ANY A STOIC CHICAGOAN will gladly brave the coming winter cold for that smoky flavor only outdoor grilling can impart, and many others will gladly watch them from the warmth of an indoor kitchen.
If you are among the latter, indoor grilling can be a happy medium–or medium-rare.
Grill chefs note that the rising popularity of outdoor grilling has actually spurred a burgeoning indoor grilling industry that until a couple of years ago went strictly by the name of George Foreman.
More equipment choices and indoor grilling guides can have you turning out perfect, caramelized cross marks on chicken breasts while keeping your precious buns warm all winter long.
“If you can eat it, you can grill it,” said Elizabeth Karmel, a Chicago grilling expert and author of “Taming the Flame.” Having recently tested 16 indoor grills, Karmel said that all will give “beautiful grill marks that are a big part of the allure, they’re pretty easy to cook with and clean, and you don’t need a lot of added fat. One thing you don’t get is the same smoky, grilled flavor, but three out of four isn’t bad.”
Essentially, there are four ways to grill indoors: electric contact grills that heat from above and below and are perfect for burgers, Italian panini and Cuban pressed sandwiches; electric hibachi-style open grills that most closely approximate the outdoor experience; stove-top grill pans; and a newer category, stove-top grill pans with lids that act as sandwich presses.
Karmel, who made her name on the outdoor barbecue circuit, began teaching grilling indoors several years ago. She prefers grill pans for her own cooking.
She likes a customized setup developed when she was unhappy with indoor results: Start with a round, anodized aluminum, nonstick grill pan, which has raised ridges along the bottom for searing. Then add a domed lid that normally covers a deep chef’s pan.
The result, Karmel attests, is a pan that imparts beautiful grill marks and produces a nice sear, while the cover allows more hot air to rotate around the food–which is the secret to outdoor grilled flavor. For smaller and thinner cuts of meats and for vegetables, you can forgo the cover.
If you’re a beginner, the key is to start with a pan that is preheated–which is very important–on medium heat. You don’t want to cook on high heat, which won’t cook the food any faster and could ruin your pan.
Once you learn the basics, you can work on a level of finesse, Karmel said. Protein, for instance, sticks to hot surfaces when first being cooked, but if you’re patient, and coat the meat with a little olive oil, it will release itself. You only want to turn the food once, which sounds like common sense, until you realize that people have an almost innate tendency to move, poke and prod meat into shoe leather. Your steak, or other cut of meat, should rest at least five minutes after cooking to allow the flavorful juices to redistribute evenly.
Another grill pan aficionado, Jamee Ruth, wrote the concise and straightforward “Grill Pan Cookbook” after having an epiphany with grilled asparagus.
“Unlike a traditional grill, it doesn’t burn,” Ruth said. “The ridges sear the food and the little valleys in between collect moisture.”
Grill pans are great for vegetables, she added. A boneless breast of chicken also is superb, seasoned simply with some coarse salt and fresh pepper. Grilled four to five minutes on one side, turned for another three or four minutes, that breast will be the “juiciest piece of chicken you’ve ever eaten, with no added fat.”
In his indoor grilling book, “Raichlen’s Indoor! Grilling,” author Steven Raichlen adds countertop rotisseries, stove-top smokers and fireplaces to the mix.
A bit of an anthropologist, Raichlen noted that indoor grilling is really as old as man-kind itself, which has been confirmed by remnants of cave fires found near Beijing among the remains of Homo erectus, a cook who goes back about 1.8 million years.
In a repeat of that cave grilling, Italians are dusting off what are called Tuscan grills, made to fit into their fireplaces.
“Cooking in the fireplace is the closest thing to grilling over charcoal or wood out-doors,” Raichlen said. “The principle is pretty simple. You just build a good pile of embers and rake them under a Tuscan grill.” Raichlen said there is even a fireplace rotisserie now available, which makes an incredible leg of lamb or pork shoulder.
The stove-top rotisserie, he added, took him by surprise. He found that it was perfect for, say, quartered artichokes basted with garlic and parsley oil and spit grilled. He also quartered onions and basted those with balsamic vinegar.
Raichlen also has become a big fan of stove-top smokers, which he calls “elegant in their simplicity and effective in their design” for their ability to imbue food with the smoke flavor of authentic barbecue, often in 10 to 20 minutes. With sawdust or even hardwood pellets, he said, any cook can create intense hickory, cherry, apple or mesquite flavor.
“If I were to buy only one [indoor grill], chances are I’d buy a high-powered [electric] contact grill,” Raichlen said. “Or a cast-iron grill pan, but that can get smoky and hard to clean.”
Raichlen said that most people grill the same three or four dishes over and over and don’t have much room, so a good contact grill will be versatile and easy. More than 40 million Americans already own a Foreman contact grill, he added.
In 1995, when those now-ubiquitous grills first came on the market, Holly Rudin-Braschi, author of “Grill Power,” gave one a try. She was hooked on the ability to grill year-round and get food on the table fast. The downside, she found over time, was that many contact grills lacked the power to sizzle foods at very high and dry heat, so if you want to buy one, check those with a higher wattage and variable heat settings. The hottest electric grills available, she said, will range from 1,200 to 1,700 watts.
