Grilling is a cooking method that’s widely appreciated by health-conscious diners. The browning and charring a grill gives to foods provides deep, rich flavors and minimizes the need for salt and other seasonings. It doesn’t require the use of a cooking fat, and, in fact, will cook out much of the fat that naturally occurs in a food. If you’re in the mood for a steak, and don’t feel like standing out in the weather at your barbecue, an indoor grill such as Kitchen Selections’ Grill Mate is a good option.

Basic Design

Indoor grills follow two basic patterns. One type is flat, and reproduces the design of an outdoor grill. The other type is a clamshell design, consisting of a base unit and a hinged lid, each of which has a cooking surface. The cooking surfaces are ridged, to produce markings similar to those from a real grill, and also to allow fat to run off during cooking. The Grill Mate is an example of the second type of indoor grill.

Basic Usage

The Grill Mate and other clamshell designs work differently from a standard, flat grill. The important consideration with a Grill Mate is that the food is cooked from both sides simultaneously, making it a very efficient cooker. You won’t need to turn your steaks as you normally would during cooking, though you might want to rotate them at a 45-degree angle to create attractive cross-hatched grill marks.

Selecting Your Steak

The Grill Mate cooks very quickly, so you’ll need a tender steak. Any of the premium steaks such as rib steak, strip, porterhouse or fillet are ideal. Top sirloin is also suitable, though other sirloin cuts are generally too chewy. Select steaks that are three-quarter inch to one inch thick, since thinner steaks will not cook properly and thicker steaks will not allow the grill to close. Cook no more than a pound to 1 1/4 pounds of steaks at a time, or the juices will prevent the steaks from searing properly.

Cooking Your Steak

Marinate the steak ahead of time if you wish, or season it with salt and pepper immediately before cooking. Plug in the Grill Mate five to 10 minutes before you wish to cook, so it can preheat adequately. Position your steaks near the outer edges of the cooking surface, where the temperature is highest. Close the lid and grill for four to six minutes, for medium rare, or eight to 10 minutes for medium-well to well. Let the steaks rest under a loose covering of aluminum foil for five minutes before serving.

Paprika, a spice ground from bell peppers, is commonly used to add flavor and a vibrant red color to various ethnic dishes. However, some concern over paprika toxicity exists, since the spice is also added to many foods to provide red coloring and flavor in place of chemicals. You might obtain large amounts of paprika in your diet without realizing it, since it is an ingredient in ice cream, candy, baked goods, drinks, meat, soup and condiments.

FDA Policy

Paprika coloring is categorized as "exempt" by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because it is considered safe. The FDA explains that companies do not have to include paprika on their labels as a result. Instead, paprika can fall under “coloring” or “color added.”

Effects on Rats

In a 13-week study conducted by K. Kanki et al. at the National Institute of Health Sciences in Tokyo and published in the October 2003 issue of the journal, “Food and Chemical Toxicology,” rats were given a diet containing up to 5 percent of paprika. Higher blood cholesterol levels in the rats correlated with the amount of paprika given to the rats. However, up to 5 percent paprika in the diet was considered safe and did not cause any significant health problems in the rats.

Long-Term Effects on Rats

A study by T. Inoue et al., also carried out at the National Institute of Health Sciences in Tokyo, published in the August 2008 issue of the journal “Food and Chemical Toxicology,” found no toxicity related to paprika during a long-term study. The study tested various amounts of paprika in the diet of rats over a two-year period. The paprika resulted in higher levels of the formation of vacuoles, or water-filled compartments in cells, in the liver in male rats who had a diet containing 5 percent of paprika. However, there were no toxicological effects in males or females related to body or organ weight, survival rates or serum or hematological biochemical parameters. Paprika also did not cause tumors in the rats.

Considerations

Many food colorings added to make foods more appealing are associated with side effects. Because of this, paprika is a natural choice to replace red, orange and yellow food colorings, as well as to combine with other colors to create additional hues. For instance, paprika can replace Red 3 and 40 and Yellow 5 and 6, which all contain small amounts carcinogens and can cause allergic reactions, according to the Center for the Science in the Public Interest.

