Food & Drink Articles

Article / Updated 05-25-2023

So, you’ve moved past the grill and you want to move up to a dedicated smoker. This article explores the issues to know as you're considering the best smokers for beginners. After all, what you purchase may affect how you feel about smokers for a long time to come. Why buy a smoker? Well, there are many reasons. A dedicated smoker allows you to fully focus on the art of smoking. It allows you to hone some skills that may be useful when you move up to the big leagues of smoking. Buy a smoker because you love to smoke great food or because you want to work on perfecting the craft of smoked meats. You can get smokers in all different types, sizes, and shapes, but you may want to start off small to get the feel of your particular barbecue style. If you're interested in how to smoke food with a charcoal or gas grill, check out my book BBQ For Dummies. The more you get into smoking, the more you realize that you want a consistent temperature throughout the smoker. As you progress in your particular style, you get to know what you want and you can tune your cooking to the particular setup you’re cooking on. Be patient! Standing up to a vertical smoker A vertical smoker is an upright cooker with the firebox on the bottom and the cooking chamber directly above it (see the photo below). The upright configuration utilizes the natural tendency of heat to rise with the heat source on the bottom and cooking surface on top, making it very efficient. A vertical smoker is probably the best entry level smoker, and it’s readily available. You can choose from charcoal versions, gas versions, and electric versions of vertical smokers. Vertical smokers are great for smaller cuts of meat because they have tall, thin chambers; however, some great professional verticals can handle much larger cuts, including a whole hog. They have a small footprint and typically give you a good amount of cooking space. The bottom line on a vertical smoker is that it takes up a small amount of space and is usually very efficient, which makes it a great choice for a backyard enthusiast. Vertical smokers can get much hotter up top. Just like horizontal smokers, they need to be tuned to make sure that the heat is as even as you can get it. Higher-end, more expensive verticals are tuned, whereas cheaper models are just letting the heat rise in a natural manner and make no effort to eliminate hot spots. Some vertical smokers on the market are really just a smoker with a fire pan on the bottom; the meat hangs above a fire in the bottom or sits on grates above a fire. The heat rises, so you have a very efficient smoker. Other verticals have a baffle system so the meat isn’t directly above the flames of the firebox. In a baffled vertical smoker, a dampening system keeps the fire from coming into direct contact with the meat. That system may be a plate that’s slightly smaller than the body of the cooker, so it allows the heat to rise up and around the perimeter of the plate, or it may be a water pan, which also adds moisture to the meat while cooking. Some cooks like to fill the water pan with something other than water to bring a specific flavor to the meat as it cooks. You can use orange juice, apple juice, vinegar and water — the sky’s the limit. Whatever you choose, make sure that you keep an eye on the liquid level. You don’t want it to evaporate and leave you with a burnt pan. If you use a water pan in your smoker, make sure that you’re truly smoking low and slow. If you cook at too high a temperature with a water-pan smoker, you end up steaming your meat rather than smoking it, which isn’t what you want. Just as in a horizontal smoker, a vertical can be reverse flow to promote better circulation. In this case, air usually travels between an inner and outer wall and is dumped on the top of the cooking chamber. The air is then forced down to vents in the bottom back wall of the cooking chamber that then exhausts the smoke. This method provides a more even temperature throughout the entire chamber. The table below lists pros and cons of various vertical smokers. Vertical Smokers: Pros and Cons Type Example Pros Cons Top feeding Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker Pit Barrel Efficient Very affordable Reloading charcoal can be frustrating May have to move meat to reload fuel Front feeding Masterbuilt Easy to load and maintain Firebox door opens separately from the chamber door No heat loss with refueling Can have big temperature differences between the top and the bottom Siding with an offset smoker An offset smoker smokes food in a chamber separate from the heat source, which is in a different chamber attached on one side. The smoker usually has a horizontal body where you place the meat; the wood or charcoal burns in the firebox to the side of that chamber (see the photo below). Heat flows through the body of the smoker and out the chimney on the other side. The firebox is the chamber where wood or charcoal burns. It has a large door for feeding the wood or charcoal in and vents that allow you to adjust the airflow. The fuel sits on a grate at the bottom of the firebox, which allows it to burn cleanly and vent properly. Offset smokers have been around for a long time. They’re the most common and abundant type of smoker on the market for the general public. They’re very versatile and fairly straightforward to use. And it doesn’t hurt that they’re easy to come by — most companies make some sort of offset smoker. You can find one for $100 or $1,000, depending on what you want to spend. As an amateur smoker, you won’t go wrong with an offset smoker — it's also one of the best smokers for a beginner. It gives you lots of room for larger cuts of meat and helps you get familiar with the basics of smoking and airflow. When you get better at smoking (and can justify spending more) and understand how your vents work to control airflow, you may consider a more sophisticated offset with a baffle system or a reverse flow. Offset smokers are preferred in Texas because they’re great air movers and provide a perfect vessel for smoking brisket or beef ribs — products that really need swift airflow to get the best results. Are offset smokers a lot of work? Well, they can be. The cheaper models are loosely built, and heat may not flow as well as it does in a more expensive model. The key is making sure you have a good thermometer placed well, which means about 3 inches up from the grate and somewhere on the unit where it won’t hit the meat you’re cooking. Regardless of the cooker you use, maintaining an even temperature throughout is important. Even heat is exactly what a smoker with baffles or reverse flow offers you. These features are typically found on bigger units more suitable for an intermediate cook. You may want to cut your teeth on a smaller, cheaper offset to start. In a standard offset, the area by the firebox that’s the source of your heat gets very hot. In order to lessen this effect or get a more even heat flow, some offsets use tuning plates (rectangular steel plates situated under the grates). You use them to regulate the heat flow up through the body of the cooker. The plates are placed more closely together closest to the firebox and farther apart as distance from the firebox increases. Stacking with a vertical offset A vertical offset smoker functions like its horizontal counterpart but with an up-and-down body. Its vertical chamber is especially accommodating for meats like sausage or ham that need to hang. The figure below shows a vertical offset smoker. Vertical smokers have great airflow and really move the smoke through the chamber. Because heat rises, it hits every area of the hanging meat, which gives you a fairly even cook. Although it’s hotter at the top, the heat envelops the meat on its way up the chamber. The fact that the heat rises through the smoking chamber makes a vertical smoker quite efficient. Plus, it has a smaller footprint than a horizontal one. The limiting factor of a vertical offset is that it can’t hold larger cuts like a whole hog. You have to feed your vertical smoker frequently, which means you can’t step away from your smoker for very long. Even though some have insulated fireboxes, they still need to be fed wood or charcoal about every 45 minutes to an hour. Making a U-turn with a reverse-flow offset A reverse-flow offset moves air from the firebox across the body of the smoker and back again to a chimney next to the firebox (see the figure below). A reverse-flow offset is similar to a regular offset smoker with the exception of the airflow inside the smoker. Typically in a reverse-flow offset, a plate below the grate forces the air to flow down the smoker. At the far end of the smoker (opposite the firebox) is a gap that allows the air to flow upward. The chimney is placed on the side of the smoker, where the firebox resides, so the air then flows back down the smoker to exit out of the chimney. Basically, the heat flows down the smoker, does a U-turn, and then goes back out the chimney. Reverse-flow offsets have a solid baffle (a panel for redirecting heat) under the grate that takes the heat all the way to the other end of the cooker. Because the chimney is built into the smoker on the firebox side, air has to travel all the way down the smoker and back to the firebox side.

