| uccess of your backyard grilling party will stand or fall | | | | often tastes different to stuff from the |
| by the taste of the food that you give to your | | | | supermarket. When selecting your fish, take a look at |
| guests. In order to give them the best flavors, you | | | | how it is displayed. Has the fishmonger taken time |
| should select the best ingredients that you can | | | | and trouble over his or her display? The fish should |
| afford to buy locally. Easier said than done, the best | | | | be displayed with the bellies at the lowest point to |
| ingredients are not necessarily the most expensive. | | | | allow for drainage. The flesh of the fish should be |
| So what do you look for? How does an amateur | | | | uniform and bright, if there are traces of yellow at |
| chef know quality? Here are a few simple guidelines | | | | the edges of the cut flesh, it is not fresh. The eyes |
| that could help you in your quest for good | | | | of the fish should be clear, not dull and cloudy. When |
| flavorsome food. | | | | selecting meat, red meats should be just that, and |
| Firstly, use your nose. When choosing vegetables, | | | | not grey or brown in colour. Beef should show a |
| choose the ones that have a fresh smell. Vegetables | | | | good marbling as that is caused by the presence of |
| that are out of season can taste good but mostly | | | | small pieces of fat that give flavor. Look also for |
| you should aim to use vegetables that are in season. | | | | quality stamps on the meat that you are buying. |
| Vegetables that have been forced will have little or | | | | Thirdly, use your ears. Get involved in the |
| no odour, avoid these. When choosing fresh ocean | | | | neighborhood network. Listen and talk to others. See |
| fish, select produce that does not smell completely | | | | what they have top say about the products that |
| fishy. OK, that may sound a little stupid but truly | | | | they have bought in the past, quite often, bad news |
| fresh fish should have a faint smell of ocean air. Smell | | | | travels better than good, so you will probably find |
| is not so good for selecting meats but if the meat | | | | out what places to avoid quite soon. Every now and |
| smells rancid you know to avoid it. | | | | then you will find someone who knows a gem of |
| Secondly, use your eyes. Vegetables that look | | | | place to get beef, fish, fresh veg and so on, probably |
| perfect have probably been fertilised and treated | | | | when you least expect it. After a few months or |
| with pesticides and in terms of quality and taste are | | | | even years, you will have tried most of these places |
| best avoided. The best flavored vegetables will be | | | | for yourself, and maybe discovered one or two |
| the one grown locally and in season, without the use | | | | extras of your own where you can get hold of that |
| of artificial fertilisers and pesticides. They will have | | | | out of the ordinary food that will lift your grilling party |
| grown more slowly and be smaller and the flavors will | | | | above the ordinary. |
| have developed more, that is why home grown stuff | | | | |