Sunday, May 13, 2007

Grilled Chicken and Potato Salad

Grilled Boneless Chicken Breast and Potato Salad

This meal takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. I marinade chicken breast with honey, light and dark soya sauce, salt and pepper. I then grilled this on my grill pan.

6 comments:

Tan Family said...

Potato was from our neighbour Fred who said his garden veg has no 'poison'...meaning no pesticides etc. Very creamy and yummy.

Food Critic B

Swee Hock said...

What is the difference between "grilled" and "barbecued"? Which is better?

CurryMee said...

Hi Swee Hock!

So nice of you to drop by. How did you find me?

As for your question which I hope is not a 'test'. As I was afraid to fail I cheated and googled it.

Grilling and Barbecuing, two of the most popular cooking methods in the U.S., especially in warmer weather. There are some who know the difference between grilling and barbecuing, and some who don't. Do you?

To put it simply, Grilling is fast cooking over high heat, while barbecuing involves a slower cooking method, over a lower heat.

Grilling is generally done over a gas flame, or hot coals. Tender cuts of meat are best for this cooking method. The quick cooking and the high heat seal in the juices, creating a juicy piece of meat, but leave the meat on too long, and it will dry out, as with any dry cooking method. Barbecue sauces can be used, but since the heat is so high, it should be added right at the end of the cooking time, especially for sweeter barbecue sauces, so that the sugar in the sauce doesn't burn. Vegetables and fruits can also be grilled, as they don't need a long cooking time. Peaches and pineapple are particularly good for grilling, the natural sugars in the fruit carmelize over the high heat. When you grill food, you need to pay attention to it, so it doesn't get overcooked. You need to stay by the grill the whole time.

Barbecuing is typically done over charcoal or wood, although gas can be used. I've seen kalhua pig being cooked slowly on a gas grill, but usually, barbecuers will use either charcoal or wood. The meats usually used in barbecuing are tougher cuts of meat, such as the beef brisket, or pork ribs. These meats benefit from the long, slow cooking process, becoming so tender that they will just fall off the bone. Since the cooking process is slower, and the heat not as high as grilling, barbecue sauce can be brushed onto the meat throughought the cooking process, forming a delicious glaze on the outside of the meat. Apple juice is sometimes sprayed onto the meat to keep it moist and flavorful. Damp wood chips added to the fire add a delicious smoky flavor to the meat.

Some meats, like chicken, will benefit from either cooking method. It's great either grilled quickly with a glaze or barbecue sauce applied towards the end of the cooking time, or slowly barbecued, absorbing the flavors of the smoke.

Swee Hock said...

Hi Tony,

Thanks for the very detailed and complete explanation. I have mixed up grilling and barbecuing for years - thanks to the electric oven manufacturers' indiscriminate use of the two words.

From the pictures in your posts, I have to say that you are an awesome cook. I don't cook, because there are better cooks around the house, but I know good food when I see one. I am like a food critic who doesn't know how to cook. Because I enjoy good food, which I think is worth the "sacrifice", so I have to keep in shape by regular exercises like cycling, running, trekking and mountain climbing. More so after joining the Hawaii 5O club.

Keep the good food coming. Oh yeah, I certainly know where to find good food - I can almost smell them. That was how I found your blog :-)

Lrong Lim said...

braddaaa... the chickean looks a bit too burnt leh, no?
I heard, can get 'cansaw' one, ok...

anyway, you seepek good leh, can still cook like that...
kau has alreadea lost all his cooking skills (if he had any in the first place) after kena the ball and chain thingy 21 years ago...

Lrong, a very loyal follower, along with audrey.

CurryMee said...

Swee Hock

I used to cook quite a fair bit but lately only on certain weekends when the mood strikes me.

Lrong

Yes it was a tad burnt but unless it gets to the point of tasting bitter it is still okay in my books. You were not a bad cook in my books back in Lubbock days. I always enjoyed vegetables 'fried' with water!!