Cooking Techniques

Grilling and barbecuing are often mistaken for each other. They are two different techniques. Grilling cooks food over a high heat to seal in the flavors. Barbecuing cooks food over a low and indirect heat, using the smoke to cook, as well as flavor the food.

The temperature for grilling is 425° to over 500°, where as barbecuing is done between 180° to 240°. When grilling make sure the fire is not too hot or you will torch the outside of your food before the inside has had a chance to cook.

With barbecuing make sure that your cooking vessel is pretty well sealed and then vented to optimize your cooking times. Barbecuing cooks the food slow and if done right can add tons of flavor to your meat or fish.

There are many different methods people swear by to make the best barbecue. Just remember that your grill needs to have varying temperatures so you can move things around, some hot spots and some cooler spots.

Blanching is a process used to peel the skin off of vegetables, keep vegetables fresh looking or speed up the cooking process depending on what it is you wish to do with the vegetables.

To blanche vegetables:

1. Clean and cut into the desired shape you would like. Keep vegetables similar in size to avoid overcooking or undercooking them.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add vegetables. Cook the vegetables al dente. Cooked but with just a little resistance to the tooth.

3. To avoid overcooking the vegetables and stop the cooking process, place the blanched vegetables in a bowl of ice water. The ice water will also keep the vegetables crisp and their color bright.

To avoid overcooking the vegetables and stop the cooking process, place the blanched vegetables in a bowl of ice water. The ice water will also keep the vegetables crisp and their color bright.

To blanche green vegetables:

1. Follow the same steps above except add salt to the boiling water before adding the vegetables to keep them a brighter green.

To blanche tomatoes:

1. Prepare the tomatoes by turning them so the stem is on the cutting board. With a sharp knife score the skin of the tomato with a small "x "making sure not to cut them too deep.

2. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water and cook for 8-12 seconds depending on the ripeness of the tomato.

3. When the skin starts to peel away from the flesh of the tomato remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place them in ice water.

4. Once the tomatoes are cool enough to handle take them out of the water and remove the skin.

5. To stuff the tomatoes next slice them into halves and scoop out the seeds and the pith.

Blanching peppers can be tricky and a little dangerous. Instead of blanching them in water they are blanched in oil. This technique is used when the peppers will be stuffed because it cooks them to a point where they are still firm and able to hold a filling. Blanched peppers are also used for dishes like peperonata or can be made into a puree. Roasted peppers are great used in sauces, soups, and salads.

To blanche peppers:

1. Use a large pot or Dutch oven with 3-4 inches deep of oil.

2. Bring the oil to 350° F (180° C) and place the peppers in the oil using a pair of tongs. Make sure there is no water on the peppers or it will splatter.

3. When the skin blisters turn them carefully, making sure you don't rip the skin. This will take about 4-5 minutes.

4. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. When cooled the skin will slide right off.

5. At this time you want to take the stem and seeds out. Using a sharp paring knife cut closely around the stem being careful not to tear the pepper.

To roast peppers with a gas stove:

1. If you have a gas stove then take the peppers and place them on the flame, make sure that you don't let them fall down between the burners.

2. Char the skins to a blackened state turning the peppers to evenly brown them.

3. Once they are completely blackened all over take the peppers and place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, about 10-15 minutes. This will let the peppers sweat and make them easier to peel.

4. When the peppers are ready, remove them from the bowl; rub off the skin, and then julienne or dice depending on your needs.

5. You don't ever want to wash the peppers under water; this will take away the flavor you are trying to enhance.

To roast peppers with an electric stove:

1. For electric stoves you can get the same effect by placing the peppers under the broiler.

2. First cut your peppers in half, and take out the seeds and the stems.

3. Turn your broiler on high, place the peppers on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

4. Then place the cookie sheet and put in the oven 3-4 inches away from the top of the oven. Cook for 15-18 minutes until they are blistered.

5. Take out of the oven and place in a bowl and cover with plastic. Let this sweat and cool so it will be easier to peel.

1. Place the garlic head on a steady surface with the tapered end facing up at a slight angle. Hit the garlic head with the palm of your hand to separate the cloves.

2. With the flat side of a chef's knife, lightly crush the garlic clove to break the skin. Peel away the skin and cut off the root end. The garlic is now ready to slice, chop, or mince.

3.Always chop garlic as close to the time you are going to use it. Never boil, deep-fry or soak garlic in water in order to peel it, it changes the taste and removes a lot of the essential oil.