Green Grilling - Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

While the environmental impact of grilling is negligible compared with most of the other things we do in our day it is important that we take every aspect of our lives into consideration when it comes to combating air pollution and our carbon footprint. By making a few changes to the way we grill and the kinds of products we buy we can make grilling green. Try out these suggestions to make your outdoor cooking more environmentally friendly.

Avoid petroleum based lighter fluids and self-lighting charcoal. These release petrochemicals into the atmosphere. Instead use a charcoal chimney, an electric charcoal starter, or natural lighter fluids to get your fire going (see Charcoal Starters).

Choose a superior charcoal. Natural charcoals and lump charcoal made from furniture scraps and waste wood without additives and binders make a cleaner fire that not only reduces your pollution output but improve your grilling experience.

Switch to gas. Gas grills are much more energy efficient than charcoal grills and produce far less pollutants.

Switch to Natural Gas. Many grills have a natural gas option. Natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel and burns much cleaner than propane grills.

Reduce preheat times. Most gas grills are ready to cook in 5 to 10 minutes. Charcoal takes 15 to 20 minutes to be ready for cooking. Plan your cooking time to correspond to when your grill is ready and don’t leave you grill burning any longer than you need to.

Clean your grill while it is still hot after you cook instead of increasing your preheating times. When the grill is cool use a mixture of water and baking soda to clean off the cooking grates.

Clean out your grill regularly. Build up of grease and food particles in your grill will produce unnecessary smoke. Also take this time to clean out grease drip trays under your grill.

Avoid disposable dishes and utensils for your next cook out. A few minutes washing dishes is better than a pile of paper plates and plastic forks in the garbage.

Trim excess fats from meat. Not only will this make your grilling healthier, reduce flare-ups, but also reduce the release of harmful chemicals from the air.

Make informed decisions about your next grill. Unfortunately many grills built today, particularly gas grill, are simply not built to last. Buying a higher quality, longer lasting grill will not only save you money in the long term but reduce the pollution from manufacturing, packaging, shipping and recycling (hopefully) of the grills you buy.

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Kids Cooking Class - Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami

YaDa Chef's cooking school JUST for kids! Teaching children of all ages that cooking can be creative, full of discovery, and a lot of fun! YaDa Chef provides hands-on cooking classes allowing kid's imaginations to run wild and free while discovering new science, math, reading, health and social skills. YaDa Chef offers a unique culinary experience offering cooking classes to children in an environment that encourages discover and creativity. Each class is a new experience. Themes chosen, either our one of YaDa Chef's chefs, by the child or parent assist in sharpening skills and taking the mystery out of the kitchen. Removing the fear of the unknown while incorporating subject matter which ties into each theme. Our highly qualified chefs, in coordination of nutritional experts carry out a mission to provide an interactive learning experience giving children the opportunity to develop a life-long love of the culinary arts. Each class is designed to fa...

Braised Lettuce (Laitues Braises): A Take On Julia Child’s Recipe

You can use almost any lettuce, such as chicory, or frisee, or Boston Bib if you are busing large heads, cut them in half. We made these pescartarian because of the shrimp stock, but vegan is easy with vegetable stock, or if serving with beef, a beef stock and bacon. Braised lettuce is a delicious garnish for poultry, white meats such as veal or pork, or steamed white fish. It can be the main accompanied by a warm sweet potato salad. Serves 4 4 heads Romaine lettuce hearts 4 thick slices of bacon (if making not vegetarian or vegan), cut into lardon strips 1 small onion , diced 2 carrots, diced 1 tablespoon/15g plus 1/2 tablespoon/7 butter divided 1 teaspoon/5ml olive oil 1/2 cup/125ml shrimp or seafood stock (see notes above) 1/2 cup/125ml cup white wine or dry white vermouth bouquet garni: 1 parsley branch, 1 branch of thyme,1 bay leaf tied to a cheesecloth ½ tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon parsley Trim stems of lettuce and ...

Do you Remember Herman? Sourdough Starter and Recipe

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Amish friendship bread, as well as an interchangeable starter referred to as Herman (the name varies), became a popular exchange among friends who shared the starter as well as recipes. Herman Starter Preparation time: 10 minutes Standing time: 5 days Yield: 4 cups 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup warm water 2 packages (2 1/4 teaspoons each) active dry yeast 2 cups each: milk, flour 1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the warm water. Sprinkle yeast over mixture; set aside until doubled in volume, about 10 minutes. 2. Combine milk, flour, remaining sugar and yeast mixture in a plastic or glass container. (Do not use metal.) Stir with a wooden spoon; cover loosely. Set aside at room temperature, at least 8 hours. 3. Stir mixture once a day for three days. On the fourth day, measure out 1 cup of Herman for baking; measure 1 additional cup to give to a friend as a gift. To replenish starter: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and 1...

