Sociable barbecues currently have to take place in very small groups, but are a welcome change in many families or shared apartments, especially during the Corona crisis. Now you can even have barbecues anytime with burner gas grills (Pro chefs guide). However, to ensure that everything runs smoothly when grilling, there are a few tips and tricks that should be observed.
5 Grilling Tips for a Healthy Barbecue Night For The Family
1. Always add salt to grilled food later
Meat, fish, and vegetables should always be salted after they have been grilled. Otherwise, the food will be dry and the taste will suffer, explains the North Rhine-Westphalia consumer center.
Constantly brushing with marinade should also be avoided, so that no fat splatters on the embers. Even marinated grilled food can only be dabbed well in the grill tray. Marinated foods should be kept in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours beforehand. With meat, the rule applies: the thicker the piece, the longer.
2. Aluminum foil is taboo when grilling: Salt can dissolve aluminum
Wrapping spicy grilled food, vegetables, sheep’s cheese, or halloumi in aluminum foil or using aluminum grill trays should avoid grill fans. The aluminum can dissolve through acid and salt and pass into the food, warns the consumer advice center. If you don’t want to do without aluminum grill trays or aluminum foil, you should at least season later, as salt and acid dissolve the aluminum and transfer it to the food to be grilled. It is better to use grill trays made of stainless steel or enamel, which are also reusable.
What also doesn’t belong on the grill are cured meat products such as smoked pork or sausages. At high grill temperatures, the nitrite curing salt and meat protein can turn into carcinogenic nitrosamines, according to nutrition experts.
3. Store food to be grilled outdoors in the cooler bag
If the temperatures rise again at the weekend, barbecue fans will be happy. Salmonella also like it warm and then multiply faster. Therefore, a cool bag is a must for outdoor storage – and also for the transport of grilled food, warns the Hessen consumer center. You should also use different cutlery for raw and grilled meat.
4. Always cook grilled meat well
Good kitchen hygiene is also and especially important at the grill. After all, barbecues are usually warm and the humidity is often high. Possible pathogens on meat multiply particularly quickly under such conditions, warns the German Society for Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS).
Grilled meat, in particular, must therefore always be well cooked: The experts recommend a core temperature of at least 70 degrees for at least two minutes. Washing hands with soap should be a matter of course before grilling, but it doesn’t hurt between the individual work steps.
5. prepare the skewers properly before grilling
Homemade skewers add variety to grilling. Before the meat or vegetables are skewered, the utensils should be prepared, according to the recommendation in the magazine “Cooking & Enjoying”. Wooden skewers, for example, should lie in water for about two hours so that the ends don’t catch fire on the grate.
And there is also a tip for those who prefer to cook their grilled food on metal skewers: brush with oil before filling. Then the meat and vegetables can easily be stripped off on the plate. The same works with wooden skewers.
In this time of corona crisis, it is important to keep the family healthy. By following simple tips, you can make a difference.