Chicken Burgers on the Grill

I figured that since it is spring and grilling season has started, I better give you a recipe you can use for Memorial Day Weekend as you cook out.  I hope you enjoy it.  Everyone I have served it to has given it a thumbs up.

Chicken Burgers on the Grill

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp. Fresh Ginger, minced
4 Green Onions, white parts only thinly sliced
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 large Egg, beaten
1/3 to 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. Lime Zest, grated and chopped
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

Directions:

Place chicken, ginger and green onion in a food processor with the blade attachment.  Set the processor on high and using the pulse button, pulse until the mixture is a medium grind.  It won't hurt if it is a little over or under ground.  Place the mixture in a mixing bowl and add all the remaining ingredients and mix by hand.  Divide the mixture into 4 portions and form into patties with your hands.  Place on the patties on a plate and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  When ready to cook, place on an outdoor grill and cook for 6 to 8 minutes per side.  Serve with your favorite condiments on buns of your choice.

Note:  I have made this recipe into 8 smaller patties and served them as sliders
           with hamburger slides for everyone to have some variety with smaller
           portions.

Note:  You could use ground chicken or turkey if you don't have a food
           processor.  I just like the courser mix and I know what I'm getting when
           I grind it myself.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Kitchen Knives

Today I'm going to try to cover the knives that you would use in the kitchen.  We will cover the name of each knife, their purpose or function.  At the end I will go over how to clean, store and keep them sharp.

We'll start with the workhorse of the kitchen.  That would be the "Chef" and/or the "Santoku" knife.  The chef knife has been around and popularly used for centuries.  It is also referred to as a "French" or "French Chef" knife.  It comes in various lengths ranging from as small as 5 inches to as large as 12 inches.  The size you use depends on what you are doing and how comfortable you are with the knife in your hand.  A range of 7 to 10 inches is normal.  I prefer using an 8 inch chef knife.

Top is Santoku & bottom is Chef

The santoku knife is of oriental origin and has become popular in the states.  A variety of chefs on the Food Network use this knife, but it is probably Rachel Ray that really made this knife popular.  Just like the chef knife, the santoku knife comes in various lengths.  I use a 7 inch one and find that the best size for me.  Again it goes back to what you are comfortable with in your hand.  I believe that you need to feel comfortable and that helps you feel safer when using a knife.  Yes, the size can affect how fast or easy a particular task can be accomplished.  However, when handling a knife, safety should always come first.

In the photo, you can see how the blades are shaped differently.  Even though the blades are different, both types of knife will perform the duties of chopping, slicing, dicing and mincing that are required for you to get dinner on the table.  Now it just comes down to the fact that practice, with either one of these knives, will get you to feeling comfortable.

I use both but didn't get them at the same time.  If, like most people, you can only afford one, get just one.  Remember that any knife you are going to buy should be a good quality knife.  There are a lot of places out there to buy knives.  A few good places to look are Kohl's, Food Network and QVC.

At Christmas, my wife and I bought our children and my mother a 5 piece set of knives from QVC.  They were reasonably price and of good quality.  Look around for a good deal and then make your purchase.

The second important knife for your kitchen is the "Paring" knife.  Paring knives have a blade that runs between 2 and 5 inches.  Again, it is what length makes you comfortable.

3 sizes of paring knives

In the photo are 3 different sized paring knives.  I believe they range from 2 1/2 inches to 4 1/2 inches.  I use all three for different tasks.  You really only need one.  However, over the years you seem to collect more then you need.

This knife is made to handle the small or delicate jobs in the kitchen.  Most of the time it is used when handling individual fruits and vegetables.  It is great for peeling fruit, coring apples and pear, hulling strawberries, coring tomatoes and peeling potatoes to name a few.

As I stated earlier, the chef knife is the workhorse of your kitchen but the paring knife is close behind.  There is one more knife you need as a minimum in your kitchen.  Tomorrow we will discuss it and general knife care.

Cookbook Update

Thank you to everyone that responded to cookbook cover.  All of you were very nice and I received no negative responses.  Of course, I'm very excited about it and everything that is still to come in regards to the cookbook.

