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DEEP-FRYING TECHNIQUES
A wide variety of foods can be deep-fried outdoors on
your grill, from potatoes, to seafood and chicken.
Deep-frying uses a large portion of oil, preferably
saturated. The outdoor location is ideal for deep-frying
as smoke, grease and smells reach for the sky, not
the ceiling of your kitchen.
Preparing to Deep-fry
Deep-fry on your grill using a cooking pan or wok, over
direct heat with the grill lid raised.
Fill a cooking pan no more than half full of vegetable or
corn oil. Start with low heat, then raise the heat
gradually. Check the temperature of the oil carefully
with a frying thermometer or test with a cube of bread.
The cube of bread should brown in about 30 seconds
for most cooking needs. A temperature between 350
and 400 degrees is optimal for preparing the majority
of deep-fried foods.
Food Preparation
Foods being deep-fried taste better when coated with
either batter or breadcrumbs to add flavor and prevent
moisture from escaping.
Tips for Deep-frying
Wear an insulated cooking glove and slowly lower
foods into the hot oil using a wire scoop or stainless
steel tongs. Add only a small quantity of food to the
oil, allow it to cook, then repeat with another small
quantity. This ensures the oil doesn't drop in
temperature. Once the food is cooked, remove it
carefully and drain onto a paper towel. Turn the heat
off as soon as you have finished deep-frying and allow
your pan to cool. When the oil is cool, remove all
remnants of fried foods by straining it through a fine
metal sieve. Once the oil is quite cool, store it in a
clean bottle for future use.
STIR-FRYING TECHNIQUES
This method of cooking is popular around the world and
can be easily accomplished outdoors on your grill. It's
a quick and healthful way of preparing a complete meal
using meat, poultry or seafood in infinite combinations
with other interesting ingredients like vegetables, rice
or noodles.
Preparing to Stir-fry
Although it is possible to stir fry in other dishes, a wok
is your best tool. Its high sides enable the cook to stir
food without spillage. Its construction allows you to
cook quickly at high temperatures, with instant control
of heat which is essential for successful stir frying.
Food preparation
Slice meat and poultry into long thin strips and cube
fish fillets. Remove all fat from meat and poultry and
cut large vegetables into even slices or cubes.
Marinate foods for extra flavor and tenderness. Marinat-
ing times will vary for red meat, fish and or various
cuts. Less tender cuts of meat should be marinated
longer. Remember to always chill marinating food in
the refrigerator prior to cooking.
Stir-fry meats, poultry or fish first. Next, add hard
vegetables like carrots. Then continue with softer
vegetables like snowpeas and peppers. To ensure even
cooking, continually stir and toss the food in the wok
using a wooden spoon or spatula.
Tips for Stir-frying
Place a wok directly over a high heat on your grill or Side
Burner. Add only a small amount of food at a time to
ensure fast cooking and also to allow the wok to reheat
between ingredients.
Vegetables are generally easy to cook on the grill. The
optional cooking rack makes it convenient because
you can still use the main cooking area while the
vegetables are suspended above the Cooking Grids.
Pre-cook hard vegetables by briefly boiling or
microwaving them before cooking on the grill. Wrap
vegetables in a double thickness of foil to protect them
while cooking on the grill. Then, remove the foil if
desired, 10-15 minutes before the end of cooking,
brush vegetables with butter or oil and finish cooking.
Guide to Using the Optional Secondary Cooking Rack
The optional cooking rack can be used for purposes
other than just the obvious. Consider using it for
warming French bread, garlic bread, croissants or
even bagels.
A small whole fish wrapped in foil also cooks well on
the optional cooking rack. Parcels of seafood such as
scallops, prawns and sliced fish fillets prepared in a
sauce and portioned into small foil wraps cook well
this way, too.
Guide to Stir-Frying and Deep-Frying