Why do I need to soak wooden skewers?
Why do I need to soak wooden skewers?
So that they don't burn.
When making kebabs or satays, you need to soak wooden skewers in warm water for at least 20 minutes to keep them from igniting right there on the grill. Metal skewers don't need to be soaked, of course, but they do get (and stay) very hot.
We prefer to use bamboo skewers because they're inexpensive, they hold up well and are easy to handle right off the grill. Bamboo skewers can go straight into the garbage can or right into the fire.
How to make shrimp and scallop kebabs
How to make shrimp and scallop kebabs
Want to add some zip to your next barbecue? Then try making these shrimp and scallop kebabs coated in a ginger marinade. Learn how by watching Handmade TV's short and informative video.
How to make spiced lamb kebabs
How to make spiced lamb kebabs
Try something different at your next summertime barbecue by serving these spicy lamb kebabs with tzaziki sauce and pita bread. Just watch this video by Handmade TV to learn how to make them.
How to make grilled fruit skewers
How to make grilled fruit skewers
Grilled fruit skewers can make a festive addition to summertime barbecues as a colorful and healthy appetizer, side dish or dessert. Handmade TV shows you how in this informative video.
Yakitori is a Japanese word that means "grilled" (yaki) "fowl" (tori) and usually refers to chicken kebabs that are made by lacing bite-sized pieces of chicken meat or offal on skewers and grilling them over charcoal.
Popular in Japan, where you can find yakitori stands lining the streets, yakitori can be served with salt and lemon juice or with tare sauce made from mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar. The Japanese like to wash their yakitori down with a beer.
A kebab is a general term for small chunks of meat (most commonly lamb and beef, though any meat will do, as will fish, vegetables or fruit) threaded on skewers and barbecued, broiled or grilled.
The word kebab was originally Arabic or Persian, and referred to fried meat. But the phrase shish kebab was said to have been invented by medieval Turkish soldiers who pierced meat with their swords and grilled it over an open flame. (In the age-old rivalry between the Greeks and the Turks, some scholars claim the Greeks ate them first.) Today the shish kebab remains a staple of Turkish cuisine, although kebabs are popular in Middle Eastern and South and Central Asian cuisines.
Turkish döner kebabs, similar to gyros and shawarma, are made from shavings of lamb or chicken that roasts on an upright rotating spit. Döner kebab pita bread sandwiches -- often unfortunately stuffed with French fries -- are popular take-out food throughout Europe. The Brits like to eat them after clubbing and French teenagers are increasingly skipping the balanced meals of the school cafeteria to slip out for a kebab lunch.
A satay (or saté) is an Indonesian and Southeast Asian kebab made by threading almost any kind of marinated meat, fish or poultry on skewers and grilled or broiling. It is also very popular in the Netherlands.
Recipes for satay vary from country to country, but it is usually served with spicy peanut sauce, slivered onions and cucumbers, and is often eaten as an appetizer.