Throughout the world, lamb, which is sheep meat that is less than a year old, is commonly eaten in everyday meals, but perhaps because of its overuse during the World Wars, when it was a protein staple, today’s Americans rarely include lamb in the typical diet. The average adult in the U.S. consumes only about 1 pound per year compared with about 64 pounds of beef, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, while Europeans, Australians, New Zealanders and Muslim-dominated nations eat it with a regularity similar to standard meat selections. The mild, lightly gamy flavor of young lamb is less pungent compared with older mutton, and complementing it with the earthy flavor of black truffle oil gives it an additional gourmet twist that may convince resistant lamb consumers to eat it more frequently.

Lamb Types

Several cuts of leg of lamb exist on the market, including baby lamb, which is processed when the animal is 6 to 8 weeks old, and spring lamb, which is 3 to 5 months old when slaughtered. The USDA indicates grades of lamb based on the fat content, which include in descending order of leanness, prime, choice, good, utility and cull. A leg of lamb is the hind quarter that may include the sirloin section located just in front of it.

Cooking Suggestions

Leg of lamb is often tender and lacks the fat marbling that beef and other types of meat include, which means its lean nature renders it vulnerable to drying out during cooking. To prevent drying, slow-roasting is frequently the cooking method most effective for producing a succulent and successful texture outcome. Brushing it with oil prior to roasting it at 325 F is the standard process.

Black Truffle Oil

A variation on olive oil, or another oil type brushed on the surface of the lamb leg, is black truffle oil, a gourmet infusion available at specialty and high-end markets. Black truffles are a type of rare fungus that trufflecultiers harvest with the aid of trained pigs or dogs that find them underground. The oil is an infusion of the flavor of truffles, but the truffle itself is rarely used in the process, the ingredients’ label ordinarily attributing the source as "natural flavors," according to "The New Food Lover’s Companion," by Sharon and Ron Herbst.

Truffle Oil and Lamb

Brushing truffle oil on lamb prior to roasting it is one approach for combining the two ingredients. Basting the meat with an additional coat of truffle oil after cooking is completed is recommended because the oil is delicate and the heat may destroy a portion of the compounds that provide the flavor. Truffle oil drizzled on mashed potatoes, winter squash, asparagus, green beans, salads and other vegetable-based side dishes is an additional method for combining the two ingredients effectively.

Considerations

When purchasing black truffle oil, ensure you obtain the smallest possible bottle because it’s expensive and its composition degrades relatively quickly after opening. If a lamb package does not indicate its age before slaughter with a term such as baby or spring, use the rule that a lighter flesh color correlates with a younger animal.

When you’re diagnosed with celiac disease, your culinary options instantly dwindle to a world without wheat and all its related grains. Eventually, your options expand again as you learn about alternative grains, and you become confident at the grocery store — until you start reacting to meat. Celiac disease is caused by a reaction to gluten, which is a protein only found in grains — meat protein is different. But underlining the importance of label-reading, just because a food isn’t made with gluten doesn’t mean it’s gluten-free and safe for your insides.

Additives

Additives are a big problem for celiac sufferers. Foods you would normally think are safe, such as condiments, salad dressings and sauces can contain fillers, preservatives and other ingredients that come from wheat. If you’ve been eating deli meats or prepackaged flavored meats, chances are that additives are causing your problem. These processed meats are frequently injected with broth that adds flavor and weight but may also contain gluten. Only buy processed meats that are labeled "gluten-free." When eating out, ask the chef if the meat is cut fresh or could possibly contain gluten.