Article / Updated 05-15-2023

You may already be on board with many of the principles of a Mediterranean diet. Take this quiz to see where you fall and what changes you can focus on toward adopting a Mediterranean diet. Answer the following questions; the numbers in parentheses are point totals, but you don't have to worry about those until after you take the quiz. How many total fruits and vegetable servings do you eat each day? Five to nine (2) Three to four (1) Fewer than three (0) How often do you eat fish or seafood? Several times a week (2) Once or twice a month (1) Once or twice a year (0) How often do you use fresh herbs with cooking? At least four times a week (2) Three to four times a month (1) Once or twice a year (0) On average, how often do you eat beef? Two to three times a week (0) Three to four times a month (1) Once or twice a month at most (2) How often do you eat beans and lentils, including those found in soups and stews or dips (such as hummus)? At least four times a week (2) Several times a month (1) Several times a year (0) When you eat beef or poultry, what serving size do you most often eat? Six to eight ounces (0) Four to five ounces (1) Two to three ounces (2) How often do you use olive oil for cooking or in salad dressings and spreads? Daily (2) Two to three times a week (1) Two to three times a month (0) How often do you eat nuts or nut butter? At least four times a week (2) Two to three times a month (1) Two to three times a year (0) Now figure out your score by adding up the points to the right of your answers and comparing the total to these ranges: 13–16: Great job! You're right on track with a Mediterranean way of life. Use the recipes in this book to inspire you to stick with this dietary pattern. 8–12: You're almost there! Many of your habits are right on track, but others could use some small changes. Focus on areas where you scored less than two points and see whether you can improve those dietary habits. This book offers lots of tips, suggestions, and delicious recipes to get you inspired. Less than 8: You've got some dietary changes to focus on to master the Mediterranean diet. Focus on areas where you scored less than two points and use this book for inspiration to make small changes that better align your habits with a Mediterranean style of eating.