I have picked up my photo proofs for my picture that is to be on the back cover of the cookbook.  The photographer, Bill, wants me to narrow it down to 3 proofs.  Then he will send them to my design editor and see which one she likes the best.

I started working with my layout editor last week.  We put our game plan together last Thursday.  It really is amazing how my word document is going from just pages of typing to an actual creation of a book.  In just over a month, I should have an actual copy of the cookbook in my hands.  Granted, it is the proof copy and I have to go through each page and word to make sure there are no mistakes.  But to have a copy in my hands in just less than two years from when I put down the first words is amazing as well as exciting.

Tomorrow I'm going to talk about knives and cutting boards.  Until then, have some fun in the kitchen trying something new!

Pan Fried Chicken

When one hears the words "Fried Food", I believe most immediately think of food fried in a deep fryer.  Well that is one way of frying food but there is also pan frying of food.  In deep frying, you need deep enough oil to completely cover the food you are frying in the oil.  Pan frying requires much less oil.  The most you need in pan frying is to cover whatever you are frying about halfway up.  The best equipment to use for pan frying is a heavy pan.  You can use the sauteuse pan I talked about earlier or a good sized cast iron pan.  In pan frying, you will always turn the food over once the first side is done.  Either method, deep frying or pan frying, usually involves a food product that has been breaded some way.  A few products that are good for pan frying include; chicken fried steak, breaded pork chops and fried green tomatoes.  Below is a recipe for pan fried chicken.  Enjoy!

Pan Fried Chicken

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

4 Bone-in Chicken Breast or 8 Bone-in Chicken Thighs
1 Quart Buttermilk
1/8 Cup Bottled Hot Sauce (our favorite)
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Tsp. Seasoned Salt
1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper
2 Tsp. Paprika
Canola Oil for frying

Directions:

Take a gallon zip-lock bag and carefully pour the buttermilk and hot sauce into it.  Zip shut and mix.  Carefully add the chicken, one piece at a time, to the bag.  Zip the bag shut squeezing out as much air as possible.  Then place the bag in a 9x13 pan as a safe guard to the bag leaking.  Place the pan in the refrigerator over night.  When it is time to start frying the chicken, place your sauteuse pan or a large cast iron frying pan over medium high heat (#7 on an electric stove).  Fill with canola oil to about 1/4 full before turning on the heat.  While the oil is heating (about 350 degrees), mix the flour, salt, pepper and paprika together in a medium size bowl or pan.  Take one piece of chicken at a time and let it drip free of buttermilk.  Then dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off any excess flour and place on a cooling rack that has been placed in a sheet or cookie pan.  When all the chicken is floured and the oil is up to temperature, start adding one piece at a time. Be careful when placing the chicken in the oil and don't over crowd the pan.  The oil should come up to about half way on the chicken.  The chicken should take about 10 to 12 minutes per side or until it reaches an internal temperature of a 170 degrees.  The internal temperature should rise to 180 degrees after letting the chicken sit for a 5 to 10 minutes.  It's too hot to eat right out of the pan so letting it sit could keep you from burning the inside of your mouth.  Remember that dark meat takes a little longer than white meat to cook.  If you need to cook in batches, you may have to add more oil to the pan.  If you do add oil let it heat up before frying more chicken.

Note:  You can use a whole cut-up chicken in this recipe.  Just remember that
           the wings and legs won't take as long to cook as the breasts and thighs.

Note:  You may have to turn the chicken pieces over more than once.  You
           want to get a nice golden brown all around the chicken.

Note:  You could use this recipe for boneless chicken too.  But for good fried
           chicken, you really need the chicken skin on the chicken pieces.

Ideas for Future Efforts:

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Saute or Sauteuse Pan with Lid & Clean As You Go

For our purpose here, we will refer to it as a saute pan.  There are way too many things in this world that have multiple names.

If you have only one pan, make it a saute pan.  It is the most versatile pan they make, in my opinion.  You can saute, pan fry, braise, poach and do anything a sauce pan can do.  If yo have big enough one, soups, stews or chili can be done in the pan.  I like the straight-sided ones with glass lids.  A glass lid lets you see what is going on in the saute pan when it is covered.  The metal lid requires you to lift it off to see anything.  That is something you usually don't want to do during some cooking processes.

