TigerChef

Picnics are the way to go! However, foods can spoil easily and faster than you think in the hot summer outdoors, where bacteria tend to flourish. Some tips on how to keep your food and yourself healthy and safe.

1. Keep all perishable food in the refrigerator or freezer at no more than 40°F prior to leaving on your trip. The last thing you should do before leaving on your trip is to pack up the foods, directly from the refrigerator and freezer, into the coolers. Keep the meat, poultry, and seafood frozen so that they stay colder longer.
2. The best way to pack your cooler is to place the raw meat, poultry and seafood at the bottom of the cooler, wrapped in bags or in sealed containers, to avoid juices from spilling on other foods.
3. Never place cooler in the trunk of a car since trunk temperatures can climb up to 150°F or higher on a hot summer day. Make sure to place coolers in an air-conditioned area of the car or van.
4. Once at your picnic area, ensure that your coolers are kept in the shade at all times. Limit the amount of times that the cooler is being opened. It would be best to have two separate coolers, one for the drinks and snacks, and the second for the real food so that the one holding the food isn’t constantly being opened and closed, allowing the hot air into the cooler. ...continue reading
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For some reason or another, potato salad has become a summer outdoor staple. No barbeque or picnic can be complete without a great potato salad side dish. Here’s a potato salad with a twist that is healthier and lighter than the traditional one. It is great at any meal, but especially lovely besides lamb or veal.

Ingredients:

6 Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled
8 radishes, thinly sliced
½ medium onion, thinly sliced
1 ½ c cooked peas
2 hard-boiled eggs, in wedges
3 Mediterranean cucumbers, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons fresh dill, sliced

Dressing:

¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup packed parsley
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes ...continue reading

With temperatures reaching close or in the triple digits, the great outdoors is the preferred cooking spot over the kitchen. Here are some grilling tips to help you perfect your grilling experience.

• In addition to adding flavor to your dish, marinating also serves as a meat tenderizer, breaking down the fibers in the meat, giving it that ‘melt in your mouth’ texture. Adding something acidic, such as lemon juice, soy sauce, vinegar, an alcoholic beverage, coke, etc. to your marinade, will help tenderize the meat as well. The longer your meat marinates, the more buttery your meat will be.
• Although most people freak out when I tell them about trimming some fat off the outer edges of the meat to avoid charring, once they try it, they thank me. You want to serve juicy meats, not charcoaled ones and trimming the fat will do just that. You cut down on the flair-ups and the dripping fatty mess.
• Having to scrub burned food off the grill rack is one heck of a pain. It is actually quite impossible to get that rack looking like new. Using oil on the grill before placing your meat on will do you a lot of good. Slice an onion in half, fill a bowl with some oil, ...continue reading
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Coleslaw is a staple for every summer meal, especially for barbeques and picnics. Since I love coleslaw, I was on a mission to find the most awesome coleslaw recipe ever! You know the ones that taste store bought, but are actually homemade? I must have gone through about 23 recipes until I came across this one. Mission finally accomplished:)

Ingredients:

1 bag Dole Classic Coleslaw
Salt
1/3 cup sugar
3 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
 

Directions:

Pour coleslaw into a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Combine remaining ingredients, and pour dressing over coleslaw. ...continue reading

Grilling salmon or vegetables on an outdoor grill is scrumptious, to say the least. However, it can become quite challenging and messy. Consider investing in a grill pan with small holes that can be placed directly on the grill rack. It leaves you with the same big flavor without the mess of fish falling through the grates onto the fire.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon pepper
4 Alaskan salmon steaks – 1” thick
 

Directions:

Combine butter, sugar, garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, and pepper in a saucepan. ...continue reading

Memorial Day kicks off the start of the summer season and you know what summer means- barbequing! What can be worse than discovering that you just goofed up big time and all your guests are waiting to dig in? The following are the most common slip-ups that tend to happen at the most inconvenient times. Take heed to assure that your party is a smashing success!

• If you have a gas grill, running out of propane is your worst nightmare. Picture this: all your family and friends are gathered around waiting, your food is sitting on the grill, but your grill won’t light. Check to make sure that your gas tank is full or if you’re using a charcoal grill, that you have enough coal and matches to keep the grill going.
• For some reason or another, many people still use their kitchen utensils when grilling. If you’ve been using it until now and it has been working, then you’re one lucky guy. However, luck might not always be on your side, and if luck is not with you when family and friends are gathered around, then the last place I would want to be is in your shoes. Do make sure you have the proper grilling tools for you Memorial Day barbeque.
• When sugar is heated up, it melts and turns into a sticky mess. Since most sauces have sugar in them, it is important that you add the sauces over your meat only once your meat is just about done. Otherwise, the sugar in the sauce will melt causing it to stick to the grill and burn. ...continue reading
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Summer’s here! That means hot weather, mosquitoes and of course, barbeques! This terrific tasting grilled chicken and beef satay adds a nice twist to the regular barbeque. Dip it in to the peanut dipping sauce and now we’re talking! Makes a great party main dish or an appetizer!

1 ½ lbs tender beef, cut against the grain into 1/2” thick slices
1 ½ lbs chicken cutlet, cut against the grain into 1/2” thick slices
24 skewers

Marinade

1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
...continue reading