Grilling environmentally consciously – Charcoal, electric, or gas? Cleaning naturally!

Charcoal reconsidered

This may be what gives food the best flavor, but according to research from the University of Sheffield, preparing a four-person dinner releases as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as if you had driven 130 kilometers by car. A grilling session means 5.8 kilograms of CO2 emissions per person. Emissions can be reduced by, for example, replacing beef with chicken or tofu, since a vegan grilling dinner produces less than 2 kilograms of CO2 emissions.

Another option is to cook with sustainable charcoal. The Tom Coco BBQ Grill briquette, manufactured by the Tom Cococha company, is produced in Indonesia under high quality standards from coconut shells. The briquette is made by recycling by-products of other coconut-derived bio-preparations. The briquette they produce smolders for approximately six hours and leaves relatively little ash behind.

Miller Holz makes its products from wood. The wood comes from forests planted by the company itself, which greatly contributes to Paraguay recovering its former green character. Much of Paraguay's forests have been destroyed due to excessive logging, yet the subtropical climate offers ideal conditions for various tree species. Miller Holz charcoal is made mostly from eucalyptus species.

Gas grilling for the family's sake

Although natural gas is not a renewable resource, compared to charcoal and electricity, this grilling alternative is the most environmentally friendly. Compared to charcoal, gas emits half the pollutants, so the family breathes in less. Another advantage of gas is that it heats up quickly, so food is ready in less time.

The two sides of electricity

The electric grill is the most environmentally harmful alternative, unless the energy comes from solar panels. According to Mother Earth News, a traditional electric grill can emit up to three times as much pollutant as charcoal. The emissions do not come from preparing the food, but from generating the energy needed to operate the grill.

Grilled duck breast recipe

"In Őrség, everything leads to the Pajtá" – so we set our course there too. In April, in the second episode of Hatékonyha, we cooked with Richárd Farkas, a star from Masterchef, who showed us a fantastic recipe featuring quail eggs smoked over pine branches and wild duck breast in leading roles. Beyond being a true culinary journey, the dish also keeps environmental protection in mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcPXcOS8vks

Natural cleaning

Nobody likes cleaning up after grilling, but with old, tried-and-true methods, we don't need to use industrial cleaners – just a little salt, vinegar, onion, or coffee grounds and we're done.

What ingredients can you use and how?

Vinegar and salt: Soak the grill grate in a mixture of vinegar and salt in the evening, and by morning you'll just need to wipe it down and it will look like new.

Onion: Onion is not just indispensable when cooking, but also when grilling. Cut it in half, thread it on a skewer, heat it up, and you can already use it as a grill cleaner. Onion is a good solution because, in addition to removing visible dirt, it also removes bacteria, so it has a disinfectant effect.

Coffee grounds: You can use coffee grounds like you would use scouring powder. All you need to do is put the coffee grounds on a sponge and start scrubbing the grate with it. Finally, rinse the grate with warm water.