There’s nothing quite like spending time in the outdoors with family and friends when the weather gets nice. From picnics and camping to ballgames and back yard barbeque’s, whenever the sun shines, people want to be outside. One thing you can count on when enjoying these activities is that eventually, everyone is going to get hungry. When they do, it’s time to do some outdoor cooking. Unlike cooking indoors, which is a chore that some people dread, outdoor cooking is something that usually adds to the enjoyment of the experience. Many people have really turned it into an event. Sometimes people get together for no other reason than to cook and eat and have a good time. Here are some cooking items that every outdoor chef should have.

Gas And Charcoal Grills

Not too much needs to be said here. This one’s a no-brainer. If you don’t have one, you’re at least familiar with them. No conversation about outdoor cooking is complete without at least a mention of these types of grills. Nothing beats a picnic and some hamburgers and hot dogs cooked on the grill. Of course, anyone who has any experience with them knows how many other possibilities there are as well. Chicken and steaks and just about anything else you can think of can be cooked on a grill. If you get one with side burners you can expand your options even more.

Deep Fryers

One of the latest outdoor cooking crazes is deep frying turkeys. This method of cooking turkeys has been gaining in popularity over the last several years. Once you try a bird cooked this way, you’ll want to throw your oven-cooked turkey out the window. They usually come in the form of a pot that sits on a stand with a gas burner. They come in a variety of sizes and range in price from around $60 - $200 for a complete kit.

Dutch Ovens

Dutch ovens have been a favorite for a long time. Many people do all of their outdoor cooking in Dutch ovens. They are some of the most versatile outdoor cooking tools around. They are capable of simmering, stewing, baking, roasting and frying. You can cook anything from stews and casseroles to breads and desserts and anything in between. It is basically a large cast iron pot with a tight fitting lid. Some models have legs for use over a fire. The lid will usually have a small lip on it that allows you to place charcoal on top for even heat distribution. The idea is to make it cook similar to a slow cooker.

In addition to the outdoor cooking equipment mentioned above, there are various other portable grills and griddles available to meet all of your cooking needs. Whether you’re at the campsite or in your own backyard, these items can add variety and a lot of fun to your outdoor cooking experiences.

Share This

As the taste for southern cooking become more in demand in the north part of the United States, television is helping spread the charm, as well as the unique taste of cooking with a southern flair. The Food Network has enlisted the aid of one of the south’s premier chefs, making Paula’s home cooking recipes available to everyone. The owner of Lady and Sons Restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, Paula Deen shares her kitchen with her sons and Paula’s home cooking recipes with her audience.

The main hook for Paula’s home cooking recipes is the simplicity with which they can be made in anyone’s kitchen. Comfort food of the south is typically part of any recipe collection from Paula Deen and often includes the same recipes she uses in her southern cooking restaurant. The influence in southern cooking, mostly from the French, Dutch and German shows in the many of Paula’s home cooking recipes as well as natural ingredients readily available in the south.

When plantation owners were busy planting cotton and only used a small portion of their land for subsistence crops, other nationalities and immigrants added other ingredients into cooking to develop tastes that are truly southern in origin. Paula’s home cooking recipes include many of these same ingredients, perfected over the years to provide a taste treat for just about everyone.

Famous Recipes Need Mass Appeal

Whenever a cook or chef goes on a syndicated show or publishes a cookbook, their recipes need to be more than unique. In meeting the demand of others, Paula’s home cooking recipes provide dishes that have appeal to the masses. Regardless of how good the cook believes his or her food tastes, if no one else agrees, it will never advance in popularity.

Paula’s home cooking recipes have been tried and passed numerous tests in her own restaurant kitchen and has become a big hit among her customers. It is the fame of the restaurant that moved Paula’s home cooking recipes into the public spotlight on her own southern cooking show on television. While distribution may be somewhat limited to the Food Network, as her recipes become better known, the taste of the south is expanding.

From desserts and cakes to casseroles and meat dishes, Paula’s home cooking recipes offers meals and foods for every occasion. Having tried and true recipes with which to try out southern cooking makes it easy for northerners to try different types and flavors of cooking.

Share This