Photo: Claire Lower

When I think of grilled pizzas, I think of the HBO show Girls. I really hate this to myself, but every time I serve, eat, or think about a pizza that was cooked on the grill, I hear Allison Williams say, “We bought the ingredients for grilled pizzas, and we wanted grilled pizzas do, and the day we were supposed to do that, he left me. “

I don’t know if it’s the Dunham association or the mundane desolation of that particular line, but this stupid show rocked the concept of pizza grilling for me for many years. This is of course very silly, because grilled pizzas are a lot of fun to prepare and eat. (I wish I could control my brain, but all I can do is limit his use of HBO, which I won’t.)

Grilling a pizza can be a bit stressful if you’ve never made one before. The best grilled pizzas are made with a very hot grill and the pizza dough turns brown pretty quickly. But just as I don’t let the HBO show “Girls” stop me from enjoying pizza hot and fresh from the grill, you won’t let fear stop you either. Now adopt some good pizza grilling habits and you will be rewarded with lovely grilled pizzas for years to come.

Let your dough get a little warm

Photo: Claire Lower

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I like to take my dough, which honestly is usually bought in the store, out of the fridge about half an hour before grill time so that it is easier to stretch and shape without tearing. (I didn’t do that the first time I made grilled pizzas, and those pizzas were littered with tiny holes.) If you’re making more than one pizza, take the second ball of dough out of the fridge about 15 minutes after the first one , otherwise it will be too warm, which will make it difficult to put it on the grill.

Once your dough is warmed up a bit, slowly stretch it, twisting it with each stretch, and stop if it looks translucent in some places. Take your time! Be nice to the dough! It’s the backbone of this entire operation.

Consider each topping carefully

Photo: Claire Lower

With the exception of cheese and meat that has already been (usually cured), any topping that needs to be cooked, browned, or otherwise developed by heat must be cooked or browned beforehand. Mushrooms, for example, simply don’t have time to lose their moisture and brown properly during pizza cooking, and garlic won’t have a chance to soften.

Sausage, chicken and other raw animal proteins need to be cooked, of course, but so do vegetables, mushrooms and – if you’re a freak like me – pineapple. Grilling pineapples gives it a smoky, caramelized quality and brings out deeper flavors that mix really well with the overall grilled pizza experience. Paradoxically, I don’t grill the meat I combine with the pineapple. Instead, I drape thin slices of cold prosciutto over the hot pizza, which tastes really good but also protects the palate.

Photo: Claire Lower

Really think about the flavors you want to get out of each topping and coax those flavors out of them before sprinkling them on cheeky batter. (Or, in the case of something like prosciutto, leave it out of the cooking process entirely.)

Also, be careful not to overdo it. Two toppings plus cheese are sufficient – more will make your pizza heavy and moist.

Mise is important

I don’t want to stress you out, but grilled pizzas favor what is (at least somewhat) prepared. Set up set up will make the process less stressful overall. In addition to pre-cooking toppings, make sure your sauce, cheese, olive oil, and any toppings are next to your grill. You’ll also need a ladle or large spoon (for the sauce), a batter or frying brush (for the oil), and a really large spatula (or pizza scoop) and tongs. I also like to put a small bowl of cornmeal on the bottom of the pizza for dusting.

Once you’ve got everything set up, you can work quickly and effectively, but if you’re still a little exhausted, take a page off Deb Perelman’s blog and take them off the grill after the first side is browned:

One of the most common things I’ve read about grilling pizza, and what I didn’t like most in the past, is that you have to be hyper-organized and ready to work quickly. I do not agree; Then I grill the first side if I don’t have enough space to spread it outside, put it back in, cover all the pizzas at a normal pace – set the table, toss the salad, etc. – and let it finish grilling when we are ready to eat.

Once you get used to the pace, you can do the whole thing on the grill, or you can do it Deb-style forever. Nobody is going to judge you, especially if you feed them pizza.

Bought in the store is fine

You can make your own batter and sauce.Smitten kitchen has excellent recipes for both – but there’s no shame in outsourcing it, especially when you get the hang of it. I usually grab both at Trader Joe’s, but almost all major grocery stores sell fresh pizza dough (look for it in the freezer section if you can’t find it chilled).

Make the grill hot

Photo: Claire Lower

One of the great things about baking pizza on grill racks is that you can get super high temperatures in a short amount of time and you are outside so you don’t have to blow your home with the heat from your oven. A grill that is too cold will make a doughy pizza and nobody wants that, so turn it up. You should set up two heat zones – direct and indirect – with a pile of hot, glowing coals on one side of the grill (or have the burners turned up on one side if you are using gas).

