Grilling Fish Outdoors

Fish On The Grill

Fish, no matter what type it is has always been one of the most favorite items on the grill along with steaks, ribs and vegetables. For an outdoor grill, it would always be better with a few slices of salmon steak or sea bass. No matter how you cook, season or serve it, fish would always taste great on the grill most of the time. However, you should be aware that there are different cooking methods that are right for different type of fish.

You can classify fish according to size, whether it is firm or not and whether it is fillet or whole. This is because not all types of fish would fit into a single grilling method; different approaches are for fish depending on how it is classified. So for you to learn more about fish and how exactly you should grill them, here are some tips and tricks.

The Right Type Of Fish

While a lot of different types of fish would taste great on the grill, most of them are cooked differently and have different approaches to one another. Firm fish such as swordfish and tuna cook easier than other types of fish and are much better of cooked in steak cuts. The firm and meaty composition of these fishes make it easier for you to turn them every once in a while and make it harder for them to break apart and fall right into the grill.

When grilling fillets, make sure that it is at least 1 inch thick and reasonably large for consumption. When putting them on top of the grill, do not forget to turn them every 2 minutes or less. You will know if you are doing this right if you have a nice set of grill marks on the sides of the fish, this of which is the sign of a grilling master.

Keep Good Hygiene

There are just three things to keep in mind when it comes to grilling hygiene; that of which is it should be hot, it should be oiled and it should be cleaned. You can start of by having the grill cleaned every time before you start grilling. Make sure that you scrub all residues off the surface since these can fall inside the grill and cause flare ups or induce a different flavor into the items being grilled. You would not want to grill fish and have it taste like prime rib.

After that, you should make sure that the grill is pre heated even before throwing in the items to be grilled. This is the most common mistake people make especially for those who own gas grills as they would tend to throw items in the grill immediately after starting the fire. The last one is you have to make sure that the surface is oiled well enough to keep residue from sticking to the grills surface later on. You can do this by spraying small amounts of vegetable oil on the surface before grilling.

Grilling The Fish

You can use a lot of accessories for grilling fish. Accessories are made to make fish cook faster and make it cook evenly on all sides. These would include a wire basket, a metal skewer and a seasoned plank for causing a different pleasant taste to the fish. Take note that fish, unlike meats has to be well cooked but not overcooked to make it dry. To test if a fish is cooked, you can use the poke test to find out.

This involves having the top part pushed with something. If it crumbles or breaks, it is well cooked.

Seafood On The Grill

Some Of The Best Stuff

While meat or poultry would never be out of anyones grilling vocabulary, everyone who is onto grilling should also have some dose of grilled seafood. Not only does seafood give a healthier option to those who cannot have too much of meat but they also taste really good if you know how to prepare them the right way. With the many pleasant things you can turn seafood into by the use of your grill; it is no wonder why it is getting more popular by the moment.

Considering that, you might want to try having seafood the next time you and your family go grilling. So to educate you with what seafood would be great on the grill as well as what are some good things to do with them, here are some tips that would describe in detail the ideal way of cooking and having it.

Grilling Fish

When it comes to grilling seafood, fish should always be at the top of the list. With some nice fishes and a grill alone, you would able to produce so much delectable dishes with only that. In grilling fish, you would first have to classify fish into firm and tender, whole and fillet and use different grilling approaches when in comes to the fish depending on how you would classify them. Be aware that aside from direct grilling, you could also roast, sear and do a lot more with fishes on the grill.

For firm fish such as tuna and swordfish, the best way of having them is to grill them right on top of the fire since other types could easily crumble and fall right inside the grill. Make sure that the fire is not too strong as not to burn the fish but just right as to make the fish juicy and tender right after being grilled. Another way to cook fish is to have them smoked with the use of seasoned wood chips. The smoke made by these chips would infuse the fish with a different but really pleasant flavor.

Crustaceans

We all have tried crabs, lobsters and shrimps most likely boiled but most of us most likely have not tried having them cooked on top of the grill. When it comes to preparing these, you should be aware that one of the best ways of having them is to have them grilled. Grilling them gives a much different but very delicious flavor as compared to other ways of preparing crustaceans.

Grilling crustaceans is quite easy; some would even consider it easier to grill than fish. The firm meat keeps it whole all throughout the grilling process and unlike fish, crustaceans do not crumble or crack at the surface and fall into the grill. Since it is so, it is even a good item in the grill for beginners to start with.

Other Good Seafood

Other seafood such as squid, octopus and different shells are also great on the grill. However, you have to be careful in grilling squid and octopus since having them slightly overcooked would make them very chewy, tough and flavorless. But if you cook them right, it would be the exact opposite and would taste absolutely great.

Grilled seafood would also go well with other favorite items on the grill such as vegetables, poultry and beef. With grilled seafood, your days with your family on the grill are sure to be much better.

Safety Tips When Grilling Outdoors

The Many Wonders Of Grilling

Whether it is Thanksgiving, New Year, Christmas, someones birthday bash or just a family gathering, nothing beats having a backyard outdoors. Just think about having the best meats, fishes and vegetables sizzling on the grill while you and whoever you are with would later enjoy the wonderful flavors produced by it. While that is true, people who are into grilling should also be careful, that is safety should also be an issue since there are risks involved in grilling.

Risks Of Danger

People, especially those who are quite new to the grill may not be aware of the dangers that they are exposed to when grilling. While the most common would be having your finger burned, if neglect other factors too much it can cause more serious cases. In fact, some cases have involved structure fires and outdoor fires. So to help you avoid those cases, here are some outdoor grilling tips that would help you not only be safer when grilling but some of these could even make food taste better.

