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How to Clean Your Grill and Make Sure It’s Always Ready for Action

The grilling season is back, but so is the truth of what’s been lurking in your grill since last year. You’ll regret it if you opened the lid. Did I let out a loud yelp the first time I opened my Coleman this year? I sure did. I asked a Texas barbecue pitmaster for his tips on grill cleaning. Barrett Black, the fourth-generation pitmaster of Texas’s oldest barbeque joint, The Original Black’s Barbecue knows how to keep a grill clean. According to him it’s not a matter of scrubbing more, but scrubbing better (and more frequently than you think). “Cleaning shouldn’t be a chore, but a habit.” “It’s something you do at the very end of your cook so that the next cook can be easy,” he says. It’s all about controlling the flavor. If your grill is dirty you are not tasting the food you are eating, but your last mistake. Black explains the cleaning routine that he follows every time he enters the pit so you can follow it at home. Grab a good scrubber to remove stubborn buildup. Black says you don’t have to use a lot of gadgets to maintain your grates. Black recommends using a chainmail brush to clean grates that are in need of TLC. It should have a long handle and be able to reach the hard to reach places. “When it is backed with something like silicone, it allows it to form to the grates, and you can put pressure where you want it.” He says that they are difficult to clean, their bristles bend and wear out quickly, and they can end up on the grates. “That’s something you don’t want anywhere near or in your food.” You are better off using a pair tongs and some aluminum foil to remove debris.

  

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Food

The Best Drip Coffee Makers, Test Kitchen Vetted & Editor Approved (2026)

It also comes with the thermal carafe that will end all thermal carafes; it’s the heaviest one I’ve ever used and kept water above 120degF for four hours. This machine is beautiful, functional, and built for longevity. It’s a luxury item that’s not accessible to everyone. It allows you to adjust the water temperature, flow rate, bloom volume and bloom time. It also makes cold brew over night. It costs almost as much as the Fellow Aiden but doesn’t offer as much. For example, the flow rate and bloom volume can only be set at low, medium or high. While that may be enough for most people, it is important to have all these settings to get the exact flavor you desire from any batch of coffee beans. The Fellow’s more precise features are worth the extra $20. The interface of the Breville can also be a bit confusing. It’s not clear when you turn it on whether you are adjusting settings or starting the brew cycle. Many customization options have unlabeled buttons. The Zojirushi Dome Classic coffee maker has twice the capacity as the Zojirushi Zumto. It also offers a more traditional drip-style coffee experience. It produces coffee that is above average for its price, and it’s easy to use with a single switch. The removable showerhead is great for fully saturating coffee grounds. A “bold” setting concentrates water to extract more flavor. The silicone gasket seals the carafe top during brewing, helping to keep the coffee warm as it drips. The Dome is a great choice if you want a no-fuss, straightforward machine that will make great coffee without breaking your bank. The built-in burr grinder is not as nice or versatile as a stand-alone grinder, but it does the job.

  

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Food

Cherry Cobbler With Lemon-Cream Biscuits

BiscuitsStep 2Whisk together 2 cups (250g) all-purpose wheat flour, 1/4 cup (50g) granulated granulated, and 1 Tbsp. Baking powder, 2 tsp. Finely grated lemon rind and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or half a teaspoon. Morton kosher sea salt in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup (1 stick), cut into pieces, chilled unsalted Butter, and toss in order to coat. Photo by Alex Lau. Food styling by Sue LiStep 2. Gradually pour 1 1/3 cups chilled cream into the bowl, while tossing the flour mixture constantly with a spatula. Fold dough several times over and onto itself, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a hard plastic spatula or flexible bench scraper. With floured fingers, pat dough into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle or a square. Use a bench scraper or plastic spatula to lift the dough and dust it with additional flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Dust the surface with more flour and then cut the dough into four equal pieces. Stack them on top of one another (this will ensure flakiest biscuits). Dust the stack with flour, then flatten it with a rolling-pin. Roll out to 1/2″ thickness, dusting more flour as necessary.Photo by Alex Lau. Food styling by Sue LiStep 4. Using a 1 1/2″ cutter, dip in flour frequently and punch out biscuits with as much precision as possible. Transfer biscuits onto a plate. You should get about 40 biscuits. If needed, gather up scraps of dough, reroll and punch out additional biscuits. Chill until ready to be used (cover if you are going to chill for more than 30 minutes).Photos by Alex Lau and Food Styling by Sue Li.Do ahead: You can make the dough and/or punch out biscuits a day in advance; wrap tightly and then chill.Fillings and assemblyStep 5.Place a rack at the middle of your oven and preheat it to 400deg. Mix 2 lb. Mix 2 lb. cornstarch, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp. Ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon. Almond extract and 1/4 tsp. In a large bowl, combine Morton or Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Scrape filling into a 2-qt. Press down firmly on the cake pan or baking dish with a 9″ diameter and 2″ sides. Place on a foil lined rimmed baking tray (this will prevent the juices from bubbling and smoking your oven). Step 6Arrange chilled cookies over filling. Fit snugly, so they are touching with only a couple of gaps (some overlaps are fine; reserve any leftover biscuits to bake at a future time). Brush generously with three tablespoons. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. Step 7Bake the cobbler for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350deg. Continue baking until the filling is bubbling in the center, and biscuits are golden brown. This will take 50-65 more minutes. Let it cool down a little. Let cobbler cool for at least 20-30 mins. The filling will become thicker as it cools. Do ahead: Cobblers can be baked up to a day in advance. Store tightly covered at a room temperature. Editor’s Note: This recipe first appeared in our June 2019 issue under the name ‘Cherry Biscuit Cobbler.’ It has been adapted to suit your taste. Click here for more of our favorite recipes featuring cherries.

