Grilling When the Weather Outside is Frightful
Who says the weather has to be perfect outside for you to enjoy your favorite grilled foods? Indoor grills can be a perfect alternative.
First of all, just because it's cold or wet doesn't mean you can't cook outside. Sure it will take a little longer for things to heat up, but as long as you have some cover overhead to keep everything dry; it's still an option. Just bundle up, take your time and bring a little taste of summer back inside when you're done.
But if outdoors isn't an option, or if it just isn't an option you want to take today, you're not out of luck. Indoor grills can be the perfect alternative.
Indoor grills come in two varieties; open and contact. Contact grills, also called Panini Presses, cook faster since they heat the food from both sides evenly. While open grills offer more of an outdoor experience.
The choice of indoor or contact is completely up to you. If you're looking for a cooking style that will be the most like outdoor grilling, go the open style. Make sure you find one with a lid, as this will keep down the mess. Even with a lid, it wouldn't hurt to trim some of the excess fat before you start.
My favorite style is the contact grill, and my favorite grill is the Griddler by Cuisinart [http://hubpages.com/hub/Griddler-by-Cuisinart-The-GR-4N-5-in-1]. They just add more versatility. For one, you can leave them open if you don't want to use the contact feature. Also, they can serve as a griddle for things like pancakes and eggs when you don't want to grill. But the real clincher is the speed. Contact grills cook fast. As in, you're only 5 minutes away from a juicy steak fast!
If that weren't enough, contact grills also double as a Panini press, and who doesn't love Panini's?!
One note about indoor grills... most of them uses a nonstick coating on the cooking surfaces. Make sure that you use plastic utensils if yours does, so that you can get long life from the nonstick surface.
If the weather outside is frightful and you're still in the mood to grill, don't be stopped. Grab an indoor grill and enjoy. Who knows, your indoor grill may become your only grill.
First of all, just because it's cold or wet doesn't mean you can't cook outside. Sure it will take a little longer for things to heat up, but as long as you have some cover overhead to keep everything dry; it's still an option. Just bundle up, take your time and bring a little taste of summer back inside when you're done.
But if outdoors isn't an option, or if it just isn't an option you want to take today, you're not out of luck. Indoor grills can be the perfect alternative.
Indoor grills come in two varieties; open and contact. Contact grills, also called Panini Presses, cook faster since they heat the food from both sides evenly. While open grills offer more of an outdoor experience.
The choice of indoor or contact is completely up to you. If you're looking for a cooking style that will be the most like outdoor grilling, go the open style. Make sure you find one with a lid, as this will keep down the mess. Even with a lid, it wouldn't hurt to trim some of the excess fat before you start.
My favorite style is the contact grill, and my favorite grill is the Griddler by Cuisinart [http://hubpages.com/hub/Griddler-by-Cuisinart-The-GR-4N-5-in-1]. They just add more versatility. For one, you can leave them open if you don't want to use the contact feature. Also, they can serve as a griddle for things like pancakes and eggs when you don't want to grill. But the real clincher is the speed. Contact grills cook fast. As in, you're only 5 minutes away from a juicy steak fast!
If that weren't enough, contact grills also double as a Panini press, and who doesn't love Panini's?!
One note about indoor grills... most of them uses a nonstick coating on the cooking surfaces. Make sure that you use plastic utensils if yours does, so that you can get long life from the nonstick surface.
If the weather outside is frightful and you're still in the mood to grill, don't be stopped. Grab an indoor grill and enjoy. Who knows, your indoor grill may become your only grill.
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