The Truth About Pepper Mills…
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Pepper mills are really rather simple devices. They use durable hardened steel grinders with the more high quality grinders having two levels of grinding. The first just splits the peppercorns and the second grinds it more finely. These style mills generally come with a lifetime guarantee.
To fill the mill, remove the top nut and fill then replace the nut. Turn the mill upside down and turn in a clockwise motion to grind.
Your mill will never need washed, but you can place a drop of mineral oil on the top nut and rub it down into the wood of the sides.
You should frequently use your mill to ensure your peppercorns stay fresh. If you rarely use the mill, you shouldn’t put many peppercorns it at a time. The peppercorn should be stored in airtight container away from sunlight and in the freezer is actually ideal.
Never put salt in a pepper mill, salt mills are made with a different grinding device and salt is very corrosive on your pepper mill.
Here are a few mills for your consideration:
The Truth About Skewers…
With Father’s Day just around the corner here, I thought I would tell you about one of the most manly tools out there. LOL…
Yeah, grill skewers.
Some are very basic being wooden/bamboo sticks, however, some are very complex multi-pronged pieces of metal.
Here are two examples of skewers, that will work for any project you are planning.
 circle kabob skewers - set of 8Price: $18.00 |
 cast iron twig skewers set of 8Price: $30.00 |
How to properly use skewers is often a mystery to even some great grillers, so I will break it down into steps here.
- If your using wooden skewers, you should soak them in water for at least 30 minutes to help eliminate the risk of them burning.
- Prepare your food for skewering, small is good, but consider the size it will be when finished cooking. Meat for example will shrink by about 1/3 sometimes more. I think pieces about an inch by and inch will generally cook to a good size for bites. Also consider cooking times for your food pieces as they all need to complete cooking at approximately the same time, so for example cherry tomatoes cook very fast, so the other veggies will have to be small enough to cook in that same time window.
- Make your skewers, yeah…this is the fun part. If you are using items that are particularly thin consider using multiple skewers.
- Cook it up… Use medium to medium low heat and have the ends of the skewers hanging off the edge of the grill area. Move the skewers as little as possible after it is cooking, this helps make sure the food stays tight onto the skewer.
- Eat, but make sure it has cooled enough to eat comfortably.
Wooden skewers should be tossed after a single use. If you grill frequently, consider getting some flat metal skewers which will last for years and will keep your food more secure because of the flat surface guarding against rotating food.
Here are a couple more skewer options: