New gadgets make grilling a breeze
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Now that it's nice out, you can take your kitchen outdoors and save money by grilling at home instead of eating out.
Take your backyard barbecue to the next level with these tips and tricks from the High Tech Texan Michael Garfield.
Before you fire up the grill, you have to get it ready. Instead of using fatty butter or non-stick spray, consider cooking with coconut oil instead.
"I found a product that's really hot right now and it's coconut oil. Coconut oil generally comes in jars but they have a spray version of it right now," Garfield said. "It's not only convenient, but the price of it is very good too.
People think, 'oh coconut oil, it's one of these hot imported oils,' but it's really not."
You can pick up a can for less than $5.
If you want to skip the cooking spray altogether, you can use a reusable grilling sheet instead.
"This is one of the neatest products I have found. This is from Cookina, and it's very easy to use," Garfield said.
The sheet comes rolled up. Just unroll it and place it directly on the grilling rack. Then, nothing will ba able to fall into the grill.
"The neat thing is you still get grill marks," Garfield said. "What's grilling if you don't have grill marks on a hot dog or hamburger?"
The sheet will even allow you to make breakfast on the grill. Garfield has used it for bacon and eggs, and even pancakes.
Once you are done grilling, the sheet is easily washable and able to use over and over at your next barbecue.
"It's about $15, but this lasts almost a lifetime," Garfield said.
There are hundreds of grilling utensils on the market, but you might just need one.
A company called Quirky takes people's ideas and puts them to fruition, and that's what they did with the Grill Wrangler. For $29.99, you can purchase the all-in-one utensil and clean out the kitchen drawer.
"This is not only a spatula, it's also tongs, and it's also a fork, and all in one. Instead of going out and buying an entire set of grilling utensils, you've got one handy device," Garfield said.
Blueberry Trifle dessert recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of Bauli Pandoro, cubed
- 1 1/2 cups Blueberry Greek Yogurt
- 3/4c light whip cream
- 3 1/2 c blueberries
Instructions:
1. Whip a light heavy cream to stiff peaks and stir in some Chobani yogurt.
2. In a dish or glass, layer one-third cream and yogurt mixture, cut one slice of Bauli Pandoro into 1/2 inch cubes and add in half of the blueberries. Repeat and top with remaining cream and yogurt mixture.
3. Chill 30 minutes or overnight before serving.
