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Book
Reviews You
must've been nice last year. But
after a month of hamburger patties and chicken breasts, the diners in
your home may be wishing you had been naughty. There's
hope, though. Electric
indoor grills, like the popular George Foreman variety, are remarkably
versatile. “Just
about anything that you would cook on a regular grill you can grill on
an electric indoor grill,” says Holly Rudin-Braschi, a certified
health, fitness and nutrition lecturer who wrote Grill Power. “I
haven't found too many foods that don't do too well on the grill ... You
can grill everything from asparagus to cabbage to zucchini to bananas
to every kind of meat, fish and poultry.” For
starters, you should get to know your grill. Not all indoor models are
the same. First,
there's the two-sided contact grill, of which the George Foreman is the
most well-known example. Foods are heated from the top and bottom at the
same time, so things cook about twice as fast as on a one-sided grill.
Plus, there's no need to flip your food. Then
there are the open, one-sided, hibachi-style indoor grills. A heating
coil is embedded in the grill rack, and fat and juices drip into the base
of the grill, so there is little or no smoke. (Try saying that about your
charcoal-burning, lighter-fluid guzzling outdoor version.) Finally,
there are grill pans that either can be heated on the stove or on an electric
base. All
of the grills come in different sizes. And
all of them, when used properly, will leave those pretty grill marks on
your food. “What
you want to look for are the features that you would use,” says Sam
Grawe, an associate editor at San Francisco-based dwell magazine, which
just published a review of indoor grills. “Most of them are pretty
much the same.” The
magazine's testers gave top honors to the DeLonghi Alfredo Healthy Grill,
an open, Hibachi-style model. Testers liked the large grill space, temperature
control and lack of smoke, Grawe says. All
of the grills have nonstick coating, so do not spritz them with cooking
spray before heating. (The cooking spray will get glued onto the grill,
making it next-to-impossible to scrub off.) Rudin-Braschi recommends giving
all foods a quick misting of cooking spray before putting them on the
grill—just for a little insurance. The
nonstick coating eases cleanup. And although most of the grills can't
be submerged, a good scrubbing with soap and water should do the trick.
Here's
a tip from Rudin-Braschi for cleaning the two-sided grills: As soon as
the food is out, unplug the unit and place a few layers of damp paper
towels on the grill. Close the lid, and the baked-on food will steam off,
ready to be wiped away when the machine cools. Many
of the grills claim to reduce fat in foods. But studies (and a little
common sense) say there's little to that claim. “What
you see coming out of the grill is juices from the meat and a small amount
of fat," Rudin-Braschi says. "The meat is only as lean as it
is when you buy it.” Cooking
on an indoor grill is fairly foolproof (there's even an Indoor Grilling
for Dummies cookbook on the market). Most
indoor grills need to be preheated for a few minutes before adding food,
so follow the manufacturer's instructions. In
addition to some tongs, you'll want to pick up a meat thermometer. “If
you don't want to undercook it or look as if you've done surgery on it,
buy a digital instant-read thermometer,” she says. Most
cookbooks (and even some supermarket meat packaging) list the recommended
internal cooking temperature for various foods. Also,
as with outdoor grills, once you put the food on, leave it there until
it's time to turn it. Playing with your food spoils the grill marks and
can lead to uneven cooking. Fans of indoor grills point out that they're
much easier to use than outdoor ones. They're not as messy, and using
one isn't dependent on decent weather. “I
think the grills are the greatest things since sliced bread,” says
Rudin-Braschi, who, it should be noted, has sold indoor grills on the
QVC home-shopping cable channel. “They make life easy.” Here
are some recipes that will take your indoor grill beyond burgers and chicken
breasts. Tofu
Satays with Curried Coconut Basil Sauce If
you are not a fan of tofu, substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts,
pork tenderloin or any firm-fleshed fish. The dipping sauce is so tasty,
we served it on stir-fry and rice the next day. 1
pound extra-firm tofu 1.
To make marinade, mix garlic, ginger, fish or soy sauce and coconut milk.
Cut tofu into 1-by-1-by-1-inch cubes. Cut mushrooms in half. Place tofu
and mushrooms in a shallow dish or airtight container. Pour marinade over
tofu and mushrooms. Turn so all sides are evenly coated. Cover tightly
and refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to 24 hours. 2.
Preheat the grill to the highest setting. 3.
