Daily Eats » BBQ

Up in smoke: Don’t let a grilling mishap ruin your cookout

Christine — Sun, 13 May 2012 18:18:19 +0000

Up in smoke: Don't let a grilling mishap ruin your cookout

(ARA) – What starts out as a fun summer evening with a few friends can quickly become a reminder that not paying attention while grilling can be dangerous.

“Before I realized what had happened, I had burned my eyebrows, eyelashes and an inch of my hair all around my face,” recalls Laura Anderson, 25, of Chanhassen, Minn. “I waited too long to hit the ignite button after turning on the propane, and the next thing I knew a fireball erupted from the grill.”

Stunned and luckily unharmed, Anderson did not sustain any major injuries but her story may be all too familiar to many grillers.

“It was a scary experience and I was embarrassed to walk around with singed eyebrows, but it definitely reminded me to be more careful when using the grill,” says Anderson.

Grilling is an American tradition and summertime staple. Most of the time, grilling cookouts go off without a hitch but accidents can and do happen. Each year, grilling related accidents send an estimated 20,000 people to the emergency room and cause a reported $75 million in property damage.

Regardless of the type of grill – gas, charcoal, hibachi or smoker – grilling accidents happen and can have serious consequences. Improper grill care or careless grilling techniques can quickly ruin summer fun and cause a variety of accidents ranging from minor burn injuries to major fires and explosions.

“Refreshing your memory of basic grill safety may save you from a costly or dangerous accident this summer,” says Bryan Lewis, propane risk manager for CHS, a supplier of Cenex brand propane.

Give the grill a once over

Propane grills are the most popular type of grill in the United States and can also be the most hazardous. Lewis recommends that if you have an old gas grill, especially one more than 10 years old, you should consider replacing it with a grill that has new, important safety features.

If your grill is still in good shape, the best way to avoid accidents is to keep it properly maintained. One simple precaution is to make sure grills are clean by removing grease or fat buildup from the grill surface and drip trays that can create grease flares and splatters.

“People are always in a hurry to light the grill and that’s when a lot of accidents can happen,” explains Lewis. “You should always follow the manufacturer instructions for operating the grill and routinely check the propane hose for leaks, even if that means taking an extra couple of minutes before lighting the fire.”

Before starting the grill, Lewis recommends taking one minute to test for gas leaks by applying a light soap and water solution to the gas tank hose. If bubbles appear, a leak is present and you should turn it off and seek professional maintenance.

Keep a distance

Follow basic grill safety and use common sense when choosing where to set up your grill. Grill outdoors at least 10 feet away from the house, garage or other combustible buildings or objects.

“You’d be surprised by how many people forget this most basic rule of grilling,” says Lewis. “It may seem convenient to grill on your deck, or to pull the grill inside the garage if it’s raining, but accidents happen, people can get injured and houses can catch on fire.”

From 2005 to 2009, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 8,200 home fires involving grills each year according to a 2011 report from the National Fire Protection Association.

“Even when having summer fun, people need to remember that propane can be dangerous, says Lewis. “Regardless of whether you’re using propane to light the grill, power appliances at the cabin or heat your home, safety and precaution should always come first.”

In addition to keeping grills a safe distance away from buildings, remember to keep children and pets at least three feet away to avoid the risk of getting burned. And, of course, never leave grills unattended.

Don’t toss bricks

When using a charcoal grill, wrap-up your cookout the right way. Hot charcoal bricks and ashes need to be disposed of properly to avoid trash can fires that can potentially spread to the surrounding area. Douse hot coals with plenty of water and stir to ensure the fire is out. Never place hot coals in plastic, paper or wooden containers and avoid dumping them on the ground where cookout guests, children and pets might step on them.

For more helpful summertime tips, including summer driving tips and ways to improve your gas mileage, check out the Cenexperts blog written by experts with CHS at tanksofthanks.com.

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Whole Foods Tackles Beef Recall Head On

jsfarmer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:01:42 +0000

On August 8, Nebraska Beef issued a USDA Class 1 recall of 1.2 million pounds of beef because of possible E. coli 0157:H7 contamination, of which about 4 percent was destined for select Whole Foods Market stores in 23 states and D.C.

As a precautionary measure, Whole Foods had already voluntarily recalled fresh ground beef in select stores that use Coleman Natural as a supplier after learning that two state health departments linked illnesses to nine Whole Foods Market shoppers.

This Whole Foods Market voluntary recall was never nationwide, and any meat now sold at Whole Foods is not associated with this recall.

States in the voluntary Company recall include: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington D. C. and Wisconsin.

States that are not part of the recall are: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Kansas, Indiana, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska and Canada. Whole Foods Markets stores in these states did not receive any shipments of the meat that are being targeted for recall.

The recalls come as a result of investigations into confirmed cases of E. coli 0157:H7 contamination in Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market is the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket and America’s first national certified organic grocer.

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How to Barbecue Corn On the Cob

jsfarmer — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:25:40 +0000

Barbecuing corn takes patience and practice, but the end result, sweet, fresh, perfectly-done corn on the cob, is so worth the wait.

My husband has become a corn cooking master, and his secret is all in the ear rotation.

But I’ll get to that.

First, choose your ears by pulling back on each husk a bit, just enough to be able to see a few rows of kernels. I look for straight kernel lines, little to no missing kernels, and, obviously, no worms.

Once you get your selected ears home, remove the silk from each ear by carefully peeling back the husk flaps but leaving them attached to the ears. Then peel back as much of the silk as possible and remove it (I cut it away). Once the ear is free of silk, clean it gently with cold water and re-wrap it in the husk flaps.

As we use a gas grill, that’s the only barbecued corn experience I have, so here’s where the patience and practice comes in to play.

We’ve found that rotating eight minutes per side, turning each ear a total of four times, yields the perfect barbecued corn.

Let the ears cool a bit, remove the husks, and enjoy!

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Grill Wipes Make For Great Barbecues

jsfarmer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:08:48 +0000

Now that we’re in the thick of barbecue season, it’s about time someone came out with a terrific product to help busy BBQ chefs.

Grate Chef Grill Wipes are disposable, vegetable oil-soaked towelettes that not only oil your grates pre cooking, but also clean them. Because the towelettes are flammable, it’s best to wrap one over the bristles of your grill brush, them wipe on the hot grill for maximum efficiency.

The wipes are available at several retailers, such as Safeway, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Lowe’s and more. For more information, click here.

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Berry Good Fruit

jsfarmer — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:35:30 +0000

You can tell it’s summer because of all the fruit in store(s). Of all the fruits available, I have to say that berries are my favorite. I’ve been known to enjoy strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and even raspberries at every meal.

From delicious fruit smoothies, to fruit salads and snacks, to berries cut up on salads and fish, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the fruits of summer for months to come. Be sure to check out when it’s best to buy organic, too.

Here are just a few recipes to get you started:

Blackberry Barbecued Ribs
Chilled Strawberry Mint Soup
Spinach Salad with Strawberries
Zabaglione with Fresh Berries
Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Enjoy!

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Gearing Up for Barbecue Season

jsfarmer — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:07:28 +0000

Whether you’re cooking with gas or flame, the warmer weather is bound to have you thinking about all the yummy food you’ll soon be barbecuing.

Before you start cooking, here are some tips for cleaning (thus getting the most from) your grill.

If you cook with gas, be sure to check your propane tank so you don’t run out mid grilling.

For tips on trouble-shooting your gas grill, click here.

And for recipes from the grilling masters, click here for inspiration and ideas.

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