5 Essential Grilling Tools That Promote Safety

We all know that anything that has to do with fire has some dangers and risks, including cooking and grilling. If you love to barbecue, you’ve probably burned yourself once or twice already. For your safety (and your family’s as well), it’s ideal that you take extra precaution while working the grill. Buy gear that will protect you or will lower the chance of getting burned by the heat.

Here are some essential grilling tools for safety that you should buy:

Long-Handled Spatula and Tongs

A good spatula has an offset handle for ease of slipping it under food on the grill. You could go for either a silicone one or a metal one, but be sure to choose a long-handled spatula to keep you hands away from the grill’s heat.

Same goes with tongs. Choose a long handle that is spring-loaded. Tongs are a better choice than forks when cooking meat, as forks pierce through the meat and release its juices.

Grill Mitts or Gloves Continue reading “5 Essential Grilling Tools That Promote Safety”

3 Grilling Myths and the Truth Behind Them

We’ve all heard about outrageous stories, tips, hacks and myths about grilling from “experts”. These information are readily available on the internet and there’s too much that we don’t know which ones are true anymore. Unless you’ve tried and tested all of it, that’s the only time you can prove their validity.

But considering science and popularity, here are 3 of the most common grilling myths and the truth behind them:

The more you check, the longer your food will cook on the grill

Surely you’ve read a tip about this – they usually advise against checking on your food too much because it lengthens cooking time. Some even say that you add 15 minutes of cooking time to long cooks (like beef brisket) every time you peek. The truth is, no matter how many times you check your food, it doesn’t make much of an impact on the temperature, let alone the cooking time. According to Boston University’s Professor Greg Blonder, a food scientist and physicist, opening the lid drastically makes little or no impact on the temperatures of the meat’s surface and center, therefore not changing its cooking time. Continue reading “3 Grilling Myths and the Truth Behind Them”

5 Effective Healthy Grilling Tips You Should Know About

Want to begin your journey to a healthier lifestyle? Then start grilling your food! Cooking your food on the grill generally healthier than cooking it over the stove or on the oven, but there are plenty of other ways how you can keep your food even more nutritious through grilling.

Follow these effective healthy grilling tips to jumpstart your new lifestyle!

Choose the right protein

Now is the time to pick leaner and healthier cuts of meat! Instead of your usual meats with a lot of fat, opt for healthier choices such as chicken breast, skinless chicken and fish, lean ground poultry etc. When you grill them right, nobody won’t miss having red meat!

While red meat from time to time is fine, keep in mind that it contains more saturated fat. If you’re using pork or beef, choose loin or round cuts. Instead of the prime grade, go for choice or select grades. Continue reading “5 Effective Healthy Grilling Tips You Should Know About”

Do These 5 Important Steps Before You Start Grilling

As with traditional cooking, preparation is paramount when you’re about to cook your food on the grill. Getting everything ready and checking your gear will save you a lot of time and energy once you start your fire. Once you start grilling, you would want to focus on cooking your food perfectly and not be distracted by other things.

Here are 5 important steps to take before you start grilling:

Prepare your grates

It’s important to prep your grates before putting any food on them. This will prolong the life of your grates by keeping rust off. Do this every time before using your grill.

If your grill is brand new, spray the grates with high heat cooking spray evenly before turning on the grill. Turn on the grill to medium heat until the oil starts to smoke and burns off. If you’re using old grates, pre-heat your grill then brush off any debris. Continue reading “Do These 5 Important Steps Before You Start Grilling”

3 Simple Barbecue Tips To Make You A Better Griller

Grilling is a process that takes time to learn. It takes plenty of trial and error before you can perfectly cook a piece of meat – and there are so many types of meat! There’s pork, beef, chicken, seafood and so much more. Don’t forget the produce! It does take years to acquire expert level techniques in grilling and smoking, but there are many ways you can improve your grilling skills even though you’re only a beginner. Whether you aim to become a pitmaster or just want to become a seasoned griller, practice makes perfect! A few simple techniques will help improve your skills, and you’ll enjoy better food!

