Grilling is a cooking method that's widely appreciated by health-conscious diners. The browning and charring a grill gives to foods provides deep, rich flavors and minimizes the need for salt and other seasonings. It doesn't require the use of a cooking fat, and, in fact, will cook out much of the fat that naturally occurs in a food. If you're in the mood for a steak, and don't feel like standing out in the weather at your barbecue, an indoor grill such as Kitchen Selections' Grill Mate is a good option.
Basic Design
Indoor grills follow two basic patterns. One type is flat, and reproduces the design of an outdoor grill. The other type is a clamshell design, consisting of a base unit and a hinged lid, each of which has a cooking surface. The cooking surfaces are ridged, to produce markings similar to those from a real grill, and also to allow fat to run off during cooking. The Grill Mate is an example of the second type of indoor grill.
Basic Usage
The Grill Mate and other clamshell designs work differently from a standard, flat grill. The important consideration with a Grill Mate is that the food is cooked from both sides simultaneously, making it a very efficient cooker. You won't need to turn your steaks as you normally would during cooking, though you might want to rotate them at a 45-degree angle to create attractive cross-hatched grill marks.
Selecting Your Steak
The Grill Mate cooks very quickly, so you'll need a tender steak. Any of the premium steaks such as rib steak, strip, porterhouse or fillet are ideal. Top sirloin is also suitable, though other sirloin cuts are generally too chewy. Select steaks that are three-quarter inch to one inch thick, since thinner steaks will not cook properly and thicker steaks will not allow the grill to close. Cook no more than a pound to 1 1/4 pounds of steaks at a time, or the juices will prevent the steaks from searing properly.
Cooking Your Steak
Marinate the steak ahead of time if you wish, or season it with salt and pepper immediately before cooking. Plug in the Grill Mate five to 10 minutes before you wish to cook, so it can preheat adequately. Position your steaks near the outer edges of the cooking surface, where the temperature is highest. Close the lid and grill for four to six minutes, for medium rare, or eight to 10 minutes for medium-well to well. Let the steaks rest under a loose covering of aluminum foil for five minutes before serving.
Posted in: Cooking Style