Book Review: Simply Grilling by Jennifer Chandler

If you limit your backyard cooking to burgers and steaks, Simply Grilling by chef Jennifer Chandler will give you plenty of new ideas! Included are a number of recipes for chicken, pork, beef and fish on the grill, but that is only the beginning. Appetizers, veggies, salads, sandwiches, even desserts are also prepared on the barbeque, with a variety of flavours to suit any taste. The author also includes a number of basic information to help the amateur become confident, from tool selection to heat selection, grilling times and “dressing up” with marinades and rubs.

I can’t claim to have tried every recipe in the book, and some are too exotic for my family's taste, but those I have prepared are delicious. A number of dishes require a special grocery list, but it was interesting to read about the origins and uses of some of the rarer ingredients. There are quite a few dishes prepared using only staples which are on hand in many kitchens: much easier for the last minute decision on what to have for dinner. The instructions are clear and easy to follow; the cooking tips provided extra information on how to avoid common problems when cooking on a barbeque, as well as suggestions for substitutions for some of the ingredients. I greatly appreciated the tips on what can be “done ahead” to make final preparation a cinch. Grab simply grilling, fire up your grill, and prepare a hot and tasty meal without turning on the oven.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson publishers through the Book Sneeze program, and was not required to write a positive review.