Contamination

Even if a food doesn’t contain gluten, it may still be contaminated if it’s processed in a facility that also handles products that contain gluten. That contamination may be enough to trigger a reaction in people with symptomatic celiac disease. Read packages carefully — allergen information is printed in bold type under the nutritional information panel — and discard any meat product that says it was processed in a facility that processes wheat or any other gluten-containing grain. Buy meat fresh at your grocery store’s meat counter instead of choosing prepackaged varieties. Fresh meat is cut on the premises, and the meat department is separate from the bakery, so the chance of gluten contamination is minimal, although sausage-type meats such as salami may have gluten ingredients in the filling.

Animal Feed

Gluten-free Internet forums are awash with people who claim to have had a reaction after eating grain-fed meat. According to consultant gastroenterologist Dr. Jason Tye-Din of the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia, this is impossible. When an animal digests its feed, the gluten is split into its constituent amino acids. These amino acids are later assembled into different proteins as needed by the animal’s body. The animal’s body has no reason to reassemble amino acids into gluten when other proteins are more suited for the work to be done, so even if the animal eats gluten, its muscles won’t contain it. The reactions these people are experiencing is more likely the results of contamination or additives.

Meat Allergy

There is always a possibility that your reaction may have less to do with celiac disease and more to do with the meat itself. Although meat allergies generally develop during childhood, a certain form can also develop later in life. People have suffered anaphylactic shock after consuming meat, even if no previous allergy existed. University of Virginia professor of medicine Scott Cummins explained in a 2010 issue of the AARP bulletin that a tick bite can cause your body to produce antibodies that react to a certain sugar that’s present on meat tissue, causing an allergic reaction. Reactions increase in severity with the serving size and can occur hours after ingestion and weeks or months after the initial tick bite. To add to the confusion, you may not experience a reaction every time you eat meat. If you have been exposed to ticks or are experiencing respiratory rather than digestive reactions to meat, consult your doctor about a possible allergy. You may be advised to carry an epi-pen.

The paiche, also known as arapaima or pararucu in its Amazonian homeland, is an interesting and unusual fish. Sometimes referred to as a "living fossil," it is a surviving example of a class of primitive bony-tongued fish that were common in the Jurassic era. Its most unusual characteristic is that it is an air breather, surfacing every 10 to 20 minutes to inhale. Paiche are protected now in the Amazon basin, but sustainably farmed paiche can be found at upscale fishmongers. The flesh is firm and delicate in flavor, rivaling black cod and Chilean sea bass in quality.

About Paiche

Paiche are among the very largest of freshwater fish, reportedly up to 10 feet in length and weighing over 400 pounds. Amazonian natives use their tongues as graters, and fashion their large scales into jewelry. The fish have few bones, and a 200 pound specimen will yield 140 pounds of usable meat. It can be cut into large steaks, fillets or thick meaty "loins" similar in size and shape to a pork loin. The flesh is pale and mild in flavor, containing 20 percent protein by weight. It’s also high in collagen, which keeps it moist in high temperature cooking.

Grilling

Like other oversized predators including tuna and swordfish, paiche has a firm flesh that works well on the grill. Unlike those other species, however, farmed paiche is free of both mercury contamination and concerns about sustainability. Its flesh is also leaner and more delicate, but the high collagen content holds it together on the grill and prevents it from becoming dry. Paiche steaks can be marinated and grilled in the same way as a swordfish or tuna steak. Thicker loin pieces can be glazed or spice-crusted and cooked on the cooler part of the grill, then finished at high heat to form a crust.

Pan-Searing and Frying

Paiche’s ability to form a crisp yet delicate crust is a characteristic many chefs exploit by pan-searing a thick cut. In this method the chef marinates or encrusts a thick portion of paiche loin or belly, then presses it into a very hot pan. The paiche becomes golden and crisp on each side as it’s turned, and then is finished at lower heat on the stove top or in an oven. The interior of the cut remains moist and delicate, making a pleasant contrast with the crisp exterior. Paiche can also be breaded and fried conventionally with good results.

