Healthy Hollywood: Fab Food Friday – Is Grilling Just For The Boys?!

I have a fear of grilling. For some reason, I grew up with the idea that outside grilling is a man’s job. In my household, the mom did all the cooking in the kitchen, but when it came to the BBQ –that was strictly for the boys! Healthy Hollywood wants to clear the smoke on this fear and fire up the grill with confidence. After all, this is 2012 and it certainly should be equal opportunity on the grill – as it is in the kitchen!

Healthy Hollywood recruited grillmaster Chef Joel Gamoran of New York City’s Sur La Table for some basic grilling tips. “People are super uncomfortable around fire. Bottom line, you need high heat to grill – don’t be scared, blast that heat!” Ah, Chef Joel, fire is uncomfortable! So, please be careful when raising the heat – be sure to lift the lid when lighting or risk a major fire bomb.

So, here are few of Chef Joel’s pointers on grilling with confidence and success!

Grilling 101:

1. Always have two spots on the grill – one hot for searing and one warm for finishing. Always start by searing and getting those gorgeous char marks, then slide it on over to the warm section to finish through.

2. Try not to pack your grill with as much as possible. With every item you put on the grill, the temp drops – which make it a lot harder to get those sexy grill marks.

3. Wipe off as much wet marinade as you can before your meat or veggies hit the grill. It won’t get crispy if it’s covered in sauce.

4.Have a squirt bottle! This is how you protect all your hard work from those flair ups. The second you see a flame that comes up higher than the grill grates, shoot with a couple of doses of water.

5. Oil the food not the grill. Oil and fire love to make life difficult, so use as little fat as possible to avoid headaches.

Must-Have Grilling Tools:

1. Long sturdy tongs are nonnegotiable. Chef Joel prefers Rosie BBQ Tongs.

2. A clip-on-grill lights comes in handy for grilling at the end of the day.

3. Sur La Table’s 2-in-1 Grill Baskets are crucial for smaller items not to fall through the grates.

4. Chef Joel also likes BBQ Pit Mitt.

5. Good idea to have meat thermometer. Chef Joel’s pick is Sur La Table Dual Thermometer.

Check out www.surlatable.com for your grilling needs.

–Terri MacLeod

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