We’ve been experiencing a lot of late April snow and cold, but the BBQ has already been put to use. There’s nothing quite like a juicy, grilled-to-perfection steak. If you’re having trouble getting your steaks to look and taste like those at your favourite steakhouse, here are 6 simple steps to a perfect grilled steak:

1. Choose the right steak. Just because the steak is labelled ”good for grilling” doesn’t mean it is. You don’t want lean meat. You want a steak that has marbling throughout. The best cuts are: fillet (mignon), top loin (rib eye)—the same cuts you love in a restaurant.
2. Pre-heat the grill. A gas grill should be heated to high on one side and low on the other. If you are using charcoal, spread 2/3 of the briquettes on one side and 1/3 on the other. You will have a hot side for searing the meat and a “cool” side for cooking the meat.
3. Season the meat. Rub both sides of the steak with oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
4. Sear the steak. Start the meat on the hot side of the grill. Cook on each side for three minutes to get a nice grilled meat colour you love.
5. Move steak to cooler side. Here’s where you will bring the meat to the desired doneness: rare, medium-rare, etc. Check doneness by pressing a steak in the centre, says Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue! Bible. Then use your thumb, fingers, and the varying firmness of the base of your thumb as your guide. (See below)
   
6. Let the steak rest. When the steak is done, take if off the grill and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. This allows the juices to spread back out so that you’ll have a juicy steak with a nice crust.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
• 6 pounds of beef bones
• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 medium onions, quartered
• 2 cups water, plus more as needed
• 2 medium tomatoes,fresh or canned,
• 2 large carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 3 sprigs pf thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 coarse salt
• 8 whole peppercorns

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Put the oil in a roasting pan and heat briefly in the oven. Add the bones to the oil in the pan, toss to coat and roast for 35 minutes.
2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, leek, garlic and parsley to the pan tossing them all to coat with oil. Roast 30 minutes longer.
3. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the bones and vegetables to a clean stockpot. Drain off as much of the fat as possible.
4. Place the roasting pan over medium-high heat and add 2 cups of cold water and boil briefly. Scrape up all of the browned bits into the water.
5. Transfer the liquid to the stock pot and add enough cold water to cover. Bring slowly to a boil, skimming off all of the froth that forms. Lower the heat and add tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, cloves and salt. Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 hours adding water as necessary just to cover the ingredients, skimming as necessary.
6. Add peppercorns for the last 15 minutes.
7. Strain the liquid into a large bowl through a colander lined with a double layer of dampened cheesecloth. Gently press the solids to extract all of the liquid, and discard the solids.
8. Pour the stock into containers for storage and label and date them. The stock will “keep” for up to 3 days in a refrigerator, and up to 6 months in a freezer.

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Despite the challenges I face trying to keep the rest of my life organized, I don’t have the same problems in the kitchen. My pantry and tools are organized and labelled. I know where to find what I need, when I need.

If you have problems with kitchen organization, check out this LifeOrganizers.com article, 5 Steps to Running an Efficient Kitchen.

1. Have a grocery list. I keep mine on the refrigerator and write things down as I run out.
2. Create a weekly menu plan. I don’t do this so much. I try and keep a well stocked pantry and fridge allowing my to make what I’d like, with little forethought.
3. Cook ahead and freeze. I’m cooking for two and often increase the size of the dish for a second or even third meal.
4. Do advanced prep work. There’s a reason there’s a culinary term for this: mise en place.
5. Clean as you go. My wife picks up the burden of this task. If I’m working on my own, it all tends to get piled in the sink until I’m done.

Buy pre-made macaroni salad to save time in preparing a picnic. Don’t stop there: customize it to your taste. Add extra vinegar to perk up the flavour. Then get creative. Add more celery, parsley, red onion,  peas or scallions to give it freshness. Finally, add something salty, like pitted kalamata olives or pieces of crisp fried bacon and it becomes a special dish you’ll be proud to share.

