Burgers still king of the grill, no matter the seasons
Memorial Day weekend generally marks the start of the summer grilling season, the time when men and women across the suburbs roll the grill out of storage, clean out the cobwebs and brush down the grates. But surveys show that fewer of us will be repeating that ritual this year.
It's not that we aren't grilling in the summer; it's that we're grilling year-round.
According to NPD, a Rosemont-based consumer behavior tracking group, 38 percent of households use a grill, on average, at least once in a two-week period -- an increase of more than 6 percent in the past decade. And the percent of winter grillers is up nearly 8 percent, with 26.5 percent of individuals claiming they grill once or twice a week during the frigid evenings in December, January and February.
The increase in year-round grilling coincides with the increased ownership of gas grills, according to Harry Balzer with NPD. "The majority of households have an outdoor grill (76 percent) and the grill of choice is one that uses gas -- 75 percent of grill owners have a gas grill."
Balzer also attributes the overall rise in grilling with the increasing number of men cooking at home.
"This is the one cooking appliance men are more likely to use than any other appliance in the home," he says.
So just what are we tossing over the coals or the gas-powered flame? Here are the top 10, according to NPD:
Burgers (any, with or without bun), steak, chicken, hot dogs, pork chops, potatoes, vegetables, other pork cuts, sausage and seafood.
Fruitful grilling tips: I noticed that fruit has yet to crack grilling's top 10, and that's too bad. Peaches seared over an open flame are downright delicious. Grilled pineapple spears can add pizazz to pilaf and fire-roasted mango can punch up a pico de gallo.
The folks at Del Monte Fresh Produce hope to entice more people to try grilled fruit by offering up a new grill to people who check out recipes on their Web site, www.fruits.com.
Until Sept. 15, you can enter to win the "Fresh Grill Thrill" Sweepstakes. Two grand prizes include a brand new Char-Broil RED three-burner grill (valued at $599 each), and six first prizes include a Char-Broil Designer Series stainless steel grill ($259).
The site has several recipes for using grilled fruit or get creative with your own ingredients. Del Monte offers these tips for grilling fruit:
• Use high heat for a few minutes, then lower the heat to create great grill marks.
• Grill fruit for short time periods only.
• Drizzle fruit with sugar to bring out the natural sweetness.
• Apply a thin coat of oil to the grill before grilling.
• Cut fruit in half and remove the core for grilling or grill bananas with entire peel on.
• Grill fruit pulp-side-down first, then turn onto the peel to finish.
Curious about curry: Raghavan Iyer, teacher and author of "660 Curries/The Gateway to Indian Cooking" will lift the veil on curry from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Chicago History Museum, 1600 N. Clark St., Chicago.
Iyer, an award-winning cooking teacher and writer, will discuss the historical influence of spices during India's 6,000 years of existence as a civilization and how this has shaped today's world of curries. A sampling of his curry will be offered and copies of his book will be available for purchase. (All profits from book sales will be used to fund the Culinary Historians of Chicago.)
The lecture program costs $5, $3 for students and members of the culinary historical group. To reserve, call (708) 788-0338 or e-mail rsvpchc@yahoo.com.