FAQ

– The fact is that charcoal does not flavor your outdoor meal, but is only a heat source. The MHP Gas Grill utilizes a special self-cleaning porcelain briquette above the burner that heats up fast and spreads the heat evenly. The delightful backyard taste theat comes with barbecue cooking is caused by meat drippings falling on the heat source where they are vaporized to rise up and add flavor to the food.

– Like your kitchen oven, a gas grill is designed to cook with the lid closed, except for quick searing. Cooking with the lid-closed helps food retain natural juices, moisture, enhances flavor and keeps annoying flare-ups to a minimum. Also, heat is reflected from the lid, and foods cook not only from below, but also evenly on all sides from circulating hot air, (similar to convection oven) for faster, more fuel-efficient cooking.

– The greatest cause of gas grill cooking failures is excess heat. Understanding the three basic heat setting along with experience, you will find the precise heat you need will become easier and easier to achieve. HIGH- is used primarily for preheating and cleaning. It may also be used for quick searing of meats, such as steaks and chops. MEDIUM- For broiling or quick cooking foods. Also use MEDIUM for searing foods that have been cooked at LOW, for more of a smoke flavor. LOW- Most foods should be cooked at LOW. Even thick steaks, which have been seared on both sides at HIGH, will finish with better texture and more juices at LOW. All roasts, poultry and rotisserie cooking should be at LOW.

– Always use long wooden-handle forks, spatulas or tongs, designed especially for outdoor cooking when testing or turning food in your grill. Keep hot pads or mitt handy for removing food from cooking grid. For juicer more flavorful meats, uses tongs when handling and turning. Piercing the meat with a fork allows juices to escape.

– You can prepare entire meals in a gas grill…and you’ll love it even more. Baked Potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, stuffed tomatoes, peppers, squash, vegetables, garlic bread, baked apples, pies… grill them on the warming rack or alongside the meat for complete menus.

– Aluminum foil is probably the most convenient accessory of all. Foil can be used to cook food on or in. It also serves as a drip pan and heat deflector. Vegetables cook best when wrapped in foil. Foil holds in natural liquids, and foods cook moist and tender. Delicate foods such as fish fillets and seafood may be cooked on foil placed directly on the cooking grid. When spit-cooking foods of uneven shape, smaller parts that may cook too fast, may be wrapped in foil. Foil is also great to use in cleaning the grill. For stubborn grease or sauce build-up that is not removed during your normal cleaning process. Simply place a sheet of aluminum foil covering the Flavor Master briquettes or cooking grids. With the lid open, turn the control to HIGH and ignite, close lid. After about 25 minutes the residue will be reduced to a white powder, which is easily brushed or wiped off after the grill has cooled.

– Use an oven-safe meat thermometer when cooking large pieces of meat, poultry and game to determine if cooked adequately. The thermometer should be inserted into the thickest part of the meat. For accurate temperature reading, the tip of the thermometer should not touch fat layers, bone or gristle, or if using the rotisserie, the spit rod. The chart below will provide you with approximate temperatures for the degree of doness for the different kinds of meats.

– Salt, which tends to dry out foods, is best added after cooking. Sauces and marinades add a special taste treat when grilled. Marinades are popular because they turn less expensive cuts of meat into tasty entrees. Large items such as roasts should be marinated at least 8 hours or overnight. Fish, poultry and ribs may be marinated successfully in an hour. Food in the marinade should be turned occasionally and kept cool under refrigeration. Sugar-based glazes and sauces will burn faster and should be brushed on during final stages of cooking or used as a table sauce.

– For best results, thaw all meat in the refrigerator. This allows for juicier, more flavorful meats. However, very good results can be obtained by cooking your steaks while still frozen. Just remember to allow more cooking time. The microwave oven provides an alternative for thawing your meat, although it is our least recommended method. Fish and vegetables can be successfully grilled frozen.

– All poultry is best cooked at LOW. A meat thermometer should be used to determine doneness in large birds. Smaller pieces are done when no pink juices appear when the flesh is pricked, and in whole birds, when the leg joints turn loosely in their sockets.

– In grilling fish, 10 minutes at LOW per inch of thickness is almost perfect timing. When the fish flakes easily with a fork, it is done.

– Fish should be brushed with melted butter or oil before placed on the grill. Brush well with more butter or oil several times while it is cooking. Turn once.Avoid over handling fish during grilling. Cooked fish is delicate and will flake easily. Turn once.With smaller fish or filets, a MHP Sear Magic® grid or wire basket makes turning easier. Coat grid or basket with a non-stick spray for easier handling.To grill frozen fish, partially defrost and then cook as you normally would.Another way to grill fish is in foil packets. Add lemon juice or white wine for more flavor.