Implement these simple barbecue tips whenever you grill – they will surely help you become a better griller!

Let your food rest

It’s not ideal to take food off from the refrigerator and slap it straight onto the grill. If you do this, your food won’t cook evenly – the outside will burn and the inside would be raw. So once you take food out from the fridge, most especially pieces of meat, allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes in room temperature to take the chill off (longer for thicker cuts of meat). Continue reading “3 Simple Barbecue Tips To Make You A Better Griller”

Hint of Mint: 3 Mouth-Watering Mint Recipes to Try

This cooling herb has a distinct flavor that adds a refreshing taste to food or drinks. So if you want a hint of mint for your next meal, try these uniquely delicious recipes that use mint:

Salmon a La Mint

What you need:

4 salmon fillets
1 bunch fresh mint, stems removed
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems removed
1 lemon, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tbsps. olive oil
2 tbsps. melted butter
2 tbsps. honey
4 tsps. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Mint sprigs for garnish

Continue reading “Hint of Mint: 3 Mouth-Watering Mint Recipes to Try”

4 Quick Vegan Snacks That Will Make You Want To Eat Healthier

You don’t have to be vegan to eat vegan food. In fact, it’s great to try healthy snacks from time to time, especially if your diet mainly consists of meat and fast food. You’ll be surprised at how delicious and fulfilling healthy food can be and if it doesn’t make you change your eating lifestyle altogether, it will help you make more nutritious choices in your diet.

Try these 4 awesome vegan snack recipes:

Quick Cinnamon Apple Chips

What you need:

2 red apples, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Continue reading “4 Quick Vegan Snacks That Will Make You Want To Eat Healthier”

Weaning Your Baby

It is probably like a million times that you have been told by health care professionals that exclusive breast feeding until six months is absolutely essential. You have probably been very religiously doing so even in the middle of the night. If you chose not to or you were not able to do so, you were possibly reminding yourself to sterilise the bottle and keep the water ready. Either way, you are on your feet. Suddenly there comes a day when your baby, who in all these days has been glaring at your plate, pounces on your plate and grabs a handful. Yippee! He is ready for solids! Well, that’s how simple baby led weaning is and from my personal experience I would vouch for it. For one thing, this way you are not in a rush to introduce solids and run the risk of food allergies. Moreover, the jury on when is the right time to wean your baby on solids is almost always out in the open. So why not just leave it to nature and let your baby decide when he wants to eat and not just drink. Just remember, like adults, each baby is different and develop according to their own timetable and not yours. It is much easier to feed the baby food when he is ready and it is less stressful for you. It is said that unless the ‘tongue thrust reflex’ goes i.e. reflex that makes them push everything out of their mouth, they may not be ready for solids. Also, generally they are ready when they can sit up unsupported.

Continue reading “Weaning Your Baby”

3 Delicious Foods You Won’t Believe You Can Grill (Plus Recipes)

Everybody knows that the grill isn’t just for burgers, hotdogs, steaks or sausages – the possibilities are endless if you love to barbecue. Apart from seafood, fruits and vegetables, you can also make decadent desserts and heart snacks. Be adventurous! You won’t know the limit of what you can cook on the grill if you’re not!

Try these 3 yummy foods you won’t believe you can grill:

Assorted Nuts

Try this recipe: You’re Nuts

What you need: Continue reading “3 Delicious Foods You Won’t Believe You Can Grill (Plus Recipes)”

3 Must-Try Vegetarian Grill Recipes For Healthy Eating

Eating a sufficient amount of fresh fruits and vegetables does nothing but good to your body. If you love barbecues, try any of these delicious vegetarian grill recipes. Whether you have vegetarian friends coming over or you simply want to enjoy a healthy snack or meal, these dishes are the perfect choice.

Lemon and Rosemary Grilled Veggie Burgers

What you need: Continue reading “3 Must-Try Vegetarian Grill Recipes For Healthy Eating”