Saturday, September 8, 2012

Tailgating Season Essentials | J.E.S. Restaurant Equipment Blog

With the first days of autumn just around the corner, college football seasons are officially in full swing, and another year of tailgate parties is quickly rising on the horizon. Whether big or small, every good tailgating event is likely backed by a collection of various tools and equipment geared towards outdoor cooking. Here is a quick list of recommended items for making your next tailgate a great time for both you and your friends.

Grilling is usually the first thing that comes to mind upon mention of an upcoming tailgate party, and selecting the right grill for your tailgate can be a tricky decision. A reasonably sized grill is a must, especially if you will be feeding a larger number of people, but a grill that is too large or too heavy will obviously be difficult to transport. The Holland Companion Grill solves this problem easily with its portable, yet highly practical design. The Companion Grill operates on 1 lb. disposable propane tanks (approximately four hours of use per tank on high heat setting) and has a spacious 16-13/16? x 12-11/16? cooking surface, making it the perfect choice for mobile grilling. For added versatility, pick up a Camerons Products Stovetop Smoker to instantly transform your grill or portable stove into a full-fledged hot-smoker or steamer.

If you?re looking for something a little bit different from the regular barbeque approach, a compact outdoor fryer is a great choice. The R & V Works Single Basket Cajun Fryer is a good starting point, as it offers a comfortable basket size and oil capacity while maintaining a relatively compact form factor. Transporting (and cleaning up) a fryer will almost certainly be a bit more complicated than a portable stove or grill, but the addition of delicious, freshly fried foods to your tailgating repertoire may be well worth the extra effort. If you tailgate in a non-urban environment in which open fires are allowed (always check local ordinances first), a well-seasoned Dutch oven makes a unique choice for cooking sides and desserts once the weather cools down. While there?s nothing quite like the taste of food prepared in cast iron cookware, handling implements over an open fire can be hazardous, so be sure to outfit yourself with some heavy, heat-resistant gloves first.

Once you?ve got your cooking equipment set up, you will obviously need tools for the job. Consider replacing the traditional forks, spatulas, and tongs with a single set of K2 Development?s Pigtail Food Flippers. The Pigtail?s curved hook design allows food to be easily flipped from above, thus enabling you to maximize your grill space by eliminating the need to leave room to maneuver spatulas and tongs under and around each food item. Tailgate parties are ? first and foremost ? social events, so anything that keeps the cook(s) ?in the action? is a welcome convenience. When cooking larger pieces of meat, a good wireless thermometer is a great way to keep tabs on the internal temperature of your food without being tied to the grill.

To blatantly state the obvious, beverages are a must at tailgate parties, and having adequate coolers is critical to the tailgating experience. Buying coolers with built-in drain spouts will simplify clean up and will allow the accumulated water in each cooler to be drained periodically as its contents are gradually consumed. If you tailgate in a location with less than flat ground (dirt, grass, gravel, etc.), or if you will need to walk from your parking area to meet up with the rest of your party, a cooler with more heavy-duty wheels may be an optimal choice. Dragging an ill-equipped cooler full of ice and drinks to and from your tailgating location is always an exhausting task, and the slightly more pricey upfront investment will definitely be worth it in the long run for regular tailgaters. Additionally, if you regularly serve drinks such as iced tea or fruit juices in bulk at your tailgate parties, upgrading your dispensing coolers to more heavily insulated catering models may also prove to be a worthwhile investment toward keeping your drinks cold (or hot) during longer events.

Always remember to drink responsibly, and enjoy the upcoming tailgating season!

Source: http://www.jesrestaurantequipment.com/jesrestaurantequipmentblog/tailgating-season-essentials/

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