STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Oh I have one and I love it.  It is super quick and super healthy!  In my experiences chicken can come out a tad dry so you have to watch it and take it off as soon as possible.  Usually I cut into the center to check it for pinkness during grilling.  Marinades would probably help do the trick though if you want to soak it.  I do a lot of dry marinades/seasonings on mine and it comes out quite tasty.

I've done grilled cheese, hot dogs, sasauge, turkey burgers, regular beef, and steak on mine.  You can also do veggies on it.  Its just a matter of being creative and knowing when to take stuff off before you burn/dry it out.

No Problem.

Dry marinades are the bottles you get on the spice aisle at the grocery store. I usually use carribean jerk and mesquite for chicken.  You just sprinkle it over the meat while grilling it.  I just put enough to lightly cover the meat on one side.  There are a ton out there.  I also usually dip the chicken in bbq sauce for dinner. The other thing I do is make my own marinade using worshitere (sp?) sauce and the dry marinade and drop the meat in there and stab it some with a fork or knife and then grill it.

I make turkey burgers out of ground turkey you find on the meat aisle.  It comes in the same package as ground beef.  You have to be careful though because there is a very lean version 99% Fat Free and a regular version which is 85% Fat Free or something and the Fat difference is between 4gms vs. 15gms. I just quarter the package and make 4 burgers out of it or I'll make 2 burgers and freeze the rest for another day.   I also use turkey in hamburger helper instead of beef since I don't eat beef and I think it tastes the same.

-- Edited by lsubatgirl at 14:36, 2005-01-04

When you cook ground turkey the meat turns white and not brown just FYI.  So when it turns white inside and out it is done.  Don't overwhite it or it can dry out.

hey esquiress, excuse me if this sounds obvious, but did you make sure to cook it in half the time you would normally cook a chicken breast? because the grill cooks the meat with direct heat from both sides, it cooks about twice as fast as say an oven or pan-frying would. I prefer not to cut into my meats while they're cooking (to prevent juices from running out), so to test for doneness I feel it with a spatula or spoon. if the center or fattest part of the meat "gives" the way raw meat does, it's not done. it's done when it's just firm to the touch. then take it off the grill immediately. wait a minute or two before eating to let the juices settle.

I have one but I like to use it more for grilled sandwiches.  I made chicken with it but it always comes out dry.  I think it's probably because the juices just flow out.  I prefer to do grilled chicken on my Le Cruset Grill Pan.  I do agree that it may be too much of a *dry* heat for chicken breast.

to see if the meat is done without cutting into it, you can use a meat thermometer (they're pretty cheap and you can buy them anywhere from a kitchen supply place to the supermarket in the kitchen tools isle).  you just stick the meat at the thickest part, and the thermometer is marked as to how hot you need to get different types of meat.  (i think poultry is 175).

I'm going to go get one this weekend.  Thanks for all your recipie ideas. 

Esquiress -- if you're willing to put in a little time and effort -- turkey burger will be extra yummy if you add one egg white, bread crumbs, finely chopped spring onion and/or chopped parsley and a little salt and pepper to the meat and mix well before shaping into patties.  You can also add a little soy sauce, ginger for a more Asian twist.  It takes a little more effort but I think it's worth it, as turkey can be a lot more dry & bland than beef b/c of its lower fat content.  I am really big on cooking with fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, rosemary, etc.) as opposed to dry -- I think it makes a big difference. 

I have George in my kitchen and I love it I have used it to grill chicken with and without marinade. I have never had a problem with the chicken being dry.