Vegetables on the Cinder Grill
We fondly call our Cinder Grill “a magic meat machine”. However, in truth, it’s just as good at preparing vegetables. The Cinder’s single-degree precision cooking holds vegetables at the perfect temperature to break down cell walls just enough but no more. The wide griddle plates evenly roast green beans and Brussels sprouts to toasted tastiness. The Cinder Grill can even tackle root vegetables, cooking them until toothsome all the way through. Instead of mushy veggies cooked as an afterthought, you can enjoy perfect taste and texture from the Cinder.
Precision Cooking and Pectin
Cooking vegetables to temperature may seem overly fussy, but it’s based in sound food science. All vegetables contain pectin, which helps hold them together. It’s responsible for a large proportion of the crispness or hardness of raw vegetables. However, at the precise temp of 185F, certain enzymes modify the pectin just enough and no more. This results in a tender yet firm texture and enhanced sweetness and flavor. Furthermore, because the Cinder cooks to temperature, time is no longer of the essence: your vegetables won’t overcook. Combine this science with the even heating afforded by the Cinder Grill, and you’ll get perfect vegetables every time, with no hard raw spots and no mushiness or collapses.
Taking advantage of this property can help with many recipes which include vegetables, and fruit as well. For example, apple slices cooked at 185F make a superb pie filling: they don’t collapse when baked in the pie, thus avoiding both a big unattractive gap under the top crust and a soupy filling.
Perfect Roasted Vegetables
Another method of cooking vegetables is roasting them. This browns and concentrates them, resulting in crisp edges and caramelized flavors. The Cinder Grill uses a two-step method, similar to the reverse sear. First it applies the 185F stage for perfect tenderness all the way through. Then it sears, toasting the vegetables, never burning them. Our Michelin Starred Chef’s Brussels sprouts recipe is an excellent example of this technique, but you can do this with just about any vegetable on the Cinder, from squash to rutabagas. Precision cooking at its finest!
Saute and Sear
The Cinder can be used as an open griddle as well, perfect for quickly grilling vegetables. Just set it to 400, add a little oil, and cook! This is a familiar maneuver -- you’ve done this in skillets before. Where the Cinder excels here is in its nonstick. You’ll avoid torn vegetables and burnt edges. Also, the squared-off Cinder plates hold long shapes like asparagus and green beans much more efficiently than a round pan. Our Grilled Asparagus recipe shows off the perfect browned and tasty results of this precision cooking method on the Cinder Grill, but again you can substitute any vegetable you like here as well.
As you can see, the Cinder Grill cooks vegetables to perfect doneness. Its single-degree temperature control, nonstick, and sear all add up to precision cooking every time. Next time you use your magic meat machine, also cook some vegetables, and enjoy a complete meal from your Cinder Grill!
Never Overcook Again
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