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Let me tell you a little secret – I have never used a barbecue before. I enjoy barbecued foods, and I’ve been around them, I have just never personally used one. When we used to have one at our condo (before the Fire Marshall had everyone remove them) it was my husband who did all the barbecuing. Whenever we have a barbecue at my father’s house it’s my husband or father who do all the work.
Even though I have never experienced grilling before it doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy the foods. I also love to collect barbecue recipes in hopes of being able to try them out some day. If we are fortunate to sell our condo and buy a house one of our first purchases (aside from a bed for me and my hubby) is a barbecue.
I would love to make kabobs with chunks of pork, red onions, red and green peppers and pineapple chunks. Mmmm! Doesn’t that sounds good!
Don’t get me wrong, burgers and hot dogs are fine too, but every now and then I would love to try something else on the barbecue.
Land O’ Lakes shared with me some great Do’s and Don’t tips for grilling. I thought many readers might find them helpful, especially this time of year where people like to barbecue as often as possible.
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Grilling DO’s and DON’Ts
DO’s:
Start with a clean grill. Meat is less likely to stick to clean grates.
Apply nonstick spray before turning on the grill or coat with a light coat of olive or canola oil.
Use a meat thermometer. Take the guesswork out of grilling foods to the right temperature.
Take food off of the grill a few minutes before it reaches the desired temperature. Food will continue to cook after it is taken off the grill.
Choose the best ingredients for the grill. LAND O LAKES® Deli American is America’s #1 deli cheese, because it tastes delicious and melts smoothly on whatever you’ve got on the grates.
DON’Ts:
Puncture or press on the meat. You’ve all seen people flattening burgers with a spatula—don’t do it! This squeezes all the juices out.
Micromanage the meat. To get the best char marks, flip just once. Also, let the grill do its job. Don’t open the lid too often. If you’re looking, it’s not cooking!
Leave the grill unattended. A lonely grill is an unsafe grill.
Allow children and pets near the grill. It’s fun to grill as a family, but maintain adult supervision and allow them to watch from a safe distance.
Dispose of hot coals. Let them cool completely before disposing in a metal container.
I think the first time I actually have the opportunity to barbecue I’m going to be nervous. Just recently we were at my father’s house and when he started the grill there was a burst of flames. We thought he burned his eyebrows off! Stuff like that scares the heebie jeebies out of me. Image may be NSFW.
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It’s good to know that I’m not alone. According to a recent survey about women and grilling, commissioned by LAND O LAKES® Deli Cheese, more than 84 percent of women would be at least a little nervous or afraid to use a barbecue grill on their own. Count me as one of the 84%!
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I was recently invited to an event in New York City called Women of the Grill. The event helped women to boost their confidence using the grill as well as helped women to sharpen their grill skills. The event was hosted by LAND O LAKES® Deli Cheese and blogger Robyn Lindars, known as Grill Girl from GrillGrrrl.com.
Robyn and Land O Lakes were asked some grilling questions. I thought my readers might enjoy knowing the answers.
You’ve Got Grilling Questions: Land O’Lakes and Grill Girl Have Answers
How do I decide whether to use a charcoal or gas grill?
When you’re choosing between gas and charcoal, you’re choosing between convenience and smoky flavor. And there’s nothing wrong with convenience! If you’re more likely to grill yourself a great dinner when you can do so at the flick of switch, then a gas grill—using either propane or natural gas—is for you. You can imitate the smoky flavors of charcoal grilling by adding foil packets filled with wood.
When grilling over charcoal, you have to wait for the briquettes or lump charcoal to ash over before cooking. This takes about 20–30 minutes, but it’s also what gives your food that great smoky flavor. And now you’ve got one more choice to make: Briquettes burn more consistently, but lump charcoal burns hotter and produces less gas, without chemical additives.
What kinds of grilling tools should I have on hand?
Meat thermometer: Take the guesswork out of grilling. An instant-read thermometer will give you the confidence to pull your meat off the grill when it reaches the recommended temperature, so you’ll be far less likely to under or overcook it.
Tongs: Tongs should be your go-to tool for moving meat around the grill. They give you distance from the flames and won’t puncture or drop your meat, like a fork or a spatula might.
Grate cleaner: Cleaning your grill is a must to prevent fires and keep food from sticking or picking up “off” flavors.
Spray bottle: Keep one handy in case of flare-ups.
Mitts: Choose fire-resistant oven mitts or leather welders’ gloves.
Basting brush: Look for one with a long handle and natural bristles.
What kinds of foods are best suited to grilling?
You can grill just about anything, from breakfast to dessert and every meal in between. Meat of just about any kind, of course, can be grilled. Vegetables and even—yes!—fruit get a nice smoky, caramel flavor on the grill. Pizzas and flatbreads are surprisingly easy to grill. And, hot sandwiches look a little extra fancy with grill marks on them.
There are some tools that make grilling certain foods easier. Thread small chunks of meat and vegetables on skewers to keep them from falling through. Use a grill basket for delicate-fleshed fish or veggies.
Think of your grill like an outdoor oven. If you can bake it in your oven, you can most likely make it on your grill. Don’t be afraid to get creative and try new things, like Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad or Grilled Cauliflower Steaks.
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Land O’Lakes has also created a new collection of creative, family-friendly summer grilling recipes, in addition to the hundreds of grilling recipes and tips already featured on the popular cooking site. The Grilling with Cheese collection showcases the versatility of LAND O LAKES® Deli American and 4 Cheese Italian Blend, as well as the wide variety of family dinners that can be made on the grill, including Moroccan Sliders, Grilled Caesar Salad and Dessert Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. All of these recipes and more can be found at www.LandOLakes.com.
“With a few simple tips, creative recipes and the right ingredients, we hope to see a lot more women using the grill to put delicious summer meals on the table,” Lindars said.
Check out this interesting infographic.
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For more information or delicious recipes check out Land O’ Lakes on their various social media outlets.
- Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/landolakesktchn)
- Facebook (www.facebook.com/LandOLakes)
- Twitter (www.twitter.com/landolakesktchn)
- Instagram (www.instagram.com/landolakesktchn)
If you are a woman reading this, are you comfortable using the barbecue? If not, what fears do you have? If you are a grill master, what is your favorite recipe to make using your barbecue? Feel free to comment.
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Kimberly
*I was not compensated for this post. I did receive a free gift for my participation. The opinions expressed are my own unless otherwise noted.
The post Grilling Do’s and Dont’s from Land O’ Lakes appeared first on She Scribes.