOVE- TO P GRILL P AN FEAT URES

CO LORFUL AC CENTS

Bright colors make pans attractive enough to go from stov e to tab le

RIDGED COOKING SURFA CE Pronounced ridges ensure class ic grill marks and ho ld foods above their dripping s

Aluminum foil pack ets not only make gri lling individual servings easy especially if the recipe calls for a sauce or s yrupbut also simplify cleanup.

Tips for Indoor Grilling

Dreaming of a thick, juicy grilled burger or p orte rhouse steak o n a cold, rainy night ? With an indoo r grillstov e top or electricyo u can satisf y that craving rain or shi ne. Plus, these versatile gr ills mimic outdo or cooking with much less fuss. Here are some helpful tips to ens ure success.

To oil the pan or grid, select a n oil with a hi gh smoking p oint, such as canola, saffl ower , avoca do, grapesee d, or lig ht olive oil. Using ton gs, dip a tightly crush ed wad o f paper towel in to a small bow l of the oil , allowin g the exc ess to drip of f, t hen brus h the hot cooking sur fac e lightly and ev enly with th e saturate d towe l.

Make sure the pan or grid is pe rfe ctly cl ean, then preheat f ully before adding any ingredient s to the co oking sur fa ce. This wi ll take about 5 min utes for a st ove- top pan. The pan is read y when you see a few ligh t wisps of smoke a signal th e surf ace is hot enou gh to creat e grill mark s. Alte rnatively , f lick a few drop s of water onto the hot surf ace; if the y evapor ate on contac t, the pan is read y. For an electr ic grill, fo llow the manufact urers direct ions for pr eheating.

For ev en cooking , cut, slice, or shape fo ods so the y are of unifo rm thickness .

Once the fo od is on th e hot sur fac e, avoid moving i t right away. Leaving it und isturbed for at least a minute ens ures you ll get the desired gri ll marks, which add b oth flavor and visual appe al.

Follo w the rec ipe direc tions fo r when to flip the foo d. Most foods are flipped j ust once, and tong s are the id eal too l for this s tep. If the food seems to b e charring too muc h before it s ready to flip, move or rotate it slightly. If the th reat contin ues, flip the foo d ahead of th e designate d time or lower the heat a bit.

For pr oper clea ning, foll owing the instruct ions that ca me with yo ur grill pan o r electric grill. Mos t grill pans can be soake d in hot, s oapy wate r and the n wiped cl ean. If b its of food conti nue to sti ck, dislod ge them wi th a firm-b ristled nylon bru sh. Always d ry your indoo r grilling eq uipment thor oughly befo re stor ing.