Hibachi grills are one of the earliest devices used for cooking in Japan. Hibachi often refers to a small cooking grill that is made of aluminum and cast iron. And because of their portability, they became so popular that they were even used as a portable stove for Japanese soldiers during World War II. Sometimes, hibachi style cooking is often mistaken, especially in America as Teppanyaki cooking.
Today, you can use a bigger hibachi grill to feed your guests at the same time without worrying too much in cooking the food piece by piece, a process that could take up much of your time. This hibachi is called a restaurant style hibachi grill. Here are few easy guides on how to cook with a hibachi grill restaurant style.
Cook With a Hibachi Grill Restaurant Style
Tip 1: Take note of the differences between ordinary and restaurant-style hibachi grills.
Although a hibachi grill restaurant style has a larger surface for grilling, the heat could still be inconsistent across the grill because the different sections of the grill surface have different burners. Usually, a standard hibachi grill has two burners located in the center and at the middle of the grill is a concentrated small flame that. The middle part of the grill may be so hot that you can only touch the surface with your fingers for only a few seconds before needing to remove them because of the scorching heat. You can tell the hibachi grill source of heat based from the discoloration and darker portions of the surface grill.
Tip 2: Know some techniques relevant to the cooking process.
The greatest advantage of using and cooking in a hibachi grill with a large restaurant size surface is that you will be able to cook large quantities of food at the same time. You just need to know the right technique on how to use the heat properly. Skilled hibachi cooks know how to use the heat to their advantage by cooking the food slowly around the edges of the heat source.
Tip 3: Make some space for food preparation.
Thicker foods (like steak), will take longer to be cooked, so it should go closer to the heat source. The heat along the corner side of the surface is low therefore you can use the area for food preparation purposes. Any food you would want to cook later on can be placed on that surface.
Tip 4: Cleaning should be done every after use.
It’s not fun to do but leaving your hibachi grill without cleaning will create more problems later on, as hardened leftover food particles will stick on the grill surface, making it hard to remove. Cleaning is easy though how dirty your hibachi grills could be. All you need to prepare are 2 buckets filled with water, a grill cleaner screen, dishwashing liquid and 2 rags. Let the grill cool off completely before you start cleaning. It may take a few hours before you can touch the surface.
Make the water soapy by pouring enough dishwashing liquid in a bucket filled with water. Get a rag and dip it in soapy water and fold the rag into a rectangular shape that goes with the shape of the screen. Place the screen on the grill with the rag on top and scrub the grill thoroughly using both of your hands to put enough pressure. When you are done with this process, use the other rag to wipe off the water and grime that were left behind. Use the other bucket of water to wash off and rinse the rag
If you want to capture that authentic flavors linked to Japanese cooking styles that other modern gas grills couldn’t give, cooking in a hibachis grill is the answer. Just remember that not all hibachis are created equal. Always choose the pricier but good ones, because those that are made of aluminum have the tendency to easily fall apart and are prone to rusting prematurely.
