When the weather warms up and the days get longer, all you want to do is get grilling. The smoky smell, the charred edges, food that actually tastes like summer — there's nothing better.Living in an apartment doesn't have to get in the way of that. A lot of people assume that cooking over high heat in a small kitchen means one thing: a screaming smoke alarm. But with the right equipment and a few simple techniques, great grilled food is totally within reach, even without a backyard or balcony.Here are five tips to get that chargrilled flavor in your apartment without triggering the smoke alarm.
The right gear for indoor grilling...
The first and most important piece for indoor grilling is a grill pan, ideally cast iron. The advantage of cast iron is that it distributes heat evenly and so produces consistent searing and charring. (Check out our picks for the best cast iron skillets). You can, of course, also use something like a Ninja indoor grill if you have one. The second item you’ll need is an oil with a high smoke point — that is, an oil that can reach high temperatures without giving off smoke. The most refined oils have the highest smoke points, so go for oils like avocado, canola and sunflower. When you cook at a temperature above an oil’s smoke point, you not only create smoke, but a bitter taste that ruins the flavor of the food. For grilling indoors, look for oils marked "refined." Refined oils are generally pale in color, with no sediment or cloudiness.
