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Outdoor Cooking
Setting/Cleaning Up Your Kitchen
Having your kitchen organized can save you time and money when shopping, and at every meal as you prepare them for your family. Here are a few tips from the professionals to help you accomplish this task:
*Items should be stored near the place they will be used, for instance pots and pans should be stored near the stove.
*When storing foods in your cupboard, put like items next to each other.
*Spices are easier to find when you alphabetize them in your spice rack.
*The front and door of your refrigerator should be used for the items you use the most.
*Having several sets of measuring cups and spoons eliminates the need to stop and wash them while cooking.
*Organize your shopping list the same way the isles in the market are set up.
*Keep a list of shopping needs, as you use something up, put it on the list.
*Only shop once a week, rather than making several trips to the store throughout the week, it is actually less expensive, and a real time saver.
Re-organizing and cleaning up your kitchen after each meal is just as important as the initial set up was, a well organized, clean kitchen is one that is a pleasure to cook in.
For clean up after each meal her are a few tips to follow:
*Keep a sink of hot soapy water for soaking dishes as you use them, if you have a few minutes while cooking you can even wash a few items.
*Casseroles and roasts, that dont contain tomato products, can be baked in a disposable, foil pan.
*Line your broiler pan with foil to take away the need to wash it later.
*Cleaning a grater can be a real mess, coating it with non-stick cooking spray can make the chore a lot easier.
*Marinating foods in reseal able plastic bags creates less dirty dishes for you to do later. They also work great for coating foods in flour, not as much mess on the counter.
These are all simple tips that make your cooking time more enjoyable and gives you more time to spend with your family.
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Taking Control One Area at a Time
Standing in the middle of your kitchen and looking at all of the areas that food is stored can be intimidating!
Just pick one area at a time and start, put the trash can close by and start throwing out anything that hasnt been used in a while. Opened cereal boxes that no-one likes, open boxes of cookies etc. etc. etc.
You will be amazed at the amount of space these things take up in your cupboards and drawers. Here are some important rules to consider when cleaning out cupboards and drawers:
*All items must be visible, face all labels forward
*Put taller items in the back
*Put similar items together
*Clear plastic containers can keep small awkward shaped items together
*Pasta sauces should be near pasta
*Rice vinegar and soy sauce could be together
*Set up your cabinets for maximum usage, lazy susans can hold all of your bottled goods (labels out) rather than having to dig behind one to find another
*Shelf steps can be used to put things at different heights on the same shelf, this is especially helpful if all of the items are the same size, like canned soups
*Keep your herbs and spices alphabetized, it saves time
When cleaning out drawers, consider where you use the items most, and put them close to that area if at all possible.
The drawers closest to your work area should hold the items you use the most.
Try to avoid stacking pots and pans that you commonly use inside of each other. Limiting the size of a stack of pans to three makes them easier to get to; this may mean that you have to stack items you dont use very often higher.
Look at your counter tops, if you dont use and item at least a couple of times a week, put it in a cabinet out of the way.
This opens up the counter top for things you use more often. Organize your kitchen to best suit you and your needs, you will be in there more often than anyone else. |
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Outdoor Cooking
One of the most difficult things to learn about outdoor cooking is timing and heat control, this usually takes years of experience.
However, the beginner can use the counting method as a learning tool. After the briquettes have turned gray, (this is ash) then arrange the coals in the grill. Knock the gray off the briquettes,
it acts as insulation and the fire isnt as hot as it should be. Hold your hand over the coals at the same distance as the food you are going to cook, slowly count 1 barbecue 2 barbecue and so on, until you have to remove your hand, a count of three is medium heat.
To reduce the heat, remove some briquettes or cook the food further away from the coals, adding briquettes or moving the food closer to the fire will increase the heat.
Remember to tap the ash off the briquettes often to maintain your heat.
Other considerations in cooking your food are:
*Temperature:Cool temperatures and wind cool the food and slow cooking time.
*Humidity: charcoal absorbs moisture from the air and cooks slower on a damp day.
*Food temperature: colder food slows the cooking time.
Even the most experienced outdoor chef has to deal with flame-ups, as meat cooks the fats drip onto the coals causing flame ups.
To minimize this, trim as much fat off the meat as possible prior to cooking. A small spray bottle will help put these out, but dont drench the coals; it slows your cooking time, just spray enough to put out the flames.
Be sure to remove the meat before you spray the flames with water!
To get that great smoked taste, soak hickory wood chips in water, place the chips around the edges of the fire so they smoke rather than burn.
If they start to burn, remove them and soak again in water. If you like a heavy smoke flavor, reduce the heat and cook food longer, place the lid on the barbecue if it has one.
A little trick I learned about cleanup is to wad up aluminum foil and scrub the grill with it, this works great if you dont have the proper tools for cleaning.
Enjoy your barbecue along with friends and family, cookouts are fun for many occasions.
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