Clean and Ready Your Gas Grill

Safety is #1: Check the Hose

Remember, gas grills are live fire pits. After months of sitting without being used, take just a few moments to give it a once over before pressing ignite.

Specifically, check the hose from the propane tank to the burners. They should be clean and intact. If there's any build-up on the hose or fittings, be sure to clean them before starting your grill. (Hoses can light on fire. We’ve seen it! So any holes or significant wear, it’s just a couple of dollars to replace it.

A Quick Clean Up

Take the grates out and give everything a good scrub down with a wire brush and finish with a damp cloth.

Also recommend run grilling tools through the dishwasher.

Grease Trap Clean Out

Ever seen the grease trap under your grill? LOL but Very Important!

Before this grilling season begins, make sure to pull it out and dump out that fuky stuff from last year. Send it through the dishwasher as well and to make it easier next year, line the trap with heavy duty aluminum foil.

Give It a Test Run Before Cooking

Before popping on that flavourful Baumann’s strip steak, fire that baby up and let it burn for a few minutes. Make sure all the burners are fired for an even cook and check for leaks.

Now, you’re ready 😊.

Whether its your favorite backyard Weber at home or a public park grill, charcoal grills make sure to clean things up and do a little regular maintenance for a great, healthy cooking season.

Improving Your Knife Skills

One of the quickest ways to injure yourself in the kitchen is improperly using sharp objects, which makes learning how to use knives an essential part of basic cooking.  Beyond safety, you'll also find that using proper techniques with different blades will make the completion of basic recipes a task that's not only more efficient, but also highly enjoyable!

• Choose the right knife: every cook should have a variety of knives on hand, and understand their application. The length and weight of the blade should be considered before starting any cutting task. Some examples include a chef's knife, which has a heavy, 8 to 10 inch blade and is used for chopping large, firm vegetables or meat carving. An 8 inch serrated knife is good for cutting bread, pies, or tomatoes. You'll want a 3.5-5 inch paring knife for delicate jobs like slicing herbs or fruit.

• Proper grips: how you hold your knife will go a long way in avoiding injury and making it easier to mince or chop items quickly. While your own comfort should be considered, a better level of stability and control will come from a grip high on the knife's handle, with your thumb and index finger gripping the heel of the blade.

• Focus: it might seem like cutting ingredients is a repetitive action that calls for little attention. However, it's vital to concentrate thoughtfully on chopping and plan things out carefully, otherwise you can really get hurt. Always factor in how small the pieces need to be and how you can minimize any effort. For example, when cutting an onion, you should first cut off the top, then slice the bulb in half and peel off the outer layers. Chop vertically, then horizontally, until you have the small bits you need.

• Blade care: Those who aren't experienced chefs often mistreat and neglect their knives, which is a costly mistake. Proper care of kitchen tools will make your work easier and safer. Knives should always be hand washed, rather than put in a dishwasher which can cause corrosion over time. Use the dull side of the blade to push ingredients around on the cutting board. Also, make sure your knives are sharpened regularly. Dull knives slow the preparation process and can lead to accidents.

• Know the basic cuts: it just takes a few simple motions to master the process of cutting ingredients in a quick and effective way. Remember that if a recipe calls for chopping, you need to make sure those pieces are all the same size to each other. Dicing means you are aiming for quarter-inch cubes, and mincing means you want to chop your ingredients as small as possible. If a recipe tells you to julienne, this means cutting your pieces into long, thin strips that resemble matchsticks. Slicing works well for vegetables or meat. Place the item on your cutting board and hold it with your free hand. The blade tip rests on the board, angling the knife upward. Pull the knife back repeatedly, keeping the tip in place on the board, as you push the food toward the blade.

Switch to the back-slice for finely cutting delicate products, like herbs. Stack the leaves and tightly roll them together. While holding the herbs with your other hand, you will again place the knife tip to the cutting board. Keep the knife at a lower angle as you pull back through the herbs.  To mince these herbs, the rock chop works best. After slicing the ingredients, place them in a pile.  Then, place the knife tip against the board and keep the blade steady with your other hand. Rocking the knife up and down will easily cut the pieces into fine bits.

By following these tips and putting in some time to practice, you'll become an expert slicer, dicer, chopper, and mincer in no time.  Browse local produce markets to find fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables, and make sure to swing by Baumann's Fine Meats to grab your favorite meats. All this combined will make for a dinner your family won't soon forget!

How To Clean a Charcoal Grill

What to have on hand

• Grill brush or coarse cleaning brush
• Aluminum foil
• Paper or plastic bags
• Bristle brush or putty knife
• Fork (optional)

What to have on hand

Assemble your cleaning supplies. You'll need a grill brush, foil, paper or plastic bags, a bristle brush or putty knife. You may also want a fork.

Clean the charcoal grate below and the grill grate on top. Removing the grates makes the job a little easier! Clean them with a grill brush or other coarse cleaning brush. Your fires will burn better and with a clean grill grate food is less likely to stick.

Aluminum foil scrub brush! An aluminum foil ball creates an excellent scrubber. Use it to clean any remaining gunk or debris off the grate(s).

Clean the belly of the grill and the lid: Remove any debris from the bottom of the grill (with public grill, remove left over ashes and debris buy sweeping out the grill with one hand covered in a bag into a trash bag. Empty that ash catcher! Then, get a stiff brush or putty knife to scrape off any peeling black stuff on the inside of the kettle lid. If that stuff falls off on your food, YUCK!!

Put it all back together: Now you are ready, my friend!

At Baumann’s Fine Meats we wish you the happiest of grilling and partyin’ this season and we hope to see you at the store soon.