Article / Updated 05-09-2023

Vegetable purées are simply cooked vegetables (usually boiled or steamed but sometimes roasted) that are mashed, blended, or processed to a thick consistency. Starchy root vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, rutabagas, parsnips, and carrots generally make the best purées, but broccoli, cauliflower, and roasted red peppers are also wonderful, especially when mixed with a dense root vegetable. Thick purées make a great side dish. When thinned with water, broth, or sauce, they make delicious toppings for meat, potatoes, pasta, or rice. To make a purée, put any soft-cooked vegetable or combination of vegetables in a blender or food processor with a bit of water or broth, and purée it. Serve it warm (you can reheat the purée in a saucepan over low heat if it’s cooled off too much). Or use an immersion blender and purée the vegetables right in the pan where you steamed or boiled them. Season with salt and black pepper and your favorite herbs or spices, or in the case of sweet potatoes or winter squash, a bit of honey, maple syrup, or cinnamon. Mmm, comfort food!

Article / Updated 05-04-2023

Meal planning when you're on the Mediterranean diet provides you a road map for the week of what you’re going to eat, when you’ll prepare those meals, and what foods you need to have handy in your kitchen to do so. By taking the steps to do some planning, changing to a Mediterranean diet is much easier and less stressful. Meal planning on some level is important for several reasons: It ensures that you’re efficient with your time and have everything you need on hand from the grocery store and markets. This preparedness also helps keep you on track with your Mediterranean lifestyle because you always have the fixings for fresh meals at your fingertips. It makes cooking easier during the week because you already know what you’re making instead of trying to think of what you can cook with the chicken and cauliflower you bought. It saves you money by decreasing food waste. Do you ever buy broccoli and then wonder what to do with it as it starts yellowing in your refrigerator? Waste. Meal planning needs to (and can) work into your lifestyle. Here are a few different approaches; hopefully, you find one that works for you: The detailed meal plan: This plan is for those who love details and planning. Sit down and write out a plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for each day of the week. (You may want to include snacks as well.) You can make each day’s foods interchangeable, but this planning method at least makes sure you have a plan and can go on your way this week with everything organized. The rotating two-week meal plan: If you like details and convenience, this setup is perfect for you. Spend some time making up a two-week meal plan, complete with shopping list, and you’ve done all the work you need. So it may be that you have Dilled Eggs every other Monday for breakfast and Tortellini with Vegetables and Pesto every other Sunday for dinner. You still get plenty of variety with a two-week meal plan, but you may need to change it up every couple of months to make seasonal menus. The fast meal plan: If you don’t want to waste time on making a meal plan for each and every meal for the week, think about your habits and plan accordingly. For example, you might regularly eat a few different items for breakfast, such as poached eggs or granola and yogurt, and often eat leftovers or sandwiches along with fruit for lunch. You can focus only on planning dinners and the few staples you need for breakfast and lunch. The super-fast meal plan: Perhaps you need something even speedier than the fast menu plan. Instead of planning four or five dinners a week, focus on two to three and plan some convenience meals, such as entree salads you can throw together or canned or homemade, frozen soups.