Other Preparations

Paiche’s delicate flavor makes it a natural choice for cooking "en papillote," in a pouch of parchment paper. This allows the fish to steam in its own juices, with whichever flavors the chef chooses to add. Regional cuisines achieve a similar effect by wrapping the fish in banana leaves or other natural wrappers, some of which impart a flavor or color. It can also be steamed Asian-style on a bed of aromatic vegetables, or poached in a flavorful liquid in the classic French style. Paiche is firm enough that small pieces can even be stir-fried in Asian dishes.

In 1933, the majority of the corn grown in the United States was open-pollinated, according to seed biologists at Oregon State University. By 1945, however, 90 percent of the corn grown in the United States was some form of hybrid, which is a trend that has continued. Although the nutritional values in corn are hard to measure due to all the variables involved, some relatively consistent differences between hybrid and open-pollinated corn have been noted.

Open-Pollinated Corn

Open-pollination corn is corn that has been grown by cross-pollination between two plants or by self-pollination. Cross-pollination is accomplished by the wind, an insect or water carrying pollen from one plant to another. Self-pollination occurs when male and female parts of the same plant, located on the plant’s flowers, pollinate each other. Open-pollinated corn can vary greatly in size and shape from plant to plant and from generation to generation. Unlike hybrid corn, open-pollinated corn plants consistently produce viable seed that can be used to grow more corn.

Hybrid Corn

Hybrid corn is created by selectively pollinating one genetically uniform variety of corn with another genetically uniform variety of corn, often by hand, according to Jim Baggett, professor emeritus of horticulture at Oregon State University. Hybrid corn is more consistent in size and shape than open-pollinated corn, and hybrid crops usually produce a higher yield. However, the seeds produced by hybrid corn varieties can be sterile and often yield corn that is vastly different from the previous generation. For this reason, growers need to purchase new seeds every time they grow a new crop if they want consistency from one crop to another.

Measuring Nutrients

Corn contains a variety of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, the most notable of which is protein. Measuring the contents of the different types of corn and getting consistent results is difficult because there are so many varieties of corn. In addition, many types of hybrid corn are grown to cultivate specific types of nutrients, particularly in corn grown for animal feed. Overall, open-pollinated corn has been shown to provide more protein than hybrid corn. The content of other nutrients can vary quite a bit due to the different strains of corn grown and soil conditions, although hybrid corn is typically more consistent in nutrient content than open-pollinated corn.

Studies

A study published in the 2002 edition of "Crop Science" compared three types of hybrid corn strains with an open-pollinated strain, The researchers reported that while the hybrid strains produced more corn, the open-pollinated strain consistently contained more protein. Another independent study performed at the Harris Laboratories in Lincoln, Nebraska, compared samples of open-pollinated corn and a hybrid breed. The study reported similar results with regard to protein, but also found that the open-pollinated corn had higher percentages of copper, iron and manganese. Fiber content was found to be the same.

Italy loves bread, and the peninsula is home to a number of famous loaves such as foccaccia and ciabatta. Sicily has its "S" shaped durum wheat loaves, Sardinia the cracker-like "carta di musica" flatbread and other regions have their own specialties. The bread labeled as "Italian bread" or Pane Italiano in American supermarkets is a simpler thing, a basic crusty white bread baked on a sheet.

Dough

Standard recipes for Italian bread call for the dough to be mixed in a single stage in the mixer or mixing bowl, which bakers refer to as the "straight dough" method. This is the simplest method for bread baking, using a relatively large quantity of yeast and a short rising time. It makes a straightforward, neutral-flavored white bread with a pleasantly light crumb and crisp crust. However, some bakers instead start their Italian bread with a portion of aged dough, called a "biga," which improves the flavor of the loaf.

Biga

Wheat has a relatively high level of natural sugars, but they’re bound up in large molecules of starch. When a dough has the opportunity to rest for several hours, natural enzymes in the flour have time to break down the starch molecules into their component sugars, giving the bread a deeper, more complex flavor and a distinctive red-cold color when baked. A biga is a portion of dough made ahead of time with just flour, water and yeast. It has the same consistency as regular dough, and when it’s added to the new dough, it gives the whole loaf an improved flavor.

