www.zomzaa.com : Thai Culinary Online

Outdoor cooking is now very much in demand these days and is a long established summer pastime in the United States and Australia beginning with camp fires to outdoor fireplaces, and finally to portable outdoor grills. I know it might be a shock to some people but we occasional cook outside here in England - with an umbrella at the ready!

A wide variety of designs has been manufactured, from stone, brick, concrete, aluminium, stainless steel and other metals, and, in some limited cases from synthetic materials.

Outdoor cooking is an exciting activity for both family and friends and especially, food lovers. It is definitely in a class all of its own, enabling, usually the male of the household, to transform a cut of meat into a smoked charcoaled gastronomic delight - which after a few glasses of wine and beer tastes absolutely wonderful. Any other time this type of food would be discarded, with the following comment “It’s Burnt”. But in summer months we love it and I hear its becoming the first choice for any home and garden party

Barbecue food is often unadorned and simply prepared, so you’ll get the best results with flavourful fresh ingredients. Head for your local weekend farmers? market or a good butcher; select locally sourced foods from your supermarket; grow your own herbs and vegetables and pick them as you need them. Barbecues have become a standard outdoor cooking appliance found in every home. They vary in sizes, shapes and price but overall they have not changed since its inception. Barbecue enthusiasts go far beyond the traditional hamburgers and hot dogs. A guest at their barbecue will see wonderful foods including steaks, chicken, pork, and spare ribs.

Meat smoked on an electric grill is great if you have some wood smoke flavour to make it tasty. I know you can buy little cans of wood chips to add some character to your cooking. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside. Use a food thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe minimum internal temperature.

Dutch ovens are extremely useful cook ware items, and you can make most anything in them. When using cast iron cookware, it is important to follow the instructions of the manufacturer in the cleaning and seasoning of the cookware. Dutch ovens are actually among the most versatile pieces of cooking equipment that you can find, as you can cook a full meal all at one time. It is commonly referred to as a ‘camp oven’ in the Australian bush and as a ‘casserole dish’ in England.

However, I cannot see anybody bothering with a Dutch Oven at a barbecue or garden party. Maybe in the outback or out in the wilds - but never-the-less it does seem a clumsy piece of equipment to have to carry around.

You can get a free report entitled “Master Chef Secrets - Buying Kitchen Equipment” at Cooking Know How - Click Here
Tags: dutch ovens, Barbecue, Outdoor cooking