Article / Updated 05-03-2023

The winter months, December through February, are often the time when you're less active, which makes it one of the most important times of the year to ramp up your vegetable intake, especially if you're following the Mediterranean Diet. The extra fiber and roughage help you feel full and satisfied as you expend less energy through activity and exercise. Potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower are great winter choices. Sautéed Broccoli Rabe Preparation Time: 6 minutes Cook Time: 14 minutes Yield: 6 servings 2 pounds broccoli rabe 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 cloves garlic, sliced 1/2 cup chicken stock 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Remove the leaves on the broccoli rabe stem and set them aside. Cut the stalk into 3-inch pieces. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté the broccoli rabe stalks and leaves and the garlic for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Serve. PER SERVING: Calories 76 (From Fat 48); Fat 5g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 114mg; Carbohydrate 4g (Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 5g. The figure shows an example of broccoli rabe If your broccoli rabe has thick stalks, peel the outer layer of the stem with a vegetable peeler before cutting the stalks in Step 1. Curry-Roasted Cauliflower Preparation Time: 6 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Yield: 6 servings 1 head cauliflower 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon salt Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the cauliflower (including the stalk and leaves) into bite-sized pieces and place in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients. Pour over the cauliflower and toss to coat. Pour the cauliflower and sauce onto a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Serve. PER SERVING: Calories 118 (From Fat 85); Fat 9g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 431mg; Carbohydrate 7g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 3g.

Article / Updated 05-03-2023

Of the four main ingredients used in homebrewing beer (barley, hops, yeast, and water), barley makes the biggest contribution. Barley gives beer its color, underlying flavor, sweetness, body, head of foam, and mouthfeel. Barley also contributes the natural sugars that feed the yeast, which in turn converts the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide during fermentation. Malting Before you can brew with barley, it must undergo a process known as malting. The malting process simulates the grain's natural germination cycle. Under closely monitored conditions, malting companies wet the barley kernels and allow them to sprout. As the seedlings begin sprouting, the starchy insides of the kernels (or endosperm) begin to change. This modification causes the hard, starchy endosperm to begin to break down into natural malt sugars (maltose) that brewers later liquefy, during the mashing process. One of the important features of this process is the production of the enzymes brewers later use in the mashing process. And the maltose sugars, along with proteins and dextrins, contribute the color, flavor, sweetness, body, mouthfeel, and foam in the beer. (Mouthfeel can be defined as the textural qualities of beer on your palate and in your throat — viscosity, or thickness; carbonation; alcohol warmth; and so on.) Only after the barley has undergone the malting process does it become malt, or barleymalt. Malted barley is an incredibly complete and convenient package, seemingly designed exclusively for brewing beer. Each grain kernel contains carbohydrates (which eventually convert to sugar), enzymes (which do the actual converting), proteins (which provide yeast nutrition, mouthfeel, and head stability), and a husk (which, when multiplied by thousands, acts as the perfect natural filter bed through which you can drain the unfermented beer). Very few commercial brewers — usually only the huge beer factories — do their own malting. Professional malting companies (also called maltsters) malt most of the grain for the brewing industry (including smaller commercial brewers and homebrew supply shops). Mashing In order to make beer from the malted grain, the starch within the kernels of malt must be made soluble. This liquefying process takes place during the mashing procedures in a vessel called a mash tun. The mashing process is where the natural enzymes found in grain break down the grain's starches; hot water then dissolves the starches so they leach out of the cracked grain. After you've rinsed all the malt sugars from the grain, you transfer the syrupy-sweet malt tea, called wort, over to the brew kettle, where you boil it. Homebrewers who make their beer with malt extract can avoid the mashing process altogether. Wort (rhymes with dirt) is the German word for unfermented beer. Some brewers also call wort green beer (and not just on St. Patrick's Day).

Article / Updated 05-03-2023

Appetizers that require marinating are a good way to start a meal. Their acidic freshness primes the palate for what's to follow. This spectacular recipe, Salmon Marinated in Ginger and Cilantro, can be prepared several hours in advance and has a tangy, herbaceous flavor that teases the palate without filling the stomach. Don't substitute powdered ginger for fresh ginger root in this recipe; the same goes for the cilantro. The fresh ingredient tastes entirely different than the dried herbs do. Marinating fish can be tricky business. The acid in the marinade — which comes from the lime and vinegar — actually "cooks" the surface of the fish. Be sure to leave the fish in the marinade only as long as the recipe indicates (4 to 5 hours, in this case). Salmon Marinated in Ginger and Cilantro Preparation time: About 15 minutes plus marinate time Yield: 8 servings 2 pounds skinless, boneless salmon fillets 1/2 cup fresh lime juice 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Salt and black pepper Lettuce for garnish Slice the salmon thinly (1/4 inch or less) widthwise, leaving strips about 2 inches long. Place the strips in a large bowl. Add the lime juice, onion, vinegar, oil, cilantro, ginger root, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir gently and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 to 5 hours. Taste for seasoning. If you need more salt, blend it in thoroughly. Line small serving plates with the lettuce of your choice and place a serving of salmon over the lettuce. Discard the onion-marinade mix. Per serving: Calories 174 (From Fat 76); Fat 9g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 62mg; Sodium 68mg; Carbohydrate 0g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 23g. If your salmon pieces have any small bones, use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to remove them before starting to prepare this dish.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-02-2023

