Gypsy
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2005
- Messages
- 40,225
Lenapie, one of my nieces is just learning how to cook and I've been giving her advice recently focused on super easy meals. They eat out a lot too. So what I recommend is to get two nights worth of meals at the start of the week. Just start easy.
The easiest of all things to do, IMO is to grill. Buy a nice quality gas grill. As for what to grill, here's what I recommend.
1. Boneless center cut pork chops that are about an inch thick.
2. Zucchini and portobello mushrooms caps
3. Boneless NY strip steaks inch thick
4. Hamburgers.
So with the pork chops this is what you do:
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
Season the pork chops on both sides with the salt and pepper.
Grill the chops for 5 to 7 minutes per side.
Brush them with either BBQ sauce or a nice Teriyaki glaze the last 5 minutes of grilling.
You can do the zucchini on the side. All you need to do is is wash them. Slice them in half. Season generously with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil. Cook about 3 minutes per side on hot grill.
You can do the mushroom caps the same way.
With the steaks, take them out of the refrigerator 1/2 hour before. Put them on a rack (like a cooling rack for baking, they are cheap, invest in one) and season well with salt and pepper on both sides. Put something under the rack (a tray) to catch juices. Let the steaks sit there for 1/2 and hour. Place the steaks on a medium high pre-heated grill and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the steaks over and continue to grill 3 to 5 minutes for medium-rare (an internal temperature of 135 degrees F), 5 to 7 minutes for medium (140 degrees F) or 8 to 10 minutes for medium-well (150 degrees F). Only flip steaks once.
That gives you two meals. Very little clean up. Virtually no prep. And you can eat out on other nights, to accommodate your moods.
Hamburgers are SUPER easy.
Go to the butcher counter. Buy a pound of 80/20 ground beef (I like grass fed or organic if I can get it). The 80/20 is the important part.
Ask butcher to make you two patties out of the meat. You want them flat, but not bigger in the middle. Just the opposite, slightly bowed in the middle is best. When you get them home, season outside of both sides with salt and pepper. Put on preheated medium high grill. Cook about 4 minutes a side. If everything is going according to plan, you should start to see a little blood coming to the surface at the 4 minute mark. Flip the burgers and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes. Flip only once.
2 minutes before the hamburgers are done, put cheese on them if you want cheese burgers.
BUNS are very important. I like to get rolls for mine. Safeway has kaiser rolls, loose. Those work perfectly.
If you want fries, I like Cascadian Farms frozen potatoes. Like these (any of them are great): http://www.cascadianfarm.com/products/frozen-potatoes/straight-cut-french-fries
That's three simple meals. Minimal prep. All done in under 15 minutes on the grill.
The most common mistake newer cooks make is in seasoning. They mostly under season and get bland food as a result. Once you have seasoning down, you'll be surprised at how much a difference it makes.
The easiest of all things to do, IMO is to grill. Buy a nice quality gas grill. As for what to grill, here's what I recommend.
1. Boneless center cut pork chops that are about an inch thick.
2. Zucchini and portobello mushrooms caps
3. Boneless NY strip steaks inch thick
4. Hamburgers.
So with the pork chops this is what you do:
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
Season the pork chops on both sides with the salt and pepper.
Grill the chops for 5 to 7 minutes per side.
Brush them with either BBQ sauce or a nice Teriyaki glaze the last 5 minutes of grilling.
You can do the zucchini on the side. All you need to do is is wash them. Slice them in half. Season generously with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil. Cook about 3 minutes per side on hot grill.
You can do the mushroom caps the same way.
With the steaks, take them out of the refrigerator 1/2 hour before. Put them on a rack (like a cooling rack for baking, they are cheap, invest in one) and season well with salt and pepper on both sides. Put something under the rack (a tray) to catch juices. Let the steaks sit there for 1/2 and hour. Place the steaks on a medium high pre-heated grill and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the steaks over and continue to grill 3 to 5 minutes for medium-rare (an internal temperature of 135 degrees F), 5 to 7 minutes for medium (140 degrees F) or 8 to 10 minutes for medium-well (150 degrees F). Only flip steaks once.
That gives you two meals. Very little clean up. Virtually no prep. And you can eat out on other nights, to accommodate your moods.
Hamburgers are SUPER easy.
Go to the butcher counter. Buy a pound of 80/20 ground beef (I like grass fed or organic if I can get it). The 80/20 is the important part.
Ask butcher to make you two patties out of the meat. You want them flat, but not bigger in the middle. Just the opposite, slightly bowed in the middle is best. When you get them home, season outside of both sides with salt and pepper. Put on preheated medium high grill. Cook about 4 minutes a side. If everything is going according to plan, you should start to see a little blood coming to the surface at the 4 minute mark. Flip the burgers and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes. Flip only once.
2 minutes before the hamburgers are done, put cheese on them if you want cheese burgers.
BUNS are very important. I like to get rolls for mine. Safeway has kaiser rolls, loose. Those work perfectly.
If you want fries, I like Cascadian Farms frozen potatoes. Like these (any of them are great): http://www.cascadianfarm.com/products/frozen-potatoes/straight-cut-french-fries
That's three simple meals. Minimal prep. All done in under 15 minutes on the grill.
The most common mistake newer cooks make is in seasoning. They mostly under season and get bland food as a result. Once you have seasoning down, you'll be surprised at how much a difference it makes.
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