7 Common Grilled Chicken Mistakes

And 10 Awesome Recipes!

Photograph by Marcus Nilsson

From Bon Appetit

Even though it’s a cookout classic, chicken can be tough to get right on the grill. How do you know when it’s done? When should you slather on sauce? What temperature should you cook it at? We consulted the good people of the BA Test Kitchen for solutions to the most common mistakes people make. Read on to crown yourself the king or queen of chicken on barbie. –Danielle Walsh

Not Starting with a Good Bird
It should be antibiotic and hormone free at the very least. If the yardstrutter was raised right, then chances are that it will taste good.

Forgetting the Seasoning
Make sure you sprinkle it with salt and pepper before you throw it on the grill.

Cooking it at Too High a Temperature
If you cook the chicken on too hot a grill, the skin will burn before the flesh cooks. Medium-low is the best temperature on a charcoal grill, and medium on a gas grill. This way, you’ll crisp the skin and avoid flare-ups.

Drying Out Skinless, Boneless Chicken
Dark meat on the bone is more flavorful and will stay juicier on the grill. But if you’re cooking skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cook them on medium for a charcoal grill and medium high for a gas grill. Just watch it carefully and take it off a minute before it’s cooked through (the heat will carry-over the cooking as it rests).

Not Keeping an Eye On It
You’ll notice as you cook that some areas on your grill brown the food faster than others. You have to move the chicken around and turn it until the pieces are cooked evenly. You can tell the cool spots by putting your hand over the grill. It’s also ideal to set up for a two-zone fire (on a charcoal grill, push coals over to one side, or on a gas grill, keep one burner turned off) so there’s a definite cool area to move the chicken to if the skin is cooking too fast before the flesh is finished.

Not Using a Meat Thermometer
It’s the most precise way of telling if the chicken is done. The perfect internal temperature is 165 degrees for dark meat, 160 degrees for white. If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, you can always do a little cut into the middle to check that it’s just about opaque in the center. With bone-in pieces, if you insert a small knife to the bone and juices run clear, you are good. If they are still pink, let it go a little longer.

Slathering On the Sauce Too Soon
Baste last! Apply any sugary glazes towards the end of cooking. Put it on too soon and it will burn.

–Hunter Lewis and Janet McCracken

Now get grillin’.  HERE are ten of our favorite grilled chicken recipes.

Coconut Flour – Something Different to Bake With

from Restoring Wellness

Coconut flour is a great gluten-free alternative flour.  I’ve been baking with coconut flour for several years, mainly because of its low-carbohydrate nature.  Plus, I’ve enjoyed the creativity others have put into developing tasty recipes.  Besides being a nice alternative to wheat flour, coconut flour has many benefits.

• Low in carbohydrates
• High in fiber
• Rich in protein
• Very filling

Keep in mind that since coconut flour is not grain based and contains no gluten, it does not perform like wheat flour.  Because coconut flour is very absorbent, only small amounts are used.  Sifting coconut flour is a good idea because it tends to clump.  And lastly, coconut flour is dry so any recipe you see will require lots of eggs.

I have bought coconut flour at Whole Foods but I’ve found it less expensive to order online.

Tropical Traditions – they also have hundreds of recipes using coconut flour

Wilderness Family Naturals

Bob’s Redmill

Sweet Recipes

Chocolate Cupcakes

Fudgy Brownies

Chocolate Cake & Cupcakes

Anytime cookies

Pancakes

Blueberry Muffins

Bread

Coconut Flour Bread from Nourished Kitchen

Cake with Coconut Frosting

Strawberry Muffins with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Red, White, & Blue Cupcakes

Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

Coconut Flour Cake from Nourished Kitchen

Spiced Apple Muffins

Banana Bread

Cranberry Walnut Bread

Miscellaneous coconut flour recipes

Wood Butter – A Recipe for Your Utensils!

by CREATIVE CULINARY

Several months ago Wendi with Bon Appetit Hon, did a post on Wood Butter; like you I had a moment of Huh? What? Well, typically called Spoon Oil, Wendi had decided that Wood Butter fit better and I agree; leave it to another food person to put the perfect name on this elixir that is so simple but so perfect for the care of the wood items we use in the kitchen. A necessity but also a bit indulgent…yes, butter is perfect! We need to take special care of our wood kitchen items in Denver due to the low humidity in our environment and I can be as lax as the next person. Making your own ‘wood butter’ makes it simple and inexpensive too.

Though Wendi had to find an online resource for the beeswax part of the magic, I was lucky to find a local resource. Redi-Arts carries it here in Jacksonville.

The process is easy but can be messy. Most ‘recipes’ include heating the wax in a mid size Ball jar in hot water and adding warmed mineral oil to the wax once it is melted. I preferred using a large glass measuring cup with a pour spout as I was going to be pouring the combined liquid into a whole bunch of small jars. I also used a funnel just for canning and it worked perfectly. The only negative to this method is the removal of the wax from the measuring cup and funnel. I decided since I’ll be doing this again, I’ll just save those two utensils just for this process and candle making and not worry about the residue layer that remained inside each.

What better way to show you the magic of Wood Butter than a Before and After photo. Totally untouched, promise. Everything in this photo has been treated with an application of wood butter including the bottom board. Simply apply a bit to a paper towel or a piece of cheesecloth and rub a dollop onto the surface until it’s rubbed in. The bowl in front was an inexpensive one I purchased from World Market and it was apparently never supposed to touch water. It did, I thought it ruined but ‘the butter’ did the trick. I found the wooden rolling pin at a yard sale and can’t believe the difference myself. All of my cutting boards have a renewed luster; in fact they seem new again. It is not a sage compound butter but it is a miracle butter!