You start a recipe and suddenly realize you’re missing an ingredient! Oh no, what can you do? Before dashing out to the market, check out this Cheat Sheet for simple substitutions when you’re in a baking jam. Or, perhaps, you want some great resources for help when you’re baking. You’ve come to the right place.

Article / Updated 04-25-2023

If you're interested in homebrewing, you're understandably concerned with how much time it takes to brew beer at home. In addition to the hands-on activities such as cooking and bottling, you also face a great deal of waiting around. Making beer at home requires patience. The hands-on part of the homebrewing process involves the Actual cooking of the wort (unfermented beer; rhymes with dirt) on the stovetop Fermentation (conversion of sugars to alcohol and CO2 by yeast) Aging (maturation) processes Bottling of the beer What most homebrewing beginners aren't aware of is the hands-off part of brewing — the stage when the brewer does nothing but wait patiently. This part not only constitutes the longest segment of the timeline, but it also represents a test of the brewer's patience and self-restraint. At the beginner level, you need at least two or three hours on brewing day to properly sanitize the equipment, brew and cool the wort, pitch the yeast (add it to your wort), seal the fermenter, and clean up whatever mess you made. You need to set aside the same amount of time on the day you bottle the beer. In between the brewing and bottling days, however, you face the little matter of fermentation. The yeast needs at least seven days to complete the fermentation cycle — sometimes more, depending on extenuating circumstances. You need do nothing more than wait patiently for the yeast to complete its task. Even after you've bottled your beer, you still need to wait patiently while your brew conditions in the bottles — two weeks is the recommended minimum length of this conditioning process. At the beginner level, if you brew on a Saturday your brewing timeline may look something like the following: 1. Brew day (S). Ferment the beer Su-M-T-W-Th-F. (That's 7 days.) 2. Bottle day (S). Condition the beer Su-M-T-W-Th-F-S-Su-M-T-W-Th-F. (That's 14 more days.) 3. Drink the beer! As you begin to employ different ingredients, equipment, and processes in your beer-making repertoire, expect the timeline to expand. Secondary fermentation (a helpful extra aging) adds another two weeks to the timeline, and advanced brewers, for example, may spend as many as eight to ten hours in a single day brewing their beer from grain. Homebrewing is a pursuit that requires a higher degree of dedication than, say, doing crossword puzzles in ink, but the rewards are considerable (and tasty!) In addition to personal gratification, quality homebrew can inspire a certain respect from your fellow brewers, awe in nonbrewers, and other intangibles that make all the effort worthwhile.

Article / Updated 04-25-2023

Whether you call it barbecue, BBQ, or just 'cue, enhance the flavor of your oh-so-tender meats by mixing up a flavor-packed marinade, rub, or sauce. Although each seasoning method is used differently, they all give zing to any meat you grill or barbecue. Seasoning with dry rubs A rub is a dry marinade that you sprinkle or pat onto meat before you cook it. Rubs can contain just about anything, and they usually include some salt and sugar. You leave them on for a few minutes before you cook or as long as overnight. As meat cooks, the heat pulls open its pores, and the flavors of the rub seep right in. Rubs help produce bark, a crisp and flavorful crust that also helps hold in meat's moisture. Marinating: The power and the glory Marinade, a light liquid that you soak meat in before you cook it, does as much good for the texture of meat as it does for the flavor. Most marinades are made up of an acid (vinegar, lemon juice, or some such) and an oil. The acid helps break down the fibers to tenderize the meat, and oil helps hold the acid against the meat so it can do the most good. The rest is flavor — whatever combination of seasonings you like. Marinades tend to work fast, propelling a lot of flavor and good tenderizing effect into meat. They can be vehicles for intense tastes or subtle ones. The big finish: Sauces You can call pretty much anything liquid a sauce, and depending on who or where you are, your definition of true barbecue sauce may be very different. Different kinds of sauces are appropriate at different stages of the cooking process. You don't put a sugary sauce on food before it has been cooked through, for example, because the sugar burns easily.