Nowadays, with all the different models of grills available, everyone is able to find exactly what they want and serve beautifully cooked barbecue food. For real enthusiasts, barbecuing is not just about grilling meat – fish and vegetables are equally tasty too. Depending on which model you choose, you can also cook au gratin, roast and even stew your food.
If for you a barbecue conjures up charcoal and flames, then you’ll need to go for the traditional models which are the most popular by far. They come in all sizes and with all price tags. For traditional barbecues, there’s the rectangular four-leg model, the giant tripod barbecue where the grill hangs freely over the charcoal and the famous kettle barbecue invented by Weber® and which continues to set the standard.
Alongside these traditional wood or charcoal barbecues, with their varying degrees of sophistication, there are also gas barbecues. With the gas system, the key words are easy control and convenience. You switch them on by simply pressing a button and after 10 minutes you can start cooking. Most gas barbecues have been designed to be used safely under an awning, a garden tent, pergola or parasol.
Where we live, it’s the norm not to rely on good weather. After enjoying lovely sunshine all week long, when you invite the family for a barbecue on Saturday evening that’s precisely when the heavens decide to open. Typical but not a complete disaster! With an electric barbecue, you are no longer dependent on the weather, although of course it’s more fun if the sun is out.
You’ll be won over by how easy it is to use and maintain an electric barbecue. The grill can be cleaned in your dishwasher. Using non-stick plates, you can produce a wonderful barbecue without having to scrub off carbonised fat residues afterwards. Another advantage and – it’s a considerable one – there’s no smoke or smell, which isn’t to be ‘sniffed’ at if you have neighbours close by! A whole new generation of electric barbecues are gaining in popularity: with Weber® iGrill technology you can cook your food to perfection with assistance via your smartphone or tablet.
Golden Barbecue Rules
To avoid any disasters, when you are barbecuing you must stick to a few basic principles since accidents with barbecues can cause burns. So please be very careful indeed when you are barbecuing food.
For all types of barbecues there is one fundamental rule: keep children away from the source of heat. And never leave your barbecue unattended. If you are using a charcoal barbecue, always ensure that the grill is as stable as it can possibly be. Place it on completely flat ground in a spot sheltered from the wind so that you can light it more easily and the smoke doesn’t inconvenience your guests. Once you’ve heated up your barbeque, you can’t move it anywhere else.
And What About Our Health?
The real danger from cooking on barbecues is the risk of getting burnt. However, critics like to point out that cooking this way creates benzopyrenes: carcinogenic molecules. Such substances are indeed found in foodstuffs, but in minute quantities. You should prevent your food from coming into direct contact with the flames and avoid eating any parts of your food which are charred and blackened.
Although it won’t give your food that typical wood fire taste, health wise there are several benefits from cooking with a gas barbecue: you can use a grill or plancha, you can control the heat to avoid burning your meat to a cinder, etc.
As far as keeping an eye on your waistline goes, barbecuing ticks the right boxes as you can cook without fat. You don’t need to add any oil as you do with a frying pan. As you can cook with a wide choice of foods, you can ring the changes with your menus. As well as meat, fish and poultry are really delicious grilled.
So is barbecuing good for our health? In its defence, let’s just mention that a barbecue is the ultimate stress-free meal. It stands for summertime, for holiday time, for being able to take life easy – in itself it’s a kind of celebration… so why deprive ourselves?
At our La Belle Etoile, Bascharage, Howald and Diekirch Cactus hobbi, fans of charcoal, gas and electric grill barbecues will find everything one could possibly want for barbecuing with all the leading benchmark brands and a whole range of handy, innovative accessories: utensils, replacement grills and so on… as well as the very best expert advice.