You will be using the direct side to quickly sear both sides of the batter, which will start the cooking process, encourage some bubbles to form, and get some charcoal on the outside. (You don’t want all of the crust to bubble, but you can prick the center of the pizza beforehand with a fork, or just prick the bubbles as they form.)

Let’s make a pizza baby

Photo: Claire Lower

To prepare grilled pizzas you will need:

• Pizza Dough (1 1-pound ball per pizza)
• Pizza Sauce (5 ounces per pizza)
• Cheese (I just like grated mozz, but check out our other suggestions Here.)
• Toppings of your choice (my favorites are grilled pineapple, uncooked prosciutto, air fryer roasted garlic, and hot Italian sausage.)
• Flour for rolling or stretching dough
• Cornmeal for dusting (optional)

About half an hour before grilling, take the dough out of the refrigerator and place on a surface dusted with flour. I use a large upside-down baking sheet because it’s easy to carry outside and I can slide the batter right off the sheet straight onto the grill. (You can also use a pizza scoop or lipless baking sheet.)

If you’re using a charcoal grill, fill your chimney and get it going. Once the coals are partially ashed, place them on one side of the grill, place the grill rack on top, and open the top and bottom vents fully and fully. A temperature of around 500 ° C is ideal and 450 ° C is fine, but keep in mind that when baking pizzas, the temperature will go down, so start with the higher side. If you’re using a gas grill, set your burners accordingly. (Use an external thermometer to monitor temperature no matter what type of grill you’re using.)

Photo: Claire Lower

Stretch out your dough into a 10-12 inch circular shape and don’t worry if that shape isn’t perfectly round. My pizzas are usually in the shape of kidneys or the state of Alabama and that’s part of their charm. (Having a pizza pusher would likely help maintain the shape during the transfer, but I haven’t bought one yet for reasons unknown.)

Brush one side of the dough with a thin layer of olive oil, then slide the dough (oiled side down) onto the wire racks over the coals (or flames) and turn. Leave the grill open and let it cook for about a minute until it starts bubbling and you smell a little scorching (which is good). While it’s cooking, brush the top (which will soon become the bottom) with olive oil and dust with cornmeal.

After about a minute (at most) turn the dough over and pour the top with a single ladle of dough (more makes the pizza mushy), sprinkle the cheese and the rest of your toppings over it, then slide the whole thing over to the indirect heating side (the side without Coals), close the lid and let it cook for about five minutes, until the cheese is completely melted. (You can check it out after a few minutes if you’re nervous, but your nose is your most reliable tool – if it smells like it’s burning, it probably is.)

If you want a little more charcoal on the bottom of your crust, just slide it back over the coals for another minute. If you want the cheese to turn a little brownish – which the grill doesn’t do so well – beat it with a kitchen lamp. (You could use your broiler too, but that would bring some warmth in, which you sure don’t want, at least not now.)

Photo: Kristof Bellens (Shutterstock)

Outdated tiles are a glaring eyesore that nobody wants. Maybe the tile hasn’t been changed since the 70s, or maybe it just isn’t your style. Sure, it is possible to reposition your home yourself, but not without extensive research and loads of accessories and equipment – including a wet saw for cutting tiles. This whole process can be overwhelming for a new do-it-yourselfer. You could also pay a professional to rip out and replace your old tile, but of course that comes at a price. But there is another option: freshen up the old with a simple coat of paint.

How to prepare old tiles for painting

In the best case scenario, your current tile is in perfect condition – it’s just out of date and needs to be reworked. In this case, no real preparation is required other than a good scrubbing. If you have nicks or scratches in the tile, you will need to fill, polish, and clean the tile. Such a job requires a spatula and some caulking.

Before filling the holes, make sure the tile is thoroughly cleaned and free of dirt, grime, or debris. Next, wipe the tile dry with a microfiber cloth. Once the tile is completely dry, take your putty and smooth it out in the cracks and holes. At the same time, wipe off the excess so that the tile surface is even. After the caulking dries, use a sander and sand the tiles so they are smooth.

Instructions for priming and painting tiles

After the tile cracks have been filled, smoothed and cleaned, you are ready to paint. There are two types of paint that adhere to hard surfaces. Latex or epoxy paint are best for painting concrete, bricks, and tiles. Latex paint is a less toxic option, but it is easily prone to wear and tear, especially in areas with lots of water (e.g. bathroom or kitchen splashbacks). Epoxy paint is available in a limited range of colors, but it can withstand moisture and moisture, making it a more durable option for your bathroom tile and floor. The Epoxy paint fumes are quite harshHowever, make sure you have adequate ventilation before you begin.