Slice the onions in half, then cut them into 1-inch thick chunks. Remove
the tofu and mushrooms from marinade. Discard the marinade. Alternately
thread the tofu, mushrooms and onion onto 8 sets of double bamboo skewers,
leaving a 1/8- to 1/4-inch space between each piece of food. (Double skewers
prevent food from rolling around when turned). To allow the mushrooms
to lie flat on the grill, skewer them so that the parallel skewers pierce
first through the stem, then out through the cap. 4.
Spray each skewer lightly with cooking spray before placing on the grill.
5.
For two-sided contact grills, cook 5 to 6 minutes. For one-sided grills,
cook 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time. Tofu should
have grill marks and be crispy around the edges. 6.
Serve with Curried Coconut Basil Sauce (recipe follows). Yield: 4 servings
Nutrition
per serving (tofu satays and curry sauce: 113 calories, 2.4 grams fat
(less than 1 gram saturated, 19 percent fat calories), 11 grams protein,
13 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 2.2 grams dietary fiber, 778 milligrams
sodium. Curried
Coconut Basil Sauce 1
1/2 cups canned light coconut milk 1.
In the blender, puree coconut milk, curry paste, chicken broth, fish or
soy sauce, brown sugar, basil and cornstarch until smooth. 2.
Pour sauce in a 2-quart sauce pan and whisk constantly over medium-high
heat until mixture is at a slow boil, then thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat, and cover to keep warm until the satays
are ready. Grandma
Jennie's Basic Burgers 1/4
cup bread crumbs 1.
Preheat grill to the highest setting. 2.
In a 2- or 3-quart mixing bowl, use a fork or spoon to evenly mix bread
crumbs, egg, onion, ketchup, mustard and garlic. Using your hands, gently
fold meat into the wet mixture. When all ingredients are evenly distributed,
divide meat mixture into 4 equal portions. Wet hands and shape burgers,
about 4 to 5 inches in diameter and no thicker than 3/4-inch. Cover and
refrigerate until ready to grill. 3.
Before grilling, spray each burger lightly on both sides with cooking
spray. Place burgers on grill and cook until they reach an internal temperature
of 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. For two-sided contact grill,
cook about 6 to 7 minutes. If desired, open grill and add cheese 1 to
2 minutes before end of cooking time. Keep lid open as cheese melts. 4.
For one-sided grill, grill for 12 to 14 minutes, flipping burgers halfway
through grilling time. Add cheese for last minute or two of cooking time,
if desired. Yield:
4 servings Nutrition
per serving: 544 calories, 25 grams fat (11 grams saturated, 41 percent
fat calories), 31 grams protein, 46 grams carbohydrate, 131 milligrams
cholesterol, 2.6 grams dietary fiber, 803 milligrams sodium.
Portobello
Sandwiches 2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1.
Preheat grill to highest setting. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 2.
In a 1-cup bowl or measure, mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic
with a fork. 3.
Remove stems from portobello mushrooms. Slice bell pepper into 8 strips,
each about 1-inch wide. Peel and slice onion. Cut onion into 4 slices,
each about 1-inch wide. 4.
Lightly spray onions and pepper slices with cooking spray. Using basting
brush, baste mushrooms on both sides with the balsamic vinegar mixture.
5.
If your grill is small, grill the onions first, then the bell peppers.
Keep them warm on a covered platter while you grill the portobellos. If
your grill is large, grill everything simultaneously. For a two-sided
contact grill, cook the mushrooms 8-9 minutes, onions 7-10 minutes, peppers
6-8 minutes. For a hibachi-style grill, cook portobellos 15-16 minutes,
onions 14-20 minutes, peppers 12-15 minutes. Turn the vegetables halfway
through grilling time. Grill until tender. 6.
Slice the bread, then slice the mozzarella into 4 rounds, about 1/2-inch
thick. Put bread on a baking sheet, then place cheese on top half of each
slice or roll. When vegetables are halfway grilled, put baking sheet on
rack in middle of preheated oven. Bake until cheese begins to melt, about
3-5 minutes. 7.
To serve, place a toasted bread slice or roll bottom on each plate and
top with a tablespoon of mayonnaise, then the mushroom. Top the mushroom
with grilled pepper and onions. Top the other slice of bread with basil
leaves and assemble sandwich. Yield:
4 servings Nutrition per serving: 444 calories, 23 grams fat (8.5 grams saturated fat, 47 percent fat calories), 22 grams protein, 36.6 grams carbohydrate, 31 milligrams cholesterol, 3.7 grams dietary fiber, 721 milligrams sodium. Heather
Lalley can be reached at (509) 459-5089 or by e-mail at heatherl@spokesman.com.
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