Do me a favour – don’t poach anything this month. Or boil anything. Or steam anything. Or fry anything. Well ok, you can fry things, I’m not some kind of monster. But I’m serious about the other stuff. I mean, what’s the point? Oh, it may be “healthy” but come on, having your food taste good is healthy too right? Let’s face it, we’ve only got a few months of summer coming our way. So, for the next month or so, grill everything in your backyard that doesn’t move: meat, vegetables, appetizers, dessert, drinks – everything. There’ll be plenty of time to poach things in the winter.
One of the tastiest, easiest and newest ways to grill your meal is with a dedicated infrared burner. These burners are rapidly gaining in popularity. They get very hot very quickly. These burners work by heating a ceramic surface up to incredibly high levels. Once the ceramic is hot it quickly begins to radiate the heat. Most will reach 1200 degrees Fahrenheit within minutes. They replicate the searing, intense heat of a charcoal grill on full boil. These burners are ideal for cooking a juicy, 2” steak to a glazed, medium-rare perfection. Seared on the outside and packed with juice on the inside.
But, a word of warning, these burners are not for everybody. They are not for “set it and forget it” grillers who like to put their meat on the grill and then wander into the house for a half dozen drinks before they saunter out again to check on things. With these burners you stand on guard; keeping watch, flipping and testing, flipping and testing. Don’t be scared of the heat – embrace it (metaphorically of course). Once you’re used to how they work you’ll be cooking your entire meal over them.