Eat Your Vegetables - They Are Good For You

There's no question that eating three to five servings of fruits and vegetables daily will improve your health. But more and more experts are saying healthy eat ing is not only about how many servings you eat. It's about the variety you pick, too. Eat a diet of solely white foods, and you'll miss key nutrients your body needs—even if your palette includes cauliflower, onions, and mushrooms. Adding a multivitamin doesn't cut it either. "People will say, 'I'm taking a multivitamin, so I don't really need to eat these,' " says Karin Hosenfeld, RD, LD, a dietitian in private practice in Dallas, but she says scientists don't know whether whole foods may offer undiscovered benefits that vitamins don't. "We do know for sure that if you don't eat your fruits and vegetables, you're not getting your fiber, and that's [helping keep] your blood sugar down." Every one of your meals doesn't have to be multicolored...

White Fish Gravlax Recipe

White Fish Gravlax Serves 4 Here is a great starter, light lunch or a fantastic item for your holiday buffet. If you have problems with gluten substitute the wheat bread for a flax or millet bread or leave it out entirely and eat on some mixed greens. Gravlax 5 ounces/145 grams white fish, bass, snapper-I used tilapia (sushi grade) 2 tablespoons/34g coarse salt 2 tablespoons/25g caster sugar 1 tablespoon/7g of ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon/2g ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon/2g ground cloves 8-10 pieces of fresh dill fronds Mustard Butter 2 Tablespoons/28g of unsalted butter, softened 2 Tablespoons/28g of dijon mustard. Salad 1 handful of watercress dressed with simple vinaigrette Creme Fraiche or Sour Cream Mix salt, sugar, black pepper, allspice, and ground cloves. Liberally sprinkle on both sides of the fish. Lay half of the dill in a glass container. Place the fish on top and cover with rest o...

Pitted vs Unpitted Olives — Which Are Better?

Q. Are there any differences in flavor or texture among pitted and unpitted brine-cured olives? A. To evaluate any differences between pitted and unpitted olives, we gathered both green and black brine-cured olives from deli sections at supermarkets, as well as olives packed in plastic and glass containers. After tasting many samples, it became clear that the pitted olives suffered on two counts: they tasted saltier and their flesh was mushier. They also lacked the complex, fruity flavors of the unpitted kind. Here's why: Before being packed for sale, fresh-picked olives are soaked in brine for periods of up to a year to remove bitterness and develop flavor. Once pitted, the olives are returned to the brine for packing, which can penetrate the inside of the olive and turn it mushy and pasty, as well as increase the absorption of salt. That saltier taste can mask subtler flavors. If you have the time, it makes sense to buy unpitted olives and pit them yourself...

New England Iced Tea Recipe

While growing up in Massachusetts, my family spent summers at our cottage. These cocktails for the adults were a regional variation on Long Island iced tea, and they always showed up at clambakes on the beach. —Ann Liebergen, Brookfield, Wisconsin Ingredients 2 tablespoons sugar 1 ounce vodka 1 ounce light rum 1 ounce gin 1 ounce Triple Sec 1 ounce lime juice 1 ounce tequila 1 to 1-1/2 cups ice cubes 2 ounces cranberry juice Lemon slice, optional Directions In a mixing glass or tumbler, combine the sugar, vodka, rum, gin, Triple Sec, lime juice and tequila; stir until sugar is dissolved. Place ice in a highball glass; pour in the sugar mixture. Top with cranberry juice. Garnish with lemon if desired. private chefs and event catering Palm Beach + Boca Raton + Fort Lauderdale + Miami Beach info@yadachef.com | 954-367-YADA (9232) 561-285-7466 www.yadachef.com south florida catering and personal chefs

Jacques Pepin's Flatbread Recipe

I saw Chef Pepin make this on one of his shows, and thought, that is almost like the bread I used to make when I lived on the Beach in St. Augustine Florida and I had no yeast. I called it a cheat pizza dough, and I added tons of granulated garlic. Serves 6 1 1⁄2 cups/188g regular all purpose flour 1 cup/250ml water 1⁄4 teaspoon/2ml baking powder 1⁄4 teaspoon/2ml salt 2 tablespoons/30ml olive oil 2 tablespoons/30ml water Dump everything (except the 2 tablespoons water) into a bowl and "stir it into a gooey stuff" as Jacques says. The dough will indeed be very wet, gooey, sticky. Stir in any optional ingredients. Heat a non-stick 10" / 25.4 cm skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan and then pour in the dough. Spread into one flat layer with a spoon or spatula. (A little oil on the spoon or spatula helps keep the dough from sticking to it.) Add remaining water around the outside of the dough where it meets the pan; the o...

What Is That White String in Chicken Tenders? Plus, Is It Safe to Eat and How to Easily Remove It

Chicken strips, chicken tenders, chicken fingers—whatever you call them, they are one of the most popular foods eaten in American households. Anyone who has ever prepared chicken at home has seen that white, string-like piece hanging from the chicken tender portion of the breast. So, what is it? Read on to find out, plus learn what, if anything, you should do about it. Chicken is one of the healthiest protein choices you can make when deciding what to cook for dinner . And chicken breast boasts great flavor with minimal internal fat, making it low in calories and still high in protein . But if you have not worked with chicken a lot, you might notice while prepping that there is a white stringy thing in the chicken breast. And you may wonder if you should remove it or if it is safe to eat. Related: Are Chicken Thighs Healthy? Here's What a Dietitian Has to Say What is that white string in the chicken breast and is it ok to eat? The white s...

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