Rudin-Braschi finds that the two-sided contact grills keep the food juicy by preventing moisture evaporation while steaming the food. Deep grilling ridges can accomplish caramelized grill marks and the result can be healthier because fat drains off.
After the type of equipment you use, seasoning is the next important step.
Karmel has developed a “grilling trilogy” composed of salt, pepper and olive oil, which she uses in her training of chefs to showcase the inherent flavors of grilled food without masking them with thick rubs, marinades or sauces.
Once you have the technique down, she added, try adding some smoked paprika for outdoor flavor.
Chicagoan Kevin Appleton, executive chef at Robert Morris College, employs his own dry rub with garlic, onion, thyme, basil and other spices. He encourages home cooks to follow suit.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Get in there and experiment, have some fun.”
Testing the pans
We evaluated four popular grill pans in the test kitchen. Each pan was heated for 3 minutes over medium-high heat and then lowered to medium heat. (Instructions for the Batali pan suggested medium heat to cook steaks, chicken breasts and salmon fillets, but we raised the temperature when it didn’t produce distinctive grill marks on the first try.)
We assessed the pans’ searing capabilities by comparing the overall caramelized crust and the grill marks each produced. We cooked all the meat to the same internal temperature to determine how well and quickly the pans conducted heat. We judged ease of use by how well the pan performed and the ease of cleanup.
ALL-CLAD LTD NONSTICK
12-inch-round, $50
CALPHALON ONE INFUSED-ANODIZED NONSTICK
11-inch-square, $50
LODGE LOGIC PRESEASONED CAST-IRON
11 1/4 -inch-round, $14
MARIO BATALI GRILL PAN
11-inch-square with press, $80
What we found
The All-Clad and the Calphalon conducted heat very well, with the All-Clad producing better grill marks on the steaks. Both pans feature “stay cool” handles, so cooking was easier. They are both nonstick, so cleanup was a breeze.
The Lodge cast-iron pan retained its heat well and cooked the salmon more gently, thus keeping the fish moist. However, it produced the least distinctive grill marks and almost no crust on the steaks. The Lodge, like all cast-iron pans, should be cleaned with hot water (no soap) and wiped dry. It is a good low-cost option.
The Batali pan won the “wow” factor. Everyone who saw it wanted this pan. It is made of cast iron with an enamel exterior. It features a separate lid that can be used with the pan as a food press to make panini, grilled Italian sandwiches. The ridges of the Batali are wider, so the grill marks were less distinctive than those from the Calphalon or All-Clad pans. It did not cook as quickly as the Calphalon or All-Clad and is the only one labeled dishwasher-safe.
Our buying tips
-Look for grill pans in most department stores and cookware shops. We found the Mario Batali pan at Crate and Barrel. The other pans tested were ordered from Amazon.com.
-Look for a pan with a thick, heavy metal body that absorbs heat and distributes it evenly. Narrow ridges will produce cleaner grill marks.
-Buy a pan with an easy-care surface for quick cleanup.
Our cooking tips
-Always heat the grill at least 3 minutes before cooking, until the surface is hot but not super-heated–a superheated grill pan will burn the food’s exterior before it has cooked through.
-To prevent sticking, lightly oil the surface of the food. To avoid smoking, don’t oil the pan.
-Drain and pat dry marinated food so the marinade does not burn in the pan.
-If you want a crosshatch pattern, rotate each piece of food a quarter turn on each side.
–Lisa Schumacher
Keep it safe
Any time you cook, there’s a potential fire hazard, indoors or outdoors. Chief Joe Roccosalva, coordinator of fire awareness for the Chicago Fire Department, has some tips.
First, if you’re going to grill indoors, make sure you have good ventilation. Breathing smoke is not a good idea, and it can pervade your house for weeks if it stays on the premises. “Don’t bring your grill in from the out-doors, and believe me, people do that,” Roccosalva said. The resulting carbon monoxide can be a stealthy killer.
If you are buying a contact grill, look for the UL-approved stamp on it, which means your product has been laboratory tested for safety. Don’t overload your electric circuits (which is easy to do), don’t use extension cords and keep the kids well away.
If you do generate a kitchen grease fire, which is very common as the result of too-high flames and splatter, don’t panic, Roccosalva said. “You should always have a fire extinguisher nearby,” he said. “If you don’t, put the lid on the pan and that should do it.” An extinguisher with an ABC rating can be used on fires involving grease, paper towels, electrical appliances and other items commonly found in the kitchen.
Always have a smoke detector that works. The type isn’t as important as where you put it: namely, on a ceiling or high on an inside wall.
–Rick Asa
Grandma Jennie’s basic burgers
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Chilling time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
– Adapted from “Grill Power,” by Holly Rudin-Braschi.
