Healthier Grill!

Sunday, September 5th, 2010

Chicken Out!
Chicken, too, loves the flavor of fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary or the smokiness of mesquite and hickory from wood chips soaked with water and added to the charcoal. Or you can tart chicken up with tomato-based sauces of ketchup, tomatoes, hot peppers, orange juice, and molasses. For a change, try a spice rub of minced garlic, oregano and parsley, moistened with a little olive oil and topped off with salt and pepper.

To lessen your risk, avoid eating any blackened or burnt parts of meats; trim excess fat and fatty poultry skin before grilling. You can also pre-cook meats and poultry in the oven or microwave, briefly finishing them on the grill so you get taste without toxins. Or try one of the grilled tinfoil packets already mentioned – you’ll get plenty of flavor without the blackening. And keep the marinades coming: One study found that marinades reduced the production of toxic chemicals. Although scientists aren’t sure why, they suspect the marinades draw out the chemical precursors of the toxins.

Go Fishing!
Begin by heading for the fish counter for some wild salmon, orange roughy or flounder. The American Heart Association suggests that we eat fish twice a week to reap the benefits of their heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Fish love a good basting with marinades and one of Susun’s Favorites is olive oil and minced fresh herbs like thyme, oregano or marjoram. Make the grilling brief, about 3-5 minutes per side (depending on the thickness). You can even make fish packets: a serving of fish on a sheet of tinfoil layered, say, with a few cherry tomatoes, basil, a sprinkling of olive oil, salt and pepper. Fold the foil into a packet, set on the grill for 10-15 minutes, and you’ve got dinner.

Hot weather food care.
Let’s face it: If you’re hot, your food is too. And food-borne illness loves nothing better than a hot summer day. To ensure that your food is safe, start by investing in a food thermometer to test the temperature of the meats you grill. Extreme heat destroys most microorganisms like E. coli that cause food-borne illness. Below are the temperatures needed to destroy dangerous microorganisms: 
145° – Beef, lamb and veal steaks and roasts, medium-rare.
160° – Ground meat; pork chops, ribs and roasts; egg dishes.
165° – Ground poultry; hot dogs.
170° – Chicken and turkey breasts.
180° – Chicken and turkey legs, thighs, wings and whole birds.
If you are in doubt about the safety of any foods, fresh or cooked, throw them out. Food-borne illness poses more of a risk for those who are young, old or who have medical conditions that compromise their immune system. Don’t give cooked meats a last splash of the marinade they were originally soaking in (and don’t reuse it in any way). If you want a last-minute basting, set aside a quarter cup or so that has never met raw meat. And as easy as it is to linger on the porch after dinner, rouse yourself long enough to put perishables – raw, marinating, or cooked – away. None should sit at room temperature for more than two hours.

Before you grill again, scrub the grate so your meat doesn’t pick up the cancer-causing chemicals, or carcinogens, left behind. But you can do that tomorrow. Tonight, kick back and enjoy.