Tag: Grills

Safety Tips For Grilling

Grilling Outdoors

When grilling, there is no better place to do it rather than outdoors. The lovely food that is produced when grilling is complimented by the wonderful ambiance of simply being outdoors. However, grilling outdoors is not completely safe as it could pose some hazards to safety in fact, there are already some serious cases attributed to outdoor grilling, structure fires and outdoor fires are also some serious cases that is why in grilling, safety is an important issue.

So to make your grilling experiences much better and much safer, here are some important tips you should consider the next time you go out to go grilling. Always remember that the pleasures you get from any experience is not worth your life.

Check Your Grill

If you are using a gas grill, always check for leaks every time before you start grilling. Leaks can also catch fire from the grill top and could cause very serious cases so make sure there are exactly no leaks. When doing this, make sure not to use a lighter to see where the leaks are. Take note that lighters are only to be used to start charcoal-type grills and never on gas grills especially when testing for leaks. This would save you from a lot of danger if you follow this.

Also make sure that your grill is standing stable and not shaky and does not show any likeliness of toppling over. The fire on the grill top can cause a lot of dangers if the grill topples over. When grilling, also make sure that fire extinguishers and first aid is always ready, you will never know what could happen during a barbecue so you should better off be safe and get ready.

Check The Area

Make sure that your outdoor grilling area is safe and by this, you will have to take a few measures. Mark the grilling area as a no play zone for your kids and only allow them to get near only if the grill has completely cooled down. Also make sure that pets are away from the grill at all times. Since it is an outdoor grill, the name itself already explains where it should only be used. It should only be outdoors at all times and never indoors.

The grilling area should also be away from objects that could catch fire and spread it easily such as the house itself, bushes, trees and shrubs. Make sure that the grill is about 10 feet away from any of those. The grill should be isolated and ideally should stand alone away from everything else in the backyard. Electric cords and outlets should also be away from the grill, having these exposed to heat can have them explode or cause fire.

Other Guidelines

When grilling, never leave it alone while the fire is still burning. Even if a long process would not have you on the food, you should still make sure that you are carefully watching the grill at all times. Also make sure that you use long utensils when grilling, not only are you more versatile while on the grill with them but you are also safer from burns you can get from the grill. Make sure you also watch what you wear.

Shirts or aprons with tails, frills and are hanging can catch fire. As much as you want to enjoy grilling, you would also want to be safe. The guidelines provided should be of great help to you.

Picking The Perfect Outdoor Grill

Grills Galore

Depending on what you feel would suit you the best, what you will be cooking most of the time and how much you can actually afford are some of the vital factors you must consider when buying outdoor grills. You have to take note that different grill would have different features, would have its fortes and weaknesses and as well as would suit a place depending on where you plan to put it in. With the many options you have, you are sure to be delighted when choosing one.

A grill is a reasonably large investment but if you have a backyard, you might as well consider it as a necessity. A good outdoor grill would put that moss gathering backyard of yours into a party or a barbecue place. So to help you come up with a grill that you need, you want or you have to get, here are some tips for you to get what you really need.

Consider The Features

You must be aware that different models of outdoor grills have different features and not all those features could be used by you. If you want something that is light, portable and would serve only you and a few guests, friends or family then you could go for a simple fire pit. This is the cheapest type and the most portable one. For bigger units, think about how much burners you will need and what fancy features you could use.

Some large grills would already have some space for indirect grilling, different levels of separation from heat and a feature that would allow you to smoke items easier. Only buy this type of you really want it, always remember that you can still do those things even if your grill does not have all those fancy features. Also take note that this would influence pricing too much, the more fancy features and outdoor grill has, the more expensive the grill is most likely to be.

Consider The Price

The prices of grill would range from very cheap to almost impossible to buy for a lot of us. So even before you think about buying a grill, it is very important to canvas for your options. Always looking for good buys will help you save so much and still get a lovely outdoor grill in the end. The internet even has good options for grills that are for sale so be sure to check it out.

Take note of the factors that would affect pricing greatly. The most visible factor is size; the larger a grill is, the more expensive it is and that happens almost all of the time. However with the new innovations of the companies that make grills, fancy features are also affecting prices too much. Not to mention that a lot of those are quite tempting. Another is brand name; the more famous it is the more expensive it is. So when buying an outdoor grill, look for a balance between what you need and what you can buy.

