I knew that spring had officially arrived when four of the 50+ tulip bulbs I planted last fall bloomed. Carol also recently reminded me it was time to clean off the grill.

Last week, I met with Alan Miller, manager of Ace Hardware on Wabash Ave. in Springfield and head grill purchaser for the Central Illinois Ace stores. They have a great selection of grills and accessories.

I find it interesting that Traeger, famous for their wood pellet grill, now offers a gas model. Weber, famous for charcoal and gas, now has a pellet grill. 

For 2023, Weber is offering a new, small, electric grill and griddles. Weber’s new LUMIN electric grill is a highly versatile, multifunctional grill. It is designed for those with limited outdoor space and desiring the delicious flavors of grilling. Since it is electric, it allows grilling where charcoal and gas grills are not permitted. It reaches high heat temperatures of more than 600°F/315°C. With its smoke mode, you can Infuse vegetables and proteins with rich, smokey tastes. Claims for the new grill include “clean-up is a breeze with a front-access grease tray and dishwasher-friendly, porcelain-enamel cast iron cooking grates.” The grill comes in a variety of vibrant colors, including “Ice Blue, Deep Ocean Blue, Golden Yellow, Seafoam Green, Black and Crimson.”  

The new, stand-alone Weber Griddle is ideal for outdoor cooks who love the versatility, convenience and expanded menu options that griddle cooking provides. Their griddle features specially engineered burner technology that delivers powerful, even heat and can reach temperatures of 500°F/260°C and higher.

When we designed the state-of-the-art culinary labs at Lincoln Land Community College, we included induction cooktop units. An induction cooktop is a special type of electric cooktop that generates energy from an electromagnetic field below the glass cooktop surface, which then transfers current directly to special magnetic cookware. It is fast and maintains an exact temperature-great for tempering chocolate. An induction stove is five to 10 percent more energy-efficient than conventional electric stoves and about three times more efficient than gas stoves. And unlike gas, it’s better for indoor air quality.  They have a built-in safety feature. If you turn on an induction burner with no pot on it by mistake, it won’t get hot. That’s because the heat is created from within the cookware itself; as soon as you remove it from a burner, the heating stops. For 2023, Traeger introduces an induction feature. Rather than a side burner, some of their models now offer an induction cooktop feature. 

Anything you can cook on a gas grill; you can cook on a Traeger wood pellet grill. Traeger grills let you grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise and barbecue on one grill. Traeger Wi FIRE® TECHNOLOGY allows users to monitor and control the grill from anywhere, anytime by using the Traeger App. Whether on the couch or on the go, WiFIRE allows for the adjusting of grill temperatures, monitoring food, setting timers and alerts and browsing over 1,600 wood-fired recipes, all right from your smartphone. The grill can be controlled hands free via an Alexa® or Google Home® device using voice command. New Traeger features are:

• SET-IT-AND-FORGET-IT® – Their sleek colorful touchscreen interface brings new ease through intuitive control and makes setting your cooking temperature as easy as turning on an oven.
• The P.A.L. Pop-And-Lock® Accessory Rail allows you to arrange extra shelves, tool hooks, storage bins and roll racks.
• NO-HASSLE CLEAN UP – The EZ-Clean™ Grease and Ash Keg makes cleaning a Traeger grill simpler than ever; grease and ash now collect in one easily accessible place for no-hassle post-cook cleanup.
• NEVER RUN OUT OF FUEL UNEXPECTEDLY – The Traeger Pellet Sensor alerts when pellets are low so there will never be an instance of running out of pellets and the food will always be fueled by all-natural hardwood pellets for incredible flavor.

Besides traditional grills, very popular are pizza makers. Many are portable and popular for tailgating. New for Ooni is their Karu 16. It offers the ability to use gas, wood or charcoal. This Ooni allows you to go from zero to 950°F / 500°C in just 15 minutes and creates a stone-baked pizza in just 60 seconds. The Karu 16 is very versatile and according to its literature, you can also prepare seared Tomahawk steaks or a flame-roast a leg of lamb.

For my Green Egg Cult readers, there is a new pizza wedge. The Pizza Oven Wedges create a traditional brick oven setup with an accessible front opening that makes quick work of sliding pizzas in and out of the EGG. The front opening allows you to monitor pizzas, breads or other baked goods as they cook. With the wedges in place, the EGG temperature holds for hours where you set it, in a range from 400°F/204°C to 700°F/370°C.

Do you have a grilling basket? Ever wanted to grill a bunch of asparagus but were worried the skinny stalks would end up in the coals instead of on your plate? Or thought about tackling a side of salmon but were too scared to lose half the fish during the big flip? Then you need a grilling basket.  There are two main types: hinged, two-sided (sometimes flexible) baskets and perforated baskets with raised sides and open tops (also called grill woks). Tips: To prevent grilled food from clinging to the basket, be sure to oil it or coat it with nonstick cooking spray before cooking. For grilling fish, I recommend a stainless-steel fish turner.     

My thanks to Alan at Ace for assisting with this article. Enjoy your grilling this year and remember “Nobody has friends over to microwave!”

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.