Millie; I NEVER use mineral oil, it’s a petroleum product and highly carcinogenic.  Replace the mineral oil in this tutorial with coconut oil (I also eat it and use it on my skin!)… You CAN skip the beeswax and just use coconut oil but the beeswax offers  more protection.  Remember; NEVER put your wooden utensils in the dishwasher!  Do not leave them in the dish water either…

For Instructions and Full Post…

Keep Your Knives Out of the Utensil Drawer to Keep Them Sharp and Happy

From Lifehacker

BY ALAN HENRY

If you keep your cooking knives in a drawer with the rest of your utensils, you may be doing some serious damage to them, partially because they’re rattling around in there and bumping up against other utensils, and partially because they’re running into corners and the sides of your cabinets. In addition to keeping them sharp and well-honed, getting them out of that cabinet will drastically improve their longevity.

Over at Kitchen Daily, they run down a list of common knife storage and cleaning mistakes that could be inadvertently dulling your blades, but keeping them in the utensil cabinet is one of the bigger ones we can see more people doing, especially if you don’t have a block to keep them in. They even have a great shot of a damaged knife that was improperly stored to prove the point. So what do you do? We’ve already discussed why you should skip block sets and buy one or two good knives instead, but if you have loose blades, how do you keep them if you don’t put them in a drawer?

You could always pick up some knife sleeves or a knife roll if you have to keep them in the drawer, or store them on the wall with a DIY magnetic knife strip. If you have a block, you can always try turning the blades upside down to keep them from dulling as you remove and replace them. How do you store your knives? Let us know in the comments.

How To Care For Kitchen Knives: 6 Common Mistakes | Huffington Post

My Favorite Tips/Practices in the Kitchen

Most important; Shoes off, music on, favorite beverage in hand — enjoy your time in the kitchen.

1)  USE a spatula- the single most important tool in your kitchen to avoid waste…many people do not take the time to get the last bit of mayo or sauce or even cookie dough out of the bowl…

2)  When you’re browning meat, you should blot the surface dry with a paper towel so the meat doesn’t release moisture when it hits the hot oil. Too much moisture makes the meat steam instead of sear, and you will lose that rich brown crust.

3)  After working with garlic, rub your hands vigorously on your stainless steel sink for 30 seconds before washing them. It will remove the odor.

4)  After making eggs sunny-side up, deglaze the pan with sherry vinegar, or beef or chicken stock then drizzle the sauce on the eggs to add another dimension to the dish.

5)  Remember schmaltz? Your mom and grandmother probably used a lot of it in their home cooking. Schmaltz, or chicken fat, has a great flavor and richness; it has a deeper flavor than duck fat and can be used on nearly everything. I also love poaching fish in it. Just make sure you are using organic chickens…otherwise it’s better to not eat the fat…too toxic.

6)  Always season meat and fish evenly; sprinkle salt and pepper as though it’s “snowing.” This will avoid clumping or ending up with too much seasoning in some areas and none in others.

7)  For best results when you’re baking, leave butter and eggs at room temperature overnight.

8)  For an easy weeknight meal, save and freeze leftover sauces from previous meals in ice cube trays. The cubes can be reheated in a sauté pan when you need a quick sauce.

9)  Instead of placing a chicken on a roasting rack, cut thick slices of onion, put them in an oiled pan, then place the chicken on top. The onion will absorb the chicken juices. After roasting, let the chicken rest while you make a sauce with the onions by adding a little stock or water to the pan and cooking it for about 3 minutes on high heat.

10)  A braised or slow-roasted whole beef roast or pork shoulder can be made into several dishes and sandwiches all week.

11)  Fresh basil keeps much better and longer at room temperature with the stems in water.

12)  When you grill, or pan fry, pull your steaks out of the refrigerator one hour ahead of time so they can come to room temperature.

13)  To optimize the juice you get from a lemon or lime, roll it hard under your palm for a minute before juicing.

14)  Don’t be afraid to ask the butcher or fishmonger to see the products up close and to smell for freshness. Fish should never smell fishy.

15)  When baking cookies, be sure your dough is thoroughly chilled when it goes on your baking pan. This will allow the leavening ingredients to work before the butter flattens out and your cookies lose their textural distinctions

16)  Wash potatoes after you peel them, they will be way easier to peel when dry.

Almond Shortbread Cookies

Makes 8.
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1 tablespoon arrowroot
1/4 cup sliced almonds (about 1 ounce)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place 9-inch-diameter metal pie pan in freezer to chill. Combine butter, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in processor. Blend until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add flour and arrowroot. Using on/off turns, process until dough clumps together. Press dough evenly onto bottom of chilled pie pan. Sprinkle almonds over dough, press almonds lightly into dough to adhere. Freeze until chilled, about 5 minutes.

Bake shortbread until edges are golden brown, about 22 minutes. Transfer pan to rack. Cut warm shortbread into 8 wedges; cool completely in pan.

(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.)

Mango Crème Brulee – Dairy Free and Decadent

Makes 6 Servings

• 2 cups Almond Milk
• 2 cup coconut Milk
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 10 Egg yolks
• 3/4 cup Sugar, granulated
• 1/2 cup Mango puree
• 2 T. Sugar, granulated

Method
Combine cream and vanilla in a saucepan. Scald and remove from heat. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Place egg yolks and sugar in mixing bowl, mix using wire whisk. Slowly incorporate cream into sugared egg yolks. Stir in mango puree and mix well. Do not over mix.

Pour mixture into Brule dishes or ramekins. Create a “bain marie” by placing filled brulee dishes in a deep baking pan and adding 1 inch of water to the same pan. Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees F for 1 hour. Remove and refrigerate overnight.

To serve sprinkle 1 tsp. sugar over each crème brulee. Glaze in top broiler or with small torch.