  

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Food

29 Summer Salad Recipes for Peak Produce Season

One reviewer says, “This recipe hits the right notes.” Grilled steaks, charred tomatoes, and charred corn are all included. But it’s the sugar-and-sumac-spiced pita chips that’ll have you making it again and again–they make a great snack with your afternoon spritz.

  

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Food

Best Kitchen Scales, Tested Over a Decade of Baking (2026)

This Escali scale is a favorite of the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen and has been for more than six years. This scale has been with Shilpa for over a decade, through 12-hour shifts at pastry kitchens, religious recipe testing and weekly baking sessions. It is durable, accurate, easy to use and affordable. It was accurate and responsive in testing. It was also quick to tare and gave accurate readings each time. The 4.5-minute automatic shut-off was among the most generous we tested. You won’t have to worry about losing your measurements in the middle of baking. Its 11-pound capacity will handle any task that a home chef might ask it to do. Performance aside, the Escali primo has a few design features that made it stand out. The elevated weighing platform and offset base make it easy to read the display and use the buttons, even when measuring into large, wide mixing dishes. The plastic body and sealed controls make it easy to clean after a floury session of baking and prevent stray crumbs getting stuck in crevices. Another detail we love? The four rubberized legs keep it stable on the kitchen counter. Shilpa says: “It is compact and easy-to-store, easy to clean, and it switches between grams and ounces without any difficulty. It’s also reliably accurate.” “What we would leave: The Escali only measures in 1-gram increments. This was true of all the scales we tested. However, if you want to use your kitchen scale to measure out your coffee, then you’ll need something more precise. The Escali’s display does not have a backlight, unlike some more expensive models. However, we did not find this to pose a problem. It’s also worth noting that the Escali is not a touchscreen device, so you’ll need to use a bit of pressure on the buttons.Amazon BasicsDigital Kitchen Scale$10 AmazonPros and consPros:Very inexpensiveLightweight and compactPretty accurateCons:Not quite as accurate as our top pickButtons can be prone to collecting crumbs and grimeSize: 8.3 x 7 x 1.3″Capacity: 11 lb.

Gradation: 1 g

Auto shut-off:

Power: AAA batteries included

  

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Food

Spicy Tinned Tuna Tostadas

It’s That Simple, our series of recipes that are so simple you can make them without opening your eyes. This budget-friendly version of Contramar’s famous tuna tostada uses jarred or canning tuna instead of the sushi-grade fish. Keep some chunks of tuna intact to ensure a satisfying texture. Tuna salad is delicious, but not what we’re going for. The bright, punchy mixture of tuna is then topped on top. You can serve this as a party appetizer, or a no-cook, easy meal. For this recipe, stick to oil-packed tuna. The texture of the tuna is silkier and richer. Second, the oil is a secondary component. When mixed with lime juice, the oil creates a vibrant dressing. The tuna mixture can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. Keep it tightly covered.I’m not a fan of mango. Can I use something else instead? You could use a ripe peach, or a very tender pear. How do I prevent the tostadas getting soggy? Assemble right before serving. Add the toppings at the last minute so that the shells remain crisp.

  

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