Hello my Foodie Friends!
Creating our favorite meat and vegetable dishes on our grills becomes an art of being the “grill master.” Cooking outdoors can be a time to create wonderful and healthy dishes using your favorite olive oil or cooking oil. Spraying oil on your vegetables, fish, and meat can be a method of adding flavor, sealing in moisture and adding nutrition to your product.
As a child, I can recall the moment my father exclaimed to me; “The time has come for you to help me with the grilling.” Cooking outdoors was the only time my father contributed to the cooking job of the household. He did consider himself the “subject matter expert” of cooking foods on his much beloved outdoor grill.
The use of oil was always the first step my father used to prep the grill grate. One of the first outdoor cooking tasks my father empowered me with was the spraying of the grill. He handed me what looked like a spray bottle that was filled with olive oil to lightly spray on the rack to help prevent the product from sticking.
As you know from my previous writings, I am the eldest of three boys (who always found some type of mischievous actions to encounter). With clear direction, my father patiently showed me how to lightly apply the oil to the heated grill grates. With confidence that I would perform the job well, he left me to go inside to get the vegetables and beef that we would be adding to the grill. As my father handed me the sprayer, I assured him that I was “the man for the job.” I did begin with good intentions as I began to repeat the exact motions my father displayed with the spraying of the oil. What I soon realized was that the spray bottle was a lot of fun. Doing some unique dancing, I creatively continued to apply the oil with swinging motions spraying in various directions with pizzazz. As I was enjoying myself, my two other brothers looked on with curiosity and envy. They both soon approached me spurring the temptation that was too great to avoid spraying them. Before I realized what had overtaken me, the spray bottle in my hand had fully saturated both of my brothers with oil in their hair and clothes. My father soon returned taking the spray bottle out of my hands in a split second that flashed before my eyes. At this point – I think you can guess where I spent the remainder of my day.
The use of oil misters and spray bottles is a small item that can be used to spray or atomize oil to add flavor, control, fat, and eliminate the environmentally unfriendly factors of aerosol sprays. An oil mister and sprayer is refillable adding a stylish gadget to your kitchen. The can come in a pump mister or a spray bottle design. Both will give you a fine mist that can be sprayed across your product while it is cooking.
One of the designs we carry is the EVO oil spray bottle. It is an award winning non-aerosol sprayer designed by Michael Graves Design Group. It is a BPA FREE bottle that has a comfortable ergonomic trigger making it easy to use. The spray head creates a fan-shaped mist that allows you to evenly coat the surface of pans, food, or your grill.
Sprayers and misters allow you to buy your favorite cooking oils in bulk to refill your sprayer. This is an excellent way of controlling flavor, calorie content, and managing your nutrition.
If you are in Saratoga Springs come by Compliments to the Chef located at 33 Railroad Place to pick up the EVO oil sprayer or other spray misters we have available. We also have an assortment of grilling tools and accessories. Have fun cooking the fabulous vegetables that are being sold in the markets nearby. This is a great time of the year to be outdoors and to have fun cooking.
Remember Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen” or outdoors on your favorite grill. Have FUN (and let the children help even if they seem to get a bit creative with the gadgets)!!
Take Care,
John & Paula
