It’s so cold in the Northeast today, we’re warming up with a bowl of steaming cheese grits.

If you’re not from the South, you might not totally “get” grits, a thick, creamy porridge. They can be bland in their traditional recipe, with salt and a pat of butter on top. (You can use sweet toppings instead: sugar, honey, maple syrup, jam, etc.)

We like our grits in the classic savory preparation, seasoned with salt and pepper and garnished butter and/or cream for added texture and flavor (when we’re not on a cholesterol guilt trip).

Cheese is a magical enhancer to grits; and Cheddar, Jack or Parmesan is an even yummier replacement for the butter and cream. This recipe is courtesy of Tillamook, one of the country’s best Cheddar producers. You can go heavier or lighter on the cheese, as you prefer.

CHEESE GRITS RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE milk and water in a large pan and bring liquid to a boil. Whisk in grits, making sure that they don’t clump.

2. TURN HEAT DOWN to a simmer and stir constantly with a whisk. Continue to stirring with frequently and cook for approximately 45 minutes, until a porridge-like consistency is achieved.

3. ADD shredded cheese to the grits when they are still a semi-liquid like consistency—they should still be creamy, but acting like they want to grab the ladle. When they stick to the ladle they are fully cooked.

4. ADD the butter, salt, and pepper right after the cheese. Adjust accordingly with more milk if needed.

5. POUR grits into oven-safe serving bowls. Add a few piece of sliced cheese chunks (or more if you’d like) to the top of each bowl and put under the broiler for about 30 seconds or until cheese is melty. Having the cheese in chunks assists with uniformity and melting the cheese in the grits.

6. GARNISH with chives and serve immediately.

TOO MUCH COOKING FOR YOU?
Make instant grits in the microwave and add 1 table of grated Parmesan cheese per serving.

MORE ABOUT GRITS…

…and another cheese grits recipe.

Liquid and dry measuring cups are not interchangeable. Precision is especially critical in baking, which is an exact science. Variations can compromise the recipe, especially if it’s a fragile recipe like macarons and angel food cakes.

That’s why so many professional recipes are listed by weight (grams) instead of volume. The challenges of using the wrong type of cup to measure ingredients:

The classic liquid measuring cup. Photo courtesy Pyrex.

MEASURING WET INGREDIENTS

Liquid measuring cups are see-through, either glass or plastic. A good liquid measuring cup has extra space between the topmost gradation mark and the rim, so with a full measure (e.g., one cup), the liquid won’t splash out when carried (see the photo above).

Fill the cup until the top of the liquid meets the correct gradation line when viewed at eye level. Some people keep the cup on the counter and bend down to see the gradation and the meniscus. If you have a steady hand, you can lift the cup to eye level.

Liquids in a container have a tendency to form a meniscus, the Greek word for crescent.* The meniscus is the curve in the upper surface of the liquid, caused by surface tension as it touches the wall of the container.

When viewed from the side of a clear measuring cup, the meniscus looks like a line of liquid wrapped around the inside of the cup.

The accurate measure is from the bottom of the meniscus line, not the top. The bottom of the meniscus should be touching the appropriate gradation line on the cup.

*The Greek menískos,crescent, is diminutive of mene, moon.

MEASURING DRY INGREDIENTS
Using a dry measuring cup enables you to fill the ingredients to the rim, then level the ingredients for an accurate amount: Use a knife or metal spatula to scrape off the excess (scrape it onto a piece of wax paper so you can return it to the canister or package).

If you want absolute precision, weigh dry ingredients. Put the ingredients in the measuring cup, having adjusted the scale to deduct the weight of the empty cup.

Note that each ingredient has a different weight: One cup of sugar does not weigh the same as one cup of flour.

Whether dry or liquid, it takes a wee bit more time to measure ingredients precisely; but the results are worth it.
  

1. Prepare

Marinate your food in advance. With tougher steak cuts, 24 hours is helpful. For fish, 30 minutes can suffice. With other meats and with veggies, begin marinating in the morning.