They come in both non-stick and stainless steel.  The difference has to do really with flavor.  The non-stick does not need the butter and oil that a stainless steel pan requires.  Now that butter and oil in a stainless steel pan will give you food particles that stick to the bottom of the pan.  Those particles are what gives flavor to the sauces you make in the pan.  You don't get that with a non-stick pan.  Clean up and care of the non-stick pan is easier than it is with the stainless steel pan.  Neither of them should ever be put in a dishwasher.

When you go to buy one, make sure it is a good one.  The cheap or light weight pans will warp and not last because they don't take the heat like a heavy good pan.  As far as the non-stick or stainless steel option, it is up to you and your cooking needs.  If over time you can afford two pans, get one of each.  They each have their place.

Clean as you go:

While we're talking about the saute pan, I mentioned their clean-up and not using a dishwasher for them.  Let me talk about clean-up in general.  In the business, we told and taught our employees to "clean as you go." There are several reasons for this statement.  First, if you continue to pick-up and clean as you work the area is safer to work in.  Less mess means more safety because you have less opportunities to get injured.  Second, it has to do with health.  By cleaning as you go there is less chance for cross-contamination of foods.  Cross-contamination is when one food contaminates another.  The best example is using a cutting board for raw chicken and using it for cutting fresh fruit without first thoroughly cleaning the cutting board and the area where the cutting board was used.  Doing this means there is a less chance of getting sick from the food you are preparing.  Last, if you have cleaned as you worked than final clean-up will take a lot less time.  Besides the kitchen will look nicer throughout the process and a friend won't pop in when it is looking like a disaster area and embarrass you.

Tomorrow we'll cover pan frying and a fried chicken recipe.

Get Involved

From time to time I will get off cooking topic and mention a few other topics that are near and dear to my heart. Today I want to talk about "Getting Involved."  By "getting Involved," I mean the use of your abilities of time, talent and treasure.

Each of us is different.  Our lives have had their ups and downs.  But none of us would be where we are today without the help of someone or a multitude of someones.  Although we all want to think that we did it all on our own, people out there have helped us in some form of time, talent and treasure.  They may have mentored us, given us knowledge in a particular field or financed us in some way.

Believe it or not, it is your responsibility to do the same in whatever way works for you.  It can be just helping an individual, joining an organization or making a monetary contribution to a cause.

We have just had one of the worst natural disasters in the United States with the tornadoes in the south.  Japan's earthquake and tsunami was one of the major catastrophes of all time.  Many people have and are offering their time but many are not able to do that.  Many are making donations to the proper organizations that help in this kind of relief.

For me, I give monetarily to those kind of organizations and more.  But I also am involved in an organization.  I'm involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters.  It is an organization that helps mentor young boys and girls that are at risk.  This is a great organization and offers a great opportunity for individuals to help these young people by spending an hour or two with them each week.  The results of this mentoring are terrific.

This is only an example of organizations that are out there waiting.  My suggestion to all of you is to find one that works for you, that gives you a passion to help others succeed.  Some may not seem to have world impact.  However, just like everything in life, it takes that first small step to accomplish anything and who knows where it will go from there?

So find your niche and help make a difference by getting involved in something.  Thanks.

Here's the Cookbook Cover

The cookbook cover has been finalized.  This is how the cookbook will appear in the Book Stores.  It was hard to get this on the blog.  It was actually a pdf file and the blog doesn't take them.  So I had to get the file into a jpg photo and then load it into the blog.  The dimension of this cookbook will be 7 7/8 inches high by 8 7/8 inches wide.  Please comment on what you think of the name and look of the cookbook.

Official Cookbook Cover - Coming in September

My picture will be on the back cover of the cookbook.  So last Friday, after William and Kate said "I DO", I had my photo taken.  The proofs should be available sometime this week.  Bill Bateman is the professional photographer that photographed my session.  He is a terrific photographer and hopefully his genius will be able to make me look good.  Anyone in or around Maryville, Missouri should check out Bill and his studio.

I start working with the layout editor this week.  If all goes well, the layout process will be completed by Memorial Day.

Enough for today.  Tomorrow I'm going to talk about something outside of cooking.  It's something all of us should be doing.  See you tomorrow.