Who knew you could restart your grill with a hair dryer, or use drinking straws as kitchen gadgets? Well, the readers of Cook’s Illustrated magazine knew! For 10 years they’ve been contributing their own quick tips, and each month the magazine prints the best ones. Chris Kimball and his team at Cook’s Illustrated have chosen more than of their favorites for the best kitchen quick tips. Check some of them out below.
CHECKING THE FUEL LEVEL ON YOUR PROPANE TANK
IF YOUR GRILL doesn’t have a gas gauge, use this technique to estimate how much gas is left in the tank. Bring a cup of water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Holding the tank, pour the water over the side.
Feel the metal on the side of the tank with your hand. Where the water has succeeded in warming the tank, it is empty, where the tank remains cool to touch, there is still propane inside.
LIGHTING THE FIRE ON YOUR CHARCOAL GRILL
In America’s Test Kitchen, home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, we recommend using a chimney, or flute, starter to light a charcoal fire. A chimney starter is shaped like a can, with both ends open. To use a chimney starter, place two or three crumpled sheets of newspaper in the bottom section.
Set the starter on the bottom grate in the kettle grill and fill the main compartment with as much charcoal as directed in individual recipes.
Light the newspaper, the flames will shoot up through the charcoal and ignite it. You will know the coals are ready when they are covered with a light gray ash. Dump the coals onto the grate and arrange as necessary.
RESTARTING A FIRE
Sometimes a charcoal grill peters out before it really gets started. If this happens:
Turn an electric hair dryer to high and aim it towards the base of the pile of coals. The air flow acts as a bellows to get the fire going again in just a few minutes.
BRUSH LESS GRATE CLEANING
In America’s Test Kitchen, home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, we recommend using wire brush to clean a hot grate before grilling. If you do not own a brush, this method also gets the job done.
Hold a piece of crumpled up aluminum foil with a pair of tongs. The foil will clean the grate beautifully.
MEASURING THE HEAT IN A CLOSED KETTLE
How can you gauge the temperature when grill roasting chicken or barbecuing ribs on a closed grill?
Put the food on the grill and set the lid in place.
Open the air vents slightly and insert a thermometer through the vent.
For poultry and small roasts, the temperature should be between 300 and 400 degrees. If slow roasting ribs or thick roasts, keep the temperature between 200 and 300 degrees.
AVOIDING ‘FISH STICKS’ ON THE GRILL
Although a super hot, oiled grill grate should prevent grilled fish filets from sticking to the grate, a little extra insurance never hurts.
Place a few thin slices of lemon, lime or orange (whatever best compliments the flavor of the fish) on the grill grate.
You may sacrifice the grill marks on the fish, but the fish will pick up a great grilled flavor (as well as extra flavor from the citrus), and it will not stick to the grate.
CHICKEN KEBABS HOW TO SKEWER THE MEAT
Raw chicken can be slippery and can spin around on the skewer, especially with the addition of a marinade. Threading the chicken onto to two skewers held side by side keeps the chicken stable.
Use one hand to hold the skewers about half inch apart, then thread the boneless chunks of chicken breast or thigh and vegetables, if desired, onto the skewers simultaneously.
OTHER SUMMER QUICK TIPS
Mixing berries without bruising
When making a fresh fruit salad or tart, it’s nearly impossible to avoid crushing fresh berries in a mixing bowl, and it’s even more difficult to keep them intact when you’re trying to coat them with sugar. Try this method instead.
Place berries in a large plastic bag and add the sugar, if using.
Hold the bag closed with one hand, and use the other hand to gently jostle the berries to combine them.
KEEPING BEVERAGES CHILLED FOR A PARTY
When you run out of refrigerator space for chilling beverages, press another household appliance into action to solve the problem.
Use you washing machine as an icebox. Fill the washer’s basket with ice cubes, then nestle in the cans and bottles.
When the party is over and the ice has melted, simply run the washer’s spin cycle to drain the water.
HOW TO HULL STRAWBERRIES
Early season strawberries can have tough, white cores that are best removed. If you don’t own a strawberry huller, improvise by using a straw.
Push the straw through the bottom of the berry and up through the leafy stem end. The straw will remove the core as well as the leafy stem end.