Wanie Articles

Ginger — Not Just A Movie Star Stuck Forever In Reruns — But Also A Wonder Spice To Cook With

I would like to tell you a bit about a spice than many of you will probably NOT have in your kitchen spice rack — but one that you really should consider using more often.

Ginger.

Many of us only know ginger as the “flavoring” of ginger ale or ginger bread cookies — or as the movie star on Gilligan’s Island.

But ginger is a versatile spice that can be used in many cooking preparations and dishes. In particular the cuisines of the Indian Ocean “Spice Belt” make use of the wonderfully pungent flavor and aroma of ginger.

Fresh Ginger

Ginger is the rhizome – or root bulb – of a plant that grows abundantly in the tropics.

The flavor and aroma of fresh ginger is highly pungent and it is often described as feeling “hot” on the tongue. Not in the same class as chile peppers — more of a mild heat.

The root or rhizome has a knarled, knotty look – sorta like horseradish but with more “branches” off-shooting from the center stalk. In fact, it is often said that the whole thing resembles a strange alien-shaped hand — although how anyone would know what an alien hand looks like is beyond me.

When buying fresh ginger, look for a piece that is plump and firm and colored creamy or even white.

It is becoming easier to find jars of minced ginger. These will do in a pinch, but much of the flavor starts to go as soon as you grate or chop ginger, so these will never be as good as fresh.

Look for fresh roots from Jamaica or Bali for the very best taste.

Using Fresh Ginger

Here are a few hints and tips to using fresh grated ginger. To really explore the spice though, pick up a good Indian, Southeast Asia or Indian Ocean Spice Trail cookbook and start exploring. Ease into the taste with a recipe for something with fish or carrots and you will probably not be disappointed.

A small to medium pinch of grated ginger will make a dish taste “fresher” somehow and tends to lessen the overpowering “fishy” taste of certain strong sea foods. To fully experience the heat or pungency of ginger — in other words to get the full ginger taste — add a bit of freshly grated to the dish right before serving instead of cooking it in.

When peeling ginger, try using a spoon and just scrape off the skin instead of trying to peel it. You’ll find this is easier and produces much less if any waste.

Ground ginger or powder is a totally different beast and can be substituted for fresh in recipes very rarely if ever to get satisfactory results. Having said that, there are recipes that are best with dried, powdered ginger — like gingerbread men.

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Tags: Cooking
Posted in Gourmet cooking · July 16th, 2010 · Comments (0)

Weber BBQ Rotisserie – GrillingWithout Hurry

What’s much better than a rotisserie chicken? A rotisserie chicken cooked over charcoal on a Weber BBQ rotisserie Home-cooked food is usually much better than take-out and anything done on the rotisserie; ribs, chicken, turkey, is sure to be a treat. We grill out most nights in the summer as it helps maintain the inside of the house cool with no oven on and meals are a lot more like a picnic when we have them on the patio.

I’ve tried other rotisseries in the past but either they didn’t fit my kettle grill or the motor wasn’t strong sufficient or even the rotisserie would be off balance and jam. Weber appears to have solved these problems and created a rotisserie that’s set and forget. Once your coals are glowing the way you want them, set up the rotisserie and then all you need to do is establish your timer or thermometer and keep your stomach from growling too loudly in anticipation of a tasty dinner.

I particularly like rotisserie done over charcoal, which is why I always like to use my kettle grill for rotisserie. The Weber 2290 fits my 22-1/2 inch kettle grill just perfect with no requirement to prop or fuss getting the correct fit. It makes dinner so much easier when your tools work and you can set up and use them without any fuss or trouble.

A feature I truly like with this rotisserie is the counterbalance control. If the meat is too heavy for the rotisserie, it will stop with the heaviest weight on top. From there, you can adjust the counterbalance to the weight of the meat and the rotisserie will then turn at a steady pace cooking your dinner.

The motor on this rotisserie is also pretty quiet and quite heavy duty. I roasted a 15-pound turkey on it as a test run and following getting the counterbalance set, it ran without a dilemma. I never had to reset the counterbalance throughout the cooking time.

Cleanup is really a breeze as the 1-piece spit slides out of the motor and it and also the skewers can be wiped down with soap and water separately. I haven’t had anything burn or stick to them. The whole unit just gets hung up for your next use. Though I have to say it hasn’t been put away for long so farbecause the Weber BBQ rotisserie gets utilised so frequently.

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Tags: Weber BBQ rotisserie
Posted in Gourmet cooking · July 13th, 2010 · Comments (0)