Keep The Kids Out

If you often grill with your family and have kids, make sure to keep the kids out of the grilling area especially when already grilling. Making the grilling area a no play zone will keep the kids and the one who is grilling out of danger or of accidents that could happen. It is also very important to make sure the kids are away until the grill is cool. Along with that, pets should also be kept away since they could also bring up the same accidents that kids can do.

Even when setting the grill, make sure that you are at least 10 feet away from objects that could easily catch fire such as the house, bushes, trees and shrubs. Also make sure that you are standing by the grill at all times when grilling, you need to be aware of what is going on and what could happen and doing this could also make you watch the food and avoid having it getting overcooked or burnt. Since grilling involves fire, you have to be aware of what it could do.

More Safety Tips

When grilling, you also have to take into heavy consideration the starter fluid, where to use it and the proper way of using it. Be aware that you should only use this on charcoal grills and never on a stove-type grill. Before you start using a gas grill, make sure that you are able to check the connection between the stove top and the gas tank to make sure that it is not leaking and make sure not to do this by the use of a lighter as this could also impose danger.

Also be aware that a barbecue is to be used outdoors, that means that it should never be brought inside the house for it to be used in. Not only would this impose danger to your house but even if done safely, the smoke caused by grilling can make your house smell for days even after grilling.

Now that you already know some helpful outdoor grilling tips for safety, what you need next are mad skills to be the next god of the grill. With that, you can grill like a master and be completely safe while doing it.

New Trends For Outdoor Grilling

The Magic Of Grilling

When it comes to dining, nothing could ever beat the many wonders we could cook up freshly on the grill. Not only do grilled foods taste good, but the bonding involved with it is also magical. Now that there are more things that we can do when grilling outdoors, every family barbecue is sure to be much more enjoyable.

When it comes to outdoor grilling, most of us would most likely think of the nice meats, veggies and fishes dad would grill on the backyard during special occasions. While those are very lovely indeed, there are a lot of new outdoor grilling recipe everyone with a barbecue should try doing. If the only outdoor grilling recipe you know is dads barbecue, then you are missing out on a lot as these recipes could also provide you with just the same amount of tasting pleasure.

New Grilling Sauces

The typical American barbecue would be meats with tomato bases sauces, veggies marinated in vinegar and oil or fishes grilled in with herbs. If your grilling vocabulary is limited to these then you should definitely try other new recipes. Nowadays, experts on the grill use all types of pleasant ingredients you could think about to make barbecue sauces some of them being strawberries, raspberries, yogurt, honey and even mustard.

While the typical methods of making items in the barbecue are still maintained up to now such as keeping the grill closed at times to seal in the flavor and moisture and moving items from high fire to low fire and pricking meats and chicken with a fork to see how moist it is inside, these methods are still considered by experts as the best ways of cooking in the grill. Everyone would want the items in the grill to be as juicy and flavorful as much as possible.

Keep Safe

Whenever on the grill, you must also be very aware of your safety. While most cases would only be a minor burn on our hand of which most of us who have been grilling for a while already have already experienced, you should be aware that millions are lost due to structure fires and outdoor fires caused by outdoor grills. Grilling involves a lot of fire and with that, you should be very aware of what it can cause you and your surroundings.

Make sure that kids do not go playing anywhere near the grill as well as the pets should also be kept away from the grill until it has fully cooled. Also remember that an outdoor grill should not be placed near objects that could easily catch fire such as the house itself, bushes, shrubs and trees to avoid any accidents regarding it. Also be careful in using starter fluid, make sure only to use this with charcoal grills and never with gas powered grills.

No Rules!

Just keep in mind that when grilling aside from safety measures there are practically no rules. Whatever produces the best tasting barbecue whatever the ingredients or items could be the best outdoor grilling recipes. While these new barbecue sauces can already be picked up from the shelves of your local grocery, it is also a lot of fun to make them yourselves.

Go ahead and experiment with whatever you can to make your outdoor grilling products as good and as enjoyable as possible.

Party favors ideas for weddings

How many times have you attended a wedding party and received a figurine with the name of the bride and groom engraved on it? How many times have you lamented on where you are going to store it because you just do not have the heart to throw it away even if it is completely useless? Such is often the case with party favors for weddings. They end up in a pile of heap in the garage awaiting some form of use, except they dont have.

In recent years, people are slowly realizing the importance of giving party favors that their guests can actually use and not just display. Although a lot of people are still sticking to the figurine gift, some are already giving USBs or fans or music cds, which people can find use for. Below are some great ideas of practical party favors that your guests will surely remember you by.

1. Music CD

One of the best things that I got from a wedding that I attended once was a music cd that contained some of the favorite songs of the couple and well of course the songs that were meaningful for them. When I got home, I immediately copied the songs to my computer, well those that I lack anyway. I even discovered new songs and one even became my favorite. One of the great things about giving music cds is that people like music. This is something that they can upload to their ipods and music players. It will also not be a clutter. You can download the content and then throw the cd. If you have the budget, do it with a USB. That way, they will also be able to use the USb again for their own files.

2. Picture frames

Picture frames store memories and what better way to make them remember the event than give them something where they can put a memory of them in the party. Picture frames can also be used for their other pictures.

3. Fishes or lovebirds or plants

What a better celebration of love than to give your guests something to love. You can give them a brand new pet with a fish or a pair of lovebirds. You can also give them a plant that they can take care of. What is great about this gift is the fact that it celebrates the beauty of both love and life. It will make your guests remember you. Besides, its a great gift to give and it is definitely something that they will not consider a clutter.

Party favors for weddings do not begin and end with figurines. There are other options out there. Explore and find other things to give. But whatever you give, make sure that your guests will find it useful.

Otherwise you would have defeated your primary purpose of giving them party favors in the first place and that is to make them remember you and the special occasion in your life in the most positive of light.