Deep Fried Turkey Safety Precautions
Popularity: 12%
Deep Fried Turkey Safety Precautions
Popularity: 12%
There are many ways you can turn your grilling not only into a flavorful and fun way to cook, but also into a healthy way to eat. By choosing foods that are low in fat, high in nutrients and full of flavor you can get great meals that are also healthy. Use marinades not only to add extra flavor but also to reduce the formation of cancer causing substances on foods. A marinade containing olive oil and/or citrus juices can reduce the formation of these chemicals by as much as 99% and marinades tenderize meats and make a much better meal.
There has been a lot of talk about grilling and cancer. While the risk is real and you really need to keep this in mind, there are some simple things you can do to greatly reduce the cancer risk. The two primary substances, for those of you interested are: Heterocyclic Amines (HCA) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). In the simplest explanation these chemicals are formed by putting food, primarily meats in contact with intense heat and flame. They are known cancer causing agents so you need to reduce their formation as much as you can. Now grilling isn’t the only cooking method that causes these agents and there isn’t a reason for you to give up on your grill.
Recently scientists at the Food Safety Consortium project at Kansas State University have discovered that herbs of the Lamiaceae family (Basil, Mint, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Sage) used in marinades reduced HCA formation dramatically. This is good news and a great reason to grill with flavor. These herbal antioxidants reduce the formation of free radicals (bad stuff) when meat hits heat.
HCAs and PAHs are formed mostly from fat. Either by fat being heated to extreme temperatures or by the smoke created by fat burning. For the most part this applies to meat fats and not just the grease and fat from what you are cooking but the build up from the bottom of your grill. To reduce the risks follow these basic tips:
If you follow these rules not only will you greatly reduce the risk of these cancer agents but you will reduce the fat in meats that you grill. Of course grilling is a great way to reduce fat, but this takes it even farther. If you buy lean cuts, use lite marinades and serve up your grilled foods with a good helping of fruits and vegetables then you will really be grilling healthy.
Popularity: 1%
Question: How do I deal with flare-ups?
The secret of flare-ups is to control them not fear them.
Answer: First of all it’s important that you understand that flare-ups are not as big a problem as you might think. Controlled flare-ups are okay, it’s when the fire gets out of control that you have a problem. There are several ways to deal with flare-ups and a spray bottle full of water isn’t the best way.First of all you need to plan on flare-ups and prepare for them. The first step is to reduce the risk of a flare-up by trimming any and all unnecessary fat from the foods you grill. For the sake of flavor, meats should be left with a little fat on them. This prevents meat from drying out while grilling. Now when I talk about fat I mean not only the fat on the meat but any fat you have added like oils in marinades or sauces. Marinades should be allowed to sink in and marinated meat should be dripping in oil when it hits the grill. Allow marinades to drain a little before you start grilling. By reducing the amount of fat on meats that you grill you reduce the amount of flare-ups.
Of course you cant and shouldnt take away all the fat. Foods like chicken with the skin on or a good thick steak or hamburger patties are going to have fat and that fat is going to melt and quite likely catch fire. Thats fine. What you need is an escape plan. Unless you are grilling enough food to cover the entire cooking surface of your grill you need to be ready to move meats out of the fire, to another part of the grate. This gives you the ability to keep foods out of the way of a flare-up and prevent burning. Once you have cleared the area of a flare-up of food let it burn. Fats exposed to flame and intense heat will burn away quickly. You can also use upper warming racks to hold food temporarily while the flare-ups persist. Like fighting any fire the first step is to get the combustible materials out of the fire.
Once you have a flare-up going take control of it. By moving meat that is dripping fat into the flare-up you can keep the flare-up in one place. Say you have a dozen chicken thighs going. When a flare-up starts move the chicken out of the way, say to the warming rack. Now drop the chicken pieces into the middle of the flare-up for a few seconds to let the grease on the chicken drain and burn away. Do this with all the pieces, then clear out of that area of the grill. Let it burn down while you keep the chicken either to another side or on the warming rack. If you cant prevent it then you need to be able to control it. If all else fails then you can reach for the spray bottle
A water filled spray bottle is a weapon of last resort. I know many so called experts that keep a spray bottle of water close at hand like a fire hose to put out flare-ups the second they happen. There are several reasons you dont want to use a spray bottle. First of all you dont put water on a grease fire. Thats always rule number one. Water and burning grease do not get along. Secondly while the water will reduce or even put out the fire temporarily it does nothing to get rid of the grease in the grill. So the second that grease heats up again the flare-up will be back. Thirdly, when you spray a grease fire with water the grease explodes (why we dont do this in the first place). That grease splatters over food and, well lets say that partially burned grease doesnt taste good. If however you end up with an uncontrollable flare-up move the food out of the way, to a plate if you have to, turn off the burners and spray down the grease to put it out. Now you can start over.
Once you have had that big flare-up it’s time to clean out your grill. Start by letting it heat up good and burn away as much grease as you can. Now get in there and clean out all the burnt grease and food from the bottom of your grill. A clean grill really does produce fewer flare-ups.
Popularity: 1%
3 out of 4 U.S. households own grills, and 61% of those use propane gas. Enjoy your grill the safe way.
Propane is a hydrocarbon (C3H8) and is sometimes referred to as liquefied petroleum gas, LP-gas or LPG.Propane is produced from both natural gas processing and crude oil refining, in roughly equal amounts. It is nontoxic, colorless and virtually odorless. As with natural gas, a strong identifying odor is added so the gas can be readily detected.
Popularity: 4%
Don’t let foodborne illness ruin your game day experience. Follow these tips from the US Dept of Agriculture before you tailgate. Here is USDA’s Pat OLeary.
Popularity: 2%
There are many options to choose from when it comes to what type of grill to purchase, which tools to use, and how to maintain. It can be confusing and overwhelming. This page will continue to grow as articles are added to the site. Join our newsletter to be informed of updates.
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Taking good care of your grill is critical not only to the health and well being of your family, but the life of the grill.
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The Char Broil Big Easy Infrared Turkey Fryer
Popularity: 2%
Recently I had to opportunity, along with a few other bloggers, to attend an event atUnderwriters Laboratories in Northbrook, IL. I was given a tour of the facility and learned a ton about what this company does to ensure that the products that you and I use around the house and in tons of our daily activities are safe. Maybe you have noticed the UL label on the side of your hairdryer or on some of the cords for things you use. UL is also committed to educating families about how to keep safe. They have established a website called Safety At Home which has fantastic information as they try and create a safety movement in homes across the country. I learned so much in my day there and cant wait to share some tips that I learned and share some failures I have found around our house when it comes to safety. In the spirit of full disclosure, I want to let you know I am not at all obligated by UL to share anything despite the fact they hosted me, but I really feel this information is important. They did provide me with some gift cards which I will be passing on to you all later this week so pay attention. The thing that was most shocking to me to learn was what I learned about grilling safety. There are 8300 home fires a year and 4900 of them begin outside. In doing a quick inspection of our grilling set up, I really realized we had dropped the ball. And we endure much teasing from family and friends about how obsessed with safety we can be so I assumed we would pass all tests with flying colors. Here are4tips to make sure your family is safe when you are grilling.
Popularity: 1%