Be sure to preheat your grill for 10-15 minutes before you add the food. Reduce sticking on the grill by oiling the hot grill rack with a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel. Hold the towel with tongs and rub it over the rack. NOTE: Easy as it may seem, DO NOT use cooking spray on a grill.

2. Combine Direct and Indirect Heat

Then, combining techniques creates the real magic of grilling. Sear a thick steak above a hot fire (direct heat) for a minute or two per side to brown it, and then move it away from the fire and close the hood (indirect heat). Let that steak coast up to temperature for 10 to 20 minutes more. You will be rewarded with a beautifully-browned exterior and succulent interior.

The longer cooking time allows more of the inner marbling to render its flavor into the steak, without having to cook it past medium-rare.

On a Kalamazoo Hybrid Fire Grill, you can use a wood fire to add even more flavor±—the zenith of grilling! Read more about direct and indirect grilling techniques at KalamazooGourmet.com.

3. Break The Rules: Flip Your Food

We’re not sure who came up with the rule that you can only flip your meat once. Some of the best steaks and chops we’ve ever made were flipped and moved frequently, particularly when using the combination of direct and indirect heat. (What you should not do is press on the meat with the flipper or other utensil, which presses juice out of the meat.)

On a nice big bone-in ribeye, you can even score the outer flesh with a knife to increase the amount of surface area for browning. Turning your steak frequently lets each side take short breaks from the direct heat below. It’s also great for building up a beautiful crust without burning the outside of the meat. This tip works well when cooking thick cuts of beef, lamb and pork.

4. Leave That Fish Alone

Fish should not be flipped. If the food is sticking to the grill, it just isn’t ready to be turned.

Let the fish cook until the sides start to release themselves from the cooking surface. You can help the cause by making sure you thoroughly preheat the grill.

When the hood thermometer on a gas grill first reaches 500°F or 600°F, the grill grates may be lagging behind. Give them time to thoroughly heat up before you start cooking.

5. Olive Oil and Veggies: It’s Just That Simple

Asparagus, corn, green beans, mushrooms and zucchini all love a hot grill. Just give them a thorough coating of olive oil and a dusting of salt, and grill them directly above a hot fire.

For asparagus and green beans, the Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet grillmasters recommend whisking a little lemon juice into the olive oil. It brightens the flavor and helps reduce any smoke from the olive oil.

We’re hungry just thinking about it!

Want to surprise Dad with a new grill for Father’s Day?
Check out KalamazooGourmet.com.
  

Whether or not you’re currently a cider fan, we’ve got to evangelize over what we think is the most elegant of hard apple ciders.

The naturally fermented line is made from the fresh pressed juice of Northwest apples—not from apple juice concentrate like many ciders. And there’s also pear cider, or perry, made from 100% pear juice; there’s no apple juice sneaked in to lower the cost of ingredients.

It’s pure, clean cider: There is no added malt, grape wine or spirit alcohol, no added colorants, sorbate or benzoate preservatives.

And unlike beer, which is made from grain, cider is 100% gluten free.

Read the full review.

We’d like to add: Brew Sustainably. The Vue cups (an improvement on K-cups) are made from recyclable #5 plastic (polypropylene). While it doesn’t matter to some people, we strive to do our small part to help the environment. Finally, with Keurig Vue, we can enjoy a K-cup-type system with the improved Vue cups.

We’re excited about this appliance for other reasons, too, including the total control it gives you to customize your brew exactly as you wish:

A great addition to the kitchen, a great gift. Photo courtesy Keurig.

Keurig makes the biggest-selling line of single-cup brewing machines, and the capsules (K-cups and Vue cups) used to make coffee, tea and hot chocolate. As is common knowledge, it’s more costly to brew a single cup of coffee than a carafe of it; but with no hassle or mess, and perfect coffee every time, Americans have more than embraced single-serve.

Head over to Keurig.com to browse the options. Hopefully, there’s a Keurig Vue in your future.