Happy Fourth!

By Sandy Hu

The Fourth of July falling midweek this year is a bit inconvenient since we can’t hook it easily to the weekend. If you have people over to celebrate, there’s no free day in advance to prepare, nor a day afterwards to recover.

But I’m glad we, as a country, haven’t tried to turn this sacrosanct holiday into a three-day weekend for our own convenience, as we have other holidays like Memorial Day. I believe we should honor the day for its meaning; not for our barbecues. Memorial Day to me will always be May 30 and a holiday in remembrance of our war dead; not the last Monday in May and the kickoff to summer.

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The Secret To Great Grilling

By Katie Barreira

Start the grilling season out right with this heady rule of thumb from Elizabeth Karmel, executive chef at Hill Country Barbecue in New York City. Her secret? Oil the food and not the grates.

Anyone who has left a pan of oil over the burner for too long knows that oil will burn (especially olive oil, which has a lower smoke point than the vegetable and nut varieties.) And when it does, it makes a smoky, rancid, sticky mess.

When grilling, it’s important to get the grill nice and hot before cooking, but oil applied to nicely preheated grates will burn almost immediately, creating a film that actually creates, rather than prevents, sticking. On the other hand, coating the food itself with a thin layer of oil makes a non-stick barrier that keeps all the natural juices sealed in during cooking, so that food stays moist and flavorful.

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