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I bought my son a George Forman grill when he moved into his new apartment, and figured that would take care of that! But when I came across this book (at a convention, of all places) it seemed the logical add-on gift. If I had a grill of my own, I'd have a hard time handing this book over to him!
Author and chef Holly Rudin-Braschi promises that this is "Everything you need to know to make delicious, healthy meals on your indoor electric grill," and she follows through by offering MORE than just the 50 plus recipes. In the beginning, she offers an "International Pantry Solutions," listing basic spices, sauces, herbs and condiments for different cuisines (Cajun, Creole, Caribbean, Chinese, French, Greek, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, southwest, middle eastern, south east Asian). Toward the back of the book, she offers recipes for meatless grilling -- middle eastern veggie wrap with heavenly hummus, Taj Mahal Tofu Steaks with Pineapple Express Rice and Cucumber Raita Salad. In the thickest section, in the middle, she gives the reader more traditional meals -- gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches (much improved!), hamburgers from simple to fancy, steaks, chicken, sausage, Texas chili, veal chops and much much more. Throughout this thick, easy to read book, she gives a bundle of useful information, especially good for first time or infrequent cooks. This includes time saving ingredients; instructions on how to make your own Cajun seasoning, dry jerk seasoning mix, how long to marinate meat, chicken and fish, grill times; well composed salads; a chapter on how to grill super steaks, chops and tenderloins, including what to buy, how much you'll have when you're done grilling (4 to 5 oz. of meat becomes 3 to 4 oz. when cooked) grill temperatures and time for different meats and more.
[She also does something I've not seen anywhere before - gives recipes for sauces that go in the cups of infusion grills that use a lid, adding extra flavor to the finished food!]
For the new or busy cook, the layout of her recipes is excellent. She starts with the whole menu -- for example, American Apricot Sauced Poultry with Grilled Asparagus over Vermicelli Pilaf.
She gives a "Menu Game Plan," which includes prep and cooking time (50 minutes for this one), instructions in order of time (great for those of us who can't figure out how to get all the dishes ready to serve at the same time). Next, she offers some Cook's Notes -- in this one she discusses to peel or not to peel the asparagus.
The recipe for each dish comes next, and each one is easily viewable (you don't have to turn the page in the middle of cooking). Each recipe includes:
Ingredients;
Substitutes (if you don't want to use the white wine in this dish, substitute apple cider or apple juice);
Step-by-step instructions;
Serving instructions
Each meal has the Grill Time for different types of grill (Two-Sided Contact Grill; Hibachi Grill, Combination Grill or Infusion Grill). Her "Mix and Match" section tells you where else you can use some of the dishes -- in this one, the Rice Pilaf can be used for Amazing Maple Glazed Pork Chops on page 115 or Smart and Saucy Rosemary Cherry Lamb Chops on page 119.
At the end of each meal section, she offers an approximate Nutrients Per Serving of Entire Meal -- you can simply divide by the number of people/servings to determine the calories, cholesterol, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, etc.
Highly recommended for anyone who has received a grill as a gift, and really wants to cook! And if you're going to buy a grill for yourself, or as a gift, check this book out first. In the opening chapter, she says "to write this book, I used just about every electric grill available and discovered that there are four basic styles." She goes on to give the pluses and minuses of each kind, a good help in deciding which grill is best for your needs.
A great book for those who want to do more than slap a burger on the grill, with information that carries over to stovetop cooking.
