Picnic Tables Made For Any Occasion

By: Kathy Moran

Summer is the time when people across the country abandon their kitchen tables in favor of their picnic tables. During these few months, we also get a lot of invitations to dine outdoors with others, at events that may be referred to as picnics, cookouts, or barbecues. Although these words are commonly used interchangeably, if you’re asked to a barbecue, and you arrive to find that the fare is simply hot dogs and hamburgers cooked on a grill, you’ve been misled. That’s not usually a big deal to those in attendance, since everyone eats well and has a good time; but to those who take outdoor cooking seriously, the distinction between grilling and barbecuing is everything. If, like a large number of people, you don’t know the difference, a quick definition is that grilling is high and fast, and barbecuing is low and slow. In more detail, that means that grilling, which is usually done over hot coals, or a gas flame, is used when cooking hamburgers, or tender, thinner cuts of meat, at 500° or more, for an hour or less. The intense heat and fast cooking help to seal in the juices, making for more succulent pieces of meat. When grilling, barbecue sauces can be used, but should not be applied until the meat is just about done, so that the sugar in the sauce does not burn. It’s also important to tend the grill for the entire cooking time, because, since the meat cooks so quickly, it can go from juicy to dry in a flash. Another way to keep the meat from drying out is to turn it with tongs, instead of with a fork, as poking holes in it will let the juices run out. Barbecuing, which is usually done over wood or charcoal, is used when cooking larger, tougher cuts of meat, at 225° or less, with smoke, for well over an hour. In fact, in some cases, such as when you’re cooking a pig, you may have to barbecue overnight (but, luckily, you won’t have to stay awake the whole time). When barbecuing, you can brush on the sauce as often as you wish, throughout the process, as it will create a delicious glaze on the meat. You can also give it a wonderful smoky flavor by putting damp wood chips into the fire. The long, slow pace of this method dissolves the connective tissue that makes meat tough, causing it to become tender enough to fall off the bone, which is the goal of all barbecuers. Now that your mouth is watering for some great outdoor eating – grilled or barbecued – all you have to do is to go to AllPicnicTables.com and find your perfect picnic table. AllPicnicTables.com has an incredible assortment of picnic tables and dining sets, in all sizes and shapes, including rectangular, oval, round, square, hexagonal, octagonal, and extra-wide. Besides the classic cedar, pine, oak, teak, and cherry tables, you’ll find aluminum, thermo-plastic coated steel, polywood, and vinyl picnic tables, available in an array of spectacular colors, which are maintenance-free and virtually indestructible. To see all the entire selection, visit AllPicnicTables.com today. If you wish to contact a design consultant or customer service representative, call 1-888-293-2339, or e-mail contact@allpicnictables.com.