There’s no need to memorize or guess at cooking times, heat levels, and compatible flavours. This handy printable chart eliminates the fuss of grilling. (Times are approximate and meant for lid-on cooking.)

Cooking with Both Direct and Indirect Heat
If you have a gas grill, turn one burner on medium (direct heat) and another on low (indirect heat). With charcoal, pile smoldering coals at the ends of the grill (direct) and arrange a single layer of coals in the middle (indirect). To impart those classic grill marks, place the steak or burgers over direct heat first, then transfer them to indirect heat, where they can finish cooking. Cook sausages entirely over indirect heat. Whatever you cook, keep the lid closed and don’t turn the meat obsessively — once is enough.

The Ultimate Grilling Guide | Summer Entertaining and Grilling Guide | Meals | 6 : RealSimple.com.

Seasoning Cast Iron

Seasoned Cast Iron can be considered the “grandfather” to today’s “non-stick” cookware. Cast Iron Cookware must be seasoned properly and it will last a life-time.

New Pans

1. Heat the oven to 250^o - 300^o
2. Coat the pan with lard or bacon grease. Don’t use a liquid vegetable oil because it will leave a sticky surface and the pan will not be properly seasoned.
3. Put the pan in the oven. In 15 minutes, remove the pan & pour out any excess grease. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for 2 hours.

Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger “seasoning” bond.

When you put the pan into service, use it initially for foods high in fat, such as bacon or foods cooked with fat, because the grease from these foods will help strengthen the seasoning.

Pans needing Re-Seasoning

If the pan was not seasoned properly or a portion of the seasoning wore off and food sticks to the surface or there is rust, then it should be properly cleaned and re-seasoned.

1. Remove any food residue by cleaning the pan thoroughly with hot water and a scouring pad. I understand that heating the pan first to a temperature that is still safe to touch helps open the pores of the metal and makes it easier to clean.
2. Dry the pan immediately with dish towel or paper towel.
3. Season the pan as outlined above.

Caring for Cast Iron Cookware

Seasoning a cast iron pan is a natural way of creating non-stick cookware. And, like you cook and clean the modern non-stick cookware with special care to avoid scratching the surface, your cast iron cookware wants some special attention too.

• Clean the cookware while it is still hot by rinsing with hot water and scraping when necessary. Do not use a scouring pad or soap (detergent) as they will break down the pan’s seasoning.
• Never store food in the cast iron pan as the acid in the food will breakdown the seasoning and the food will take on a metallic flavour.
• Store your cast iron cookware with the lids off, especially in humid weather, because if covered, moisture can build up and cause rust. Should rust appear, the pan should be re-seasoned.

Food Network Canada has added a new section to the video centre of their website. They’ve posted 40 videos covering a broad range of cooking techniques. (Hoping to have 100 videos by summer’s end.)

Each video follows this format: a definition of the technique being shown, the tools needed and a demonstration of the technique. The clips range from 30 seconds to about 3 minutes in length.

Click the Technique 101 tab on the Video Section at Food Network Canada You could make it a summer project to develop one new cooking technique every day.

To slice an herb or leaf vegetable into thin ribbons. This is easy to accomplish by stacking then rolling the leaves and slicing.

• 2 Ingredients, 2 Recipes, 4 Meals – Here’s a couple of recipes using pork and green beans.
• Curry pastes – A necessary ingredient in a Perfect Pantry.
• Honey Glazed Lemon Roast Chicken Recipe – A simple and delicious recipe for roast chicken.
• What Do 300 Calorie Meals Look Like? – Pictures to give a visual sense of what a 300 calorie meal looks like.
• The Top 5 Brain Health Foods – Good quality dark chocolate and coffee. How can you go wrong?
• Best of Panama 2007 – the best of the 2007 brain food (coffee) from Panama.
• Roasting coffee with a popcorn popper – How most of us get started roasting.
• Chicken with Apples and Raisin Couscous – a Moroccan style dish.