Loaves

Loaves of pane Italiano are baked free-form, rather than in pans, to give them a visual resemblance to artisanal loaves. The most common shape is an oblong with well-rounded ends, to differentiate them from some French loaves, which have pointed ends. The same bread can be shaped into a round loaf, if desired. The loaves are usually slashed with a razor or serrated knife before baking. This serves two purposes. The slash marks are esthetically appealing, and they keep the breads uniform in appearance by letting them rise in the oven without their crust bursting from the expansion.

Crustiness

The signature of a good Italian loaf is its light, crisp crust. Professional bakers use ovens with heavy stone hearths that transfer heat directly to the underside of the bread, and steam injectors that moisten the air in the oven and help make the bread crustier. These conditions can be replicated at home with a pizza baking stone, or unglazed terra cotta tiles, to serve as a hearth. To generate steam, manually mist the oven a few times with a spray bottle of water, during the first 10 minutes of baking.

Your diet directly impacts your blood sugar levels. You should follow your doctor’s orders about the specific foods you should eat for your individual condition. The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends eating a balanced diet to keep blood sugar levels normal. A healthy diet consists of 20 percent of your calories coming from protein sources, 40 to 60 percent from carbohydrates and no more than 30 percent from fat, a large component of foods like bacon. Diets to maintain blood sugar levels are low in added sugar, cholesterol and fat.

Ingredients

Bacon is made from the bellies of young swine, usually 6 to 7 months old, and contains strips of pink meat interspersed with white ribbons of fat. Bacon lasts longer than many other meats because of the curing process that includes significant amounts of nitrites and salt. The raw meat is either pumped full of the curing solution prior to heating, rubbed with salt and nitrites, or soaked in the brine. Other common additives used in bacon production include wood smoke, maple sugar, sugar, flavorings and spices. Salt prevents bacterial growth, and the sugar cuts the strong taste of the salt. There are about 380 calories in three strips of bacon, of which 110 come from fat. The serving typically contains 500 milligrams of sodium, 45 milligrams of cholesterol and 6 grams of protein.

Symptoms

Skipping meals, fasting, strenuous exercise and poor diet can lead to hypoglycemic symptoms. Conditions such as tumors, diabetes, autoimmune disorders and organ failure can cause sudden drops in your blood sugar when insulin levels are imbalanced. Symptoms include excessive sweating, headaches, heart palpitations and anxiety. Untreated, you can experience seizures, mental confusion and coma. While your diet cannot cure hypoglycemia, or low blood pressure, you can reduce the symptoms by eating a healthy diet. Some doctors recommend a high-protein diet to reduce symptoms, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, but the protein should come from lean cuts of meat that have not been processed. Refined foods like bacon that contain added sugar and unhealthy fats can lead to unwanted symptoms.

Avoid

You should eliminate bacon from your diet if you have low blood sugar or diabetes, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. The high levels of fat outweigh the healthy protein you’ll receive from the meat, and the added salt and sugar exacerbate blood level fluctuation even more. Read the labels on bacon that claims to have fewer fat calories or reduced salt levels because the brands often rely on added sugar to supplant the lost tastes derived from fat and salt. Other foods you should avoid include high-fat dairy products, egg yolks, dishes made with mayonnaise and fried food.

Options

A number of bacon alternatives are available that may not affect your blood sugar levels, weight, cholesterol and sodium intake as drastically. Canadian bacon is a low-fat alternative that contains zero to 3 grams of fat and fewer than 45 calories per serving according to MayoClinic.com. Soy-based bacon substitutes are a medium-fat meat substitute. A serving of three strips of soy bacon typically contains 4 to 7 grams of fat and 75 calories.

