By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
EasyCooker heats to cooking temperature
in a mere 10 minutes.
Barbecuing is fun but charcoal can be messy, smoky, time consuming and environmentally incorrect. Is there any way to keep charcoal from dirtying hands and clothes? Taking the grime
out of grillingThe smoke from burning charcoal is acrid at best, and it takes at least 30 minutes to reach the right temperature for cooking. Those addicted to outdoor cooking have another alternative: The EasyCooker.
The EasyCooker is a commercial grade steel grill supported by a small weatherproof wooden counter atop an aluminum frame. Attached just under the cooking plate is a high-quality 10,000 BTU burner which heats the grill to cooking temperature in about 10 minutes. The adjustable flame allows a temperature to be regulated for maximum cooking performance.
There are two EasyCookers: the "home" model has a 13-inch by 18-inch cooking surface atop a 32-inch high frame. The EasyCooker junior -- great for camping and beach use -- has an 11-inch by 15-inch cooking surface and sits atop 15 inch legs, making it convenient to put on a picnic table, a vehicle tail gate, or on the sand.
The EasyCooker is great for cooking low fat meals like fish and stir fry and breakfast foods like pancakes, eggs and bacon.
The "junior's" cooking surface is big enough to cook at one time four hamburgers, or four chicken breasts.
After using the grill just once the grill surface is "seasoned" like a skillet, and will develop a non-stick surface.
The EasyCooker uses environmentally clean propane fuel. A quart-size disposable can provides about five hours of cooking. There is an accessory that will allow you to attach the EasyCooker to a 20-gallon propane container.
Cleaning is easy to. Just scrape off excess food and grease with the provided scraper into the grease catcher attached to the back of the steel plate.
The full-size EasyCooker, 35 pounds, is available at Gas Pro for about $90; the "junior", 20 pounds, is available at Sports Authority, for about $70.
By Tim Ryan, Star-Bulletin