Other Things To Consider

When it comes to choosing grills, safety also has to be something that should be considered heavily considering that grilling is not an activity that is completely safe. Newer grills are known to be much safer than most old grills, this is because makers have made it in a manner that the user of it would not get sparks and have prevented other potential sources of danger. With safer and better grills, you as well as everyone else is sure to be delighted with the grill you will buy.

Outdoor Grilling Methods

More To The Grill

Before anything else, you should be aware that your outdoor grill is not limited only to direct grilling. Your outdoor grill can do so much more than just that, it could even be more versatile than your kitchen. While the classic method of direct grilling can already please most of us, just think about the other things that it could do. Other outdoor grilling techniques include searing, indirect grilling and smoking which turns ordinary meat into a tasting pleasure with a distinct flavor.

Different outdoor grilling techniques are to be used depending on what types of items you are to grill, for example; direct grilling is best for large cuts of beef and sausages, smoking on the other hand is best for whole fish and meats too. With experience, you will later develop a taste of what goes where in the grill enabling you to be an expert on it.

Have A Clean Grill

Even before starting out, you have to be sure that your grill is clean. The worst thing that could happen in a grill is to have a beautiful slice of prime rib and to later have it taste like grilled salmon. In cleaning the grill, make sure that you do it right after cooking and while the grill is still hot. In doing this, use a wire brush and scrub off all remaining residue that is left on the grill, these residue are what causes unpleasant flavoring if you dont clean your grill well.

More to that, these residues can also fall into the grill and can later cause a flare-up, this of which we would like to avoid. While your grill is clean, you would also want to prevent residue from sticking to it as much as possible. To do this, spray the surface of your grill with vegetable oil every time before you grill. This is even more important if you are using sugar based sauces like the common ones people use to coat ribs and barbecue.

Get Your Grill Hot

When grilling, it is also very important that your grill is hot before you place the items on top of it. For most of us especially for those who own gas-powered grills, we put the items in right after we start the fire. This is wrong as we have to wait around 15-30 minutes of having the fire turned on before putting the items to be grilled in while having all the items and cooking tools you will be needing standing by.

Also be aware that the surface of your grill is not equally hot on all sides. There are some sides that are hotter than others and some that are a bit cooler than others. Being good on the grill, you should know where these sides are and use them to your advantage. The most common grilling technique used here is indirect grilling of which you would need to know where the cooler side is.

Having Ingredients Ready

Even before you start grilling; it is very important that your ingredients are already prepared and ready to be tossed on top of the grill. For steaks, you might want to cut of excess fat and have it seasoned with some salt and pepper. As for chicken, since it is quite difficult to have it grilled, you can pre-cook it in the microwave oven. This will lessen cooking time and as well as make it easier for you to have your chicken brown.

Vegetables on the other hand should already be cleaned and cut for the grill. After all these, you are ready to get grilling.

New Trends For Outdoor Grilling

The Magic Of Grilling

When it comes to dining, nothing could ever beat the many wonders we could cook up freshly on the grill. Not only do grilled foods taste good, but the bonding involved with it is also magical. Now that there are more things that we can do when grilling outdoors, every family barbecue is sure to be much more enjoyable.

When it comes to outdoor grilling, most of us would most likely think of the nice meats, veggies and fishes dad would grill on the backyard during special occasions. While those are very lovely indeed, there are a lot of new outdoor grilling recipe everyone with a barbecue should try doing. If the only outdoor grilling recipe you know is dads barbecue, then you are missing out on a lot as these recipes could also provide you with just the same amount of tasting pleasure.

New Grilling Sauces

The typical American barbecue would be meats with tomato bases sauces, veggies marinated in vinegar and oil or fishes grilled in with herbs. If your grilling vocabulary is limited to these then you should definitely try other new recipes. Nowadays, experts on the grill use all types of pleasant ingredients you could think about to make barbecue sauces some of them being strawberries, raspberries, yogurt, honey and even mustard.

While the typical methods of making items in the barbecue are still maintained up to now such as keeping the grill closed at times to seal in the flavor and moisture and moving items from high fire to low fire and pricking meats and chicken with a fork to see how moist it is inside, these methods are still considered by experts as the best ways of cooking in the grill. Everyone would want the items in the grill to be as juicy and flavorful as much as possible.