Many home bakers are motivated to provide their families with the best, freshest, purest baked goods possible. This could mean something different for each person, but usually it means buying local, seasonal ingredients and avoiding processed items where possible. For some bakers, this means purchasing a grain mill and grinding their own flour. While fresh-ground flour is unmatched for flavor, it will behave differently in your bread machine.

Fresh vs. Commercial

Anyone considering the use of freshly milled grain for bread baking will quickly find that there are two radically different opinions on the subject. Conventional culinary and baking texts state bluntly that fresh-ground flour makes poor bread, with unsatisfactory texture and rise. Enthusiasts argue for the flavor and nutrition of the freshly ground grain and therefore adjust their bread-baking technique to compensate for the different handling required. This is relatively straightforward when baking conventionally but it could be problematic with a bread machine.

Adjusting for Fresh Ground Grain

Freshly ground grain is "softer," or lower in gluten that commercial flour, even when made from the same wheat. That’s because oxidation over time alters the molecular structure of glutenin, one of the proteins that makes gluten chains. Home ground grain also makes whole-grain flour, which makes weaker gluten strands because the sharp edges of the milled bran cut the strands of protein. These characteristics can be compensated for, however. One way is to add concentrated wheat gluten to the dough. A second method is to rest the dough for a time, giving gluten strands more opportunity to develop.

Adjusting Bread Machine Recipes

There are two times during baking when you can rest your bread dough, and both can be adapted to bread machine baking. The first time is after your dough is mixed, but before it is kneaded. Resting the bread for 20 to 30 minutes at this point will greatly improve gluten development. The French call this stage an "autolyse." Alternatively, after the bread receives its initial kneading, you can remove it from the bread machine and store it overnight in your refrigerator. The next day, pan it and bake it or return it to your bread machine and finish the cycle.

Selecting a Bread Machine

Home-milled grain tends to be slightly coarser and heavier than commercial flour, so look for sturdy, well-made machines that specifically claim to be powerful enough for whole grain breads. Some machines have a button that allows you to pause the bread-making cycle, which makes a 20-minute autolyse or overnight rise easy and convenient. Some sophisticated, higher-end machines allow customized baking cycles, which can be adjusted to accommodate a resting period. The best way to choose is often to seek out others who grind their own grain and ask them for recommendations.

Many people are familiar with using thermos bottles for hot beverages, like coffee or cocoa, but many thermoses are designed specifically for hot food. Using a thermos increases your options for taking lunch with you. Foods, such as soup or baked beans, that would become unsafe to eat if left to sit all morning can stay piping hot if prepared properly and put into a thermos.

Meal Suggestions

Hot lunch foods that are liquid or semiliquid work well in a thermos. Dry foods will not stay hot in a thermos. Soup makes for a good thermos lunch, as do stew and chili. Pastas, curries and casseroles that are prepared with a substantial sauce will also stay hot in a well-sealed thermos.

Food Preparation

Before adding food, prepare the thermos by pouring boiling water into it and letting it sit for a couple of minutes before pouring the water out. Meanwhile, heat the food until it is hot to the touch. To ensure even heat distribution, heat the food in a pot on the stove rather than using a microwave. Food should be heated to at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit to be safely stored in a thermos. Once you pour the food into the bottle, twist the lid on tightly so the heat does not escape.

Thermos Safety

Always start with a clean thermos so your food won’t be contaminated by bacteria. Heat the food just before you leave for work or school so the food does not have to sit in the thermos for longer than necessary. If the temperature of the food drops below 140 degrees Fahrenheit for a period of longer than two hours, it runs the risk of forming harmful bacteria and is no longer safe to eat. If you are sending the thermos to school with a young child, advise her to ask an adult to help open it so she does not scald herself with the contents.

Cleaning

At the end of the day, dispose of any leftover food from the thermos. It is not safe to eat thermos leftovers. Clean your thermos by rinsing it with boiling water, then washing it by hand with soap and hot water. Let the bottle dry completely before replacing the lid. Unless your thermos is labeled as being dishwasher-safe, do not place it in the dishwasher.