Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Want Your Kids To Eat Well? Get ‘em Grilling!

Rebecca Bent is a woman after my own heart – a female Grillmeister. (Actually, that'd be a Grillmeistress, wouldn't it?) Here she shares a great tip for grilling or broiling steaks – just when you think you know it all, someone shows you something clever like this.



See if her story is similar to yours. I sure relate to it.

Like me, Rebecca adopted the grill at an early age. She was first drawn by the sheer theater, watching her father and Uncle Henry squabble over who was in control, swatting each other with their spatulas, laughing it up on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

She later realized tending the grill was a position of power. “Everyone’s watching and waiting for you…. There are some very basic rules to follow and if you master them, you are worshipped.”

The other thing she loves about grilling is that “Unlike cooking rice, grilling is interactive, it’s always a thrill, every detail - whether the meat, the wind, who will be eating it and their preferences - makes a difference.”

Finally, for Rebecca, cooking for others is not only a privilege – parents this is the key – it is also just plain fun. I just love the fact that Rebecca gets her girls out there with her in the kitchen doing prep or tending the grill (in the snow, too!)

So get out there with your kids, teach them what real food is (meat, vegetables, fruit are all great when grilled) and give them a respected skill on the way. If it takes a little extra coaxing, do what Rebecca does: make them heroes, today’s technology makes it easy – inexpensive digital cameras and free photo and video sharing sites are your friends.

Finally, Rebecca’s number one tip for perfect grilling:

“The biggest mistake I see people make is to touch the meat too much. Don’t flip or fidget with it. Put it down and leave it. Use a timer to tell you when to flip it and whatever you do, don’t try to scrape it off, you’ll lose the crust!”

Find her on Twitter @RebeccaBent and http://rebeccabent.blogspot.com

5 comments:

Antonio Tahhan said...

that's great that you have your daughter helping you out :) that's how I got into cooking when I was young!
those steaks look wonderful!!

Rebecca's blog said...

Thanks so much for posting this blog and sharing the passion we have for getting those kids in the kitchen and at the grill! I suggest we organize a parent/kid grill off one summer. Can you imagine that?! Be real fun!

Thistlemoon said...

This is really cool! I love grilling, it is a lot of fun, and it really does have power! Too funny!

Anonymous said...

Tony, that little gal belongs to Rebecca. Isn't she cute?!

Rebecca, my pleasure. I love the idea of a parent/kid grill off. Let's get on the phone and make it happen.

Jenn, thanks for stopping by. Wasn't that a great insight by Rebecca? Nice to meet another person who considers the grill her shrine :-)

Judy@nofearentertaining said...

How cool. I am a firm beleiver that if you get the kids involved with the food they WILL eat it!