Keep Safe

Whenever on the grill, you must also be very aware of your safety. While most cases would only be a minor burn on our hand of which most of us who have been grilling for a while already have already experienced, you should be aware that millions are lost due to structure fires and outdoor fires caused by outdoor grills. Grilling involves a lot of fire and with that, you should be very aware of what it can cause you and your surroundings.

Make sure that kids do not go playing anywhere near the grill as well as the pets should also be kept away from the grill until it has fully cooled. Also remember that an outdoor grill should not be placed near objects that could easily catch fire such as the house itself, bushes, shrubs and trees to avoid any accidents regarding it. Also be careful in using starter fluid, make sure only to use this with charcoal grills and never with gas powered grills.

No Rules!

Just keep in mind that when grilling aside from safety measures there are practically no rules. Whatever produces the best tasting barbecue whatever the ingredients or items could be the best outdoor grilling recipes. While these new barbecue sauces can already be picked up from the shelves of your local grocery, it is also a lot of fun to make them yourselves.

Go ahead and experiment with whatever you can to make your outdoor grilling products as good and as enjoyable as possible.

Tips for First Time Grill Owners

Grilling, or Barbequing is a true American tradition. Many Americans are finding themselves with a grill for the first time. Good experiences with your grill will surely lead to using your grill more and more.

Planning Ahead

Barbequing has been around since early cavemen figured out that food tasted great after being cooked on an open fire. Perhaps one of the main memories attached to a family barbeque is what was on the menu that day. Barbequing opens a whole array of types of foods available. The type of foods you serve should largely depend on your crowd and the event in which you are celebrating. With the wide range of possibilities, you are sure to find at least a few items that will please your crowd.

Another potential issue when barbequing is the weather. While you will not be able to guarantee that the weather stays nice your barbeque event, a certain amount of planning will help you avoid the days in which barbequing is just simply out of the picture. Watch the weather channel or check online for your weekly forecast. If rain or cold weather is likely on the day you were thinking about having your barbeque, it may be a good idea to wait for a better forecast.

Make sure that you prepare ahead for your barbeque. 12 to 24 hours before you plan on beginning the party, make sure to thaw, prepare, and marinate the meat you will be cooking. Once you have the meat stored away, soaking up the marinate, then you must start thinking about what types of side dishes you will be having. If you want a completely tradition barbeque, you may want to stick with traditional sizes. Traditional barbeque sides include potatoes, potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw.

Maintenance

You will need some common household items on hand when it comes time to
clean your barbeque grill.

Brass wire grill brush
Steel wool pads, preferably that contains soap already.
Mild dish soap
Sponge or dishcloth
Spray cooking oil
Dry baking soda
Aluminum foil

The first thing that should always be done to your grill is a routine brushing. Using your brass wire grill brush (or other brush suitable to your type of grill) you should brush off all the surfaces. By routinely brushing your barbeque grill, you will prevent any type of buildup. If buildup from food is left to long, it can become increasingly difficult to remove. Once you have cleaned the surfaces of your grill, then you must focus on its racks. The racks in your grill are especially important as this is where the food touches when it is cooking. You will have to use the wire brush to remove as much buildup as possible. Once you remove as much as possible, start washing the racks with dish soap. If the racks are really dirty, you may also want to use the steel wool pads. Be sure to completely rinse off all soap and residue before cooking on these racks again.

This process should be completed each and every time you cook on your barbeque grill. If these steps are not taken, you may find it increasingly difficult to clean your grill, and may find that damage will occur.

The majority of problems that arise from barbeque grills comes from lack of cleaning and maintenance. That means if you notice something does not seem quite right with your barbeque grill, chances are it can be fixed with just a simple cleaning. Even if you clean it, and still find that it is having problems, at least you saved yourself the potential embarrassment of taking it to a professional only to find out all it needed was to be cleaned.

Finally, one method of preventing problems with your barbeque grill is protecting it from the outdoors. Covers are available for grills in all shapes and sizes, so chances are, you will find one that fits your grill. If you have a cover for your barbeque grill, then all you will ever need to do is do the regular maintenance listed above.