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Before applying any paint, you need to apply a primer. The primer is a special mixture that helps the paint adhere to surfaces. Once the primer has dried, you’ll need to use a basecoat. The basecoat is the first coat of epoxy (or latex) of your choice. Some brands of colors offer a combination of primer and basecoat to minimize time and effort.

After the base coat dries, you’ll want to apply a top coat. The Top coat acts as a sealant for longer lasting paint color and durability. This is particularly important for tiles in high-traffic areas of the home, such as B. Toilets and bathrooms. Paint company Rustoleum recommends applying the topcoat at least six hours after the basecoat so that it is completely dry before rolling up the next coat. Let the paint dry for about 24 hours and then enjoy your newly updated space.

Photo: Claire Lower

It’s hot outside … or at least it was. I can’t keep track of things. I’ll catch up with you: this week has done bad things to my brain. Starting the week at a scorching 115 and ending it at 75 broke me in a unique way. I never liked being hot, but now I fear the heat – but at least my garden made it.

That kind of heat – the unprecedented, scorching, alien heat of 115 degrees – isn’t the kind of heat that makes you have beach chair cocktails, but now that the “normal” heat is back, I think we are can start again. I originally wanted to start this long weekend with strawberry daiquiris shaken with homemade hood strawberry jam, but I’m out of rum so we’re using cachaça, which is sometimes called “Brazilian rum”, so checkmate, bar wagon!

And yes, I know I’ve written about a lot Jam cocktail, but this one is worth highlighting. The jam is sweet and has an intense strawberry flavor at the same time, and the cachaça makes it interesting – and all you have to do is shake it and strain it. Jam also tends to add a “breakfast vibe” to any drink it touches, so you can start drinking much earlier and not feel weird about it. To make this light pink cachaça cooler you will need:

• 2 ounces cachaça
• 3 tablespoons of strawberry jam
• 1 ounce lime juice

Combine everything in the shaker with ice and shake until the shaker gets too cold to hold. Strain through a fine sieve into a coupe glass and stir the jam in the sieve with a spoon so that it does not clog. Drink in the sun while you’re still getting on well with the thing, or sip in the shade or indoors or in a cool basement.

Photo: Podushko Alexander (Shutterstock)

Why can you do 250 pounds on the leg press at your usual gym but only 200 pounds when you go somewhere else in town? You didn’t suddenly get weaker, and contrary to popular myth, it’s not because the gym was lying to flatter you. Machines are just different.

Machine design is important

Let’s take the leg press as an example, as almost every gym has one. This is the machine that you have some sort of seat and platform for your feet on. You push with your legs to either move the platform while the seat stays in place, or vice versa.

There are many different ways to build this type of machine. Some are vertical, with your feet just above your hips. Some are horizontal. For some, the seat slides up a ramp, pulling weights on a stack. Each of these is a completely different machine, and it should come as no surprise that the one with a slope and weight stack is calibrated differently than the one where your feet are over you and you load weight plates on it.

Think back to Elementary school physics for a minute. When a machine has a lever arm, like a shoulder press, the length of the arm changes the degree of mechanical advantage (or disadvantage) you have in lifting the weight. The number of pulleys and cables in a cable machine can also change the force required to move the weight stack. When weights move on an angled path, the steepness of the angle affects how easily the weights move.

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And even when you compare two apparently identical machines, there can be subtle differences. One might be better lubricated than the other so that its parts can slide more easily. They cannot be exactly the same either; Perhaps the manufacturer moved a pulley to a different location between the 2018 and 2019 models. You have the idea.

By the way, machines are not to be equated with dumbbells. Just because you can squeeze X pounds on your legs doesn’t mean you can put a barbell on your back and do the same amount of squats.

So are the numbers meaningless?

Not at all. Only the numbers matter on this machine. If one of the plates in the stack says 50 and the next plate below it says 55, then you know that you are stronger if you can repeat the 55 than if you could just do the pin at 50.

When visiting a new gym, go by feel. If you could do eight reps on the 55 pin at your old gym, find a weight that could do eight reps on the new machine. It doesn’t matter what number is on that weight or how much the stack of weights would weigh if you could pull it out of the machine and place it on a scale.

Think of it like game currency: you wouldn’t waste time Googling how many Monopoly Dollars are equal to how many are equal Robuxbecause there is no reason for either of them to ever measure each other meaningfully. Everyone is useful in their own world and nowhere else.

So yeah, be sure to put these numbers in yours Training diary. They help you track your progress. But don’t expect them to be the same on another machine across town.