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Grilling Tips for Your Best Barbecued Meats and Vegetables
Contributed by BBQ Island
Who doesn’t love a good barbecue? Here are six tips to help you grill your meats and veggies to perfection.
1. PREP FOOD BEFOREHAND AND PREHEAT YOUR GRILL.
This is one of the biggest mistakes grillers make when organizing BBQs. Prepare your food and grill before your guests arrive. Don’t forget to preheat your griller for almost 10-15 minutes before adding your food. With all your burners on high, the temperature under the lid should reach 500 degrees Fahrenheit to loosen any food previously stuck onto the grill and later brush it off with ease.
2. SEASONING AND MARINATING IS THE KEY.
Whether you are grilling veggies or meat, seasoning and marinating form the crux of the grilled foods. Big, thick meats need almost double the seasoning as you think they would need. And marinating the meat keeps it moist and tender while it is still being grilled. The same goes for veggies as well.
3. DON’T SQUEEZE OR FLATTEN YOUR MEATS.
We know that the sound of that sizzling flame when pressing your burger patties or chicken is tempting. But on squeezing, you’re squeezing the flavor and moisture out of it as it’s the juicy flavor of the fat that causes that flame to burst!
4. DON’T UNCOVER THE LID TO CHECK TEMPERATURE REPEATEDLY.
Grilling on a backyard griller means going low and slow. Check at least after an hour or so to mop your meat with a sauce and check temperature via the thermometer. Food continues to cook in the heat even after removing from the flame off the grill. So remove it before it has reached its stage of complete doneness. This will help it cook in its own heat without being over-cooked. This also lets the juices redistribute themselves through the meat.
5. A SPARE SPRAY BOTTLE FOR FLARE-UPS.
Flames from your backyard griller’s grate can charge your food unpleasantly. So keep a water-filled spray bottle handy with you to dampen those flareups without interfering with the heat.
6. GO EASY ON VEGGIES.
BBQ nights are not just about meats, but veggies as well. Lightly coat your veggies with olive oil before grilling to avoid them drying out or sticking to the grate. You could also marinate your veggies in the same marinade as that of your meats for that added saucy and rustic flavor.
Learn more tips at bbqislandinc.com or come in to any of our three Valley locations and talk to an expert.
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Locations
BBQ Island offers three locations across the Valley and is always open online at www.BBQIsland.com
Tempe | 480-632-9227
1715 W. Ruby Dr, #105, Tempe, AZ 85284
Arrowhead | 480-500-5154
8155 W. Bell Rd, #111, Peoria, AZ 85382
Scottsdale | 480-503-1110
14987 N. Northsight Boulevard Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Home
Spring Cleaning Tips and Tricks from Local Experts
By Emma Wolff
With spring just around the corner, it is a great time open the windows, watch the flowers bloom and, of course, start your spring cleaning. Although this may seem like a daunting task, cleaning does not have to be such a chore.
Samuel Tapia, owner of Proficient Shield, LLC, says there are three simple steps to cleaning your house: don’t forget about little spaces, stay on top of it, and invest in a few staple cleaning products. don’t know what to grab. Tapia says to get a Magic Eraser, especially if you have little ones who like to draw on the wall. Another staple at Proficient Shield, LLC is a pumice scouring stone, which helps remove stubborn lime scale toilet rings and stains. These two items are affordable and will make cleaning a breeze.
Lisa Marshman, with Johnson’s Home Cleaning, has been cleaning Valley homes for over 25 years. She happily shares some great tips about how to make spring cleaning more efficient.
CLEAN TOP TO BOTTOM
“Start cleaning the highest areas in the home first and work your way down. This will help cover all spots and prioritize the areas that collect the most dust and dirt,” says Marshman.
ORGANIZE AND DECLUTTER
Marshman tells her clients to start by removing all the odds and ends that accumulate in a house. Examples include mail that needs to be tossed, bills that needs to be paid, shoes that are left in odd places. “It is hard to start the deep cleaning process when there is so much stuff in the way,” she says. “Use springtime as an opportunity to organize and declutter. Make sure to pack away winter clothes and thick blankets to make more room. We definitely don’t need those in the summer.”
And, if spring cleaning seems like an overwhelming task to take on, don’t hesitate to call in the pros for help. To learn more, visit proficientshieldllc.com or johnsonscleaningservices.com.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT LITTLE SPACES
When cleaning a house, people often focus on big spaces like bedrooms, bathrooms or the kitchen. While that’s great, there are a ton of little spaces that get neglected in the process. Some of these areas include celling fans and light fixtures. Living in Arizona, celling fans accumulate a lot of dust, but it goes unnoticed since the fans are almost always in motion. Make sure to give these a good dusting at least once a month. Light fixtures also get dusty and grimy. Give lightbulbs a quick cleaning to brighten up the room and make a huge difference.
STAY ON TOP OF IT
Tapia explains, “Do a deep clean once a year; spring is a perfect time for this. From there, if you clean weekly, biweekly or monthly it will not be as big of an undertaking. When cleaning the first time, it may take longer but the simple upkeep will make your life so much easier.”
INVEST IN A FEW STAPLE CLEANING PRODUCTS
The options in the cleaning aisle can be overwhelming, especially when you
Spring Cleaning
3 Ways to Buy a North Valley Home for Less Money
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This topic has been the subject of extensive analysis by Industry Experts, and a summary of their findings, and a specific step-by-step purchase plan for homebuyers, can be found in a new special report called “Homebuyers: How to Save Thousands of Dollars When You Buy”.
This free report outlines the psychology of how a seller sets their asking price, and gives you 3 simple steps to follow, before you even set foot in a seller’s home, which could help you to successfully slash thousands of dollars off the price of the home you want.
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