1 egg or 2 egg whites, beaten, or 1/4 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup bread crumbs or finely crushed croutons
1/2 cup grated or finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh pressed garlic or garlic puree from a jar
1 pound ground meat such as beef, veal, pork, poultry
4 hamburger buns, split
Tomato slices, lettuce, onion slices, pickles, ketchup, mustard, low-fat mayonnaise, optional
1. Mix the egg, bread crumbs, onion, ketchup, mustard and garlic in a large bowl. Mix in the meat. Divide the mixture into fourths; lightly pat into 4 burgers, each about 3/4-inch thick. Cover; refrigerate 20 minutes.
2. Heat a grill pan over medium heat at least 3 minutes; place burgers on the grill. Cook 6 minutes; turn. Cook to medium doneness, about 6 minutes, or to desired degree of doneness.
Nutrition information per serving:
385 calories, 41% of calories from fat, 17 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 119 mg cholesterol, 31 g carbohydrates, 24 g protein, 484 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
Cumin-rubbed flank steak with chimichurri sauce
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
– Adapted from “Taming the Flame,” by Elizabeth Karmel.
Cumin rub and steak:
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon each: smoked or regular paprika, cumin seeds, coarse salt
1 flank steak, about 11/2 -2 pounds, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Chimichurri sauce and bread:
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped, about 2 cups
3/4 cup olive oil
3 to 5 cloves garlic, according to taste
3 tablespoons each: red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced shallot or onion
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette, thinly sliced
1. For rub, combine the garlic, paprika, cumin seeds and salt in a small bowl. Brush steak with oil; coat sides with rub.
2. Heat grill pan over medium heat. For chimichurri sauce, combine parsley, oil, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, shallot, salt, red pepper and black pepper to taste in a blender or food processor; pulse until well chopped but not pureed. Set aside.
3. Place the meat on the grill; cook 6 minutes. Turn; cook until an instant-read thermometer reads 160 degrees for medium, about 6 minutes. Remove; set aside, loosely covered with foil, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, spread the baguette slices with some of the chimichurri sauce; set aside.
4. Cut the steak across the grain into thin diagonal slices. Place a slice on each piece of bread; top steak with more of the chimichurri sauce. Serve hot or warm.
Nutrition information per serving:
730 calories, 54% of calories from fat, 44 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 43 mg cholesterol, 53 g carbohydrates, 30 g protein, 1,814 mg sodium, 5 g fiber
Victory chicken
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
– Steven Raichlen beat the Iron Chef on television with this recipe, adapted from “Raichlen’s Indoor! Grilling.”
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed
2 tablespoons barbecue rub, recipe follows
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
3/4 to 1 cup barbecue sauce
1. Heat the grill pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with the rub mixture on both sides, rubbing it onto the meat with your fingertips. Cover; refrigerate 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in liquid smoke, if using.
3. Arrange the chicken breasts on the grill on a diagonal to the ridges. Cook 2 minutes; baste with butter mixture. Turn chicken; cook 2 minutes. Baste. Cook chicken, turning as needed, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thick part of the breast registers 160 degrees, about 8 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter. Brush with any remaining butter; serve with barbecue sauce.
Nutrition information per serving:
189 calories, 42% of calories from fat, 9 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 66 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrates, 20 g protein, 961 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
Basic barbecue rub
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: About 3/4 cup
3 tablespoons each: sweet paprika, light or dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon each: garlic salt, onion salt, celery salt
1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, dried oregano
Whisk all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl; break up any lumps in the brown sugar with your fingers. Store, covered, in an airtight jar away from heat or light up to 6 months.
Nutrition information per tablespoon:
10 calories, 23% of calories from fat, 0.3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g carbohydrates, 0.4 g protein, 1,068 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
Smoked sausages with apple-fennel ‘sauerkraut’
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
– Adapted from “Taming the Flame,” by Elizabeth Karmel.
1 large fennel bulb and tops
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
5 tart apples such as Granny Smith, peeled, grated
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for buns
1/2 cup hard cider or apple juice
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
Freshly ground pepper
8 fully cooked smoked sausages
8 poppy seed hot dog buns or French rolls, split
Spicy brown or Dijon mustard
1. Trim off fennel stalks from bulb. Chop fennel fronds; reserve. Save stalks for another use. Cut bulb vertically into thin strips.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the fennel strips; cover. Cook until the fennel begins to wilt, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
3. Stir the grated apple and lemon juice into the fennel mixture. Add butter, stirring to mix well. Stir in the cider, reserved fennel fronds and caraway seeds. Cook until mixture is soft, about 5 minutes. Season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Remove from heat; set aside at room temperature to let the flavors mingle.
4. Heat the grill pan over medium heat; heat the broiler. Place the sausages on the grill; cook, turning occasionally to mark all sides of the sausage, until hot, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, brush insides of the buns with a little butter. Place buns cut side up on a baking sheet. Broil until lightly browned about 1 minute. Place 1 sausage and a generous spoonful of sauerkraut on each bun; serve with mustard on the side.
Nutrition information per serving:
491 calories, 52% of calories from fat, 28 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 39 g carbohydrates, 20 g protein, 1,535 mg sodium, 4 g fiber
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Sources for more grilling tips, recipes
If you’re new to indoor grilling, or are just looking for some new recipes, these Web sites will guide you every step of the way.
– grillpower.com
– girlsatthegrill.com
– barbecuebible.com
