Cedar plank cooking may appear fashionable and comparatively new, however culinary fans had been scorching up steaks and seafood on planks of wooden from at the very least the early twentieth century, in keeping with NPR. That features President Franklin D. Roosevelt who’s stated to have relished “planking” his salmon and drizzling it with a white sauce. However the precise story digs a lot deeper, with the customized thriving in American Indian communities centuries in the past, significantly with fish comparable to salmon, whitefish, and shad. Conventional cedar bakes within the Pacific Northwest concerned slow-cooking total salmons over outside fires, splayed throughout wood boards, explains Marzetti.
The method is far simplified in the present day, mostly involving an out of doors grill moderately than an open bonfire. Packaged food-grade cedar planks populate supermarkets, upscale kitchen shops, and numerous on-line venues, making it simple to pile up seafood, meats, and greens for an earthy, smokey, flavor-infused platter of deliciousness. It occurs to be wholesome as nicely, as the flavour comes naturally from cedar and smoke, with no use for added oils or fat. WebMD shared how plank-grilled salmon will be simple to arrange and low in energy, saturated fat, sodium, and carbohydrates.
However what if grilling will not be your factor, or it is wet and chilly outdoors? That is when your oven comes into play, giving rise to questions concerning the security of cedar planking in indoor environments. You are actually not the primary to wonder if wood-plank cooking can gravitate to your kitchen with out leading to a 9-1-1 hearth division name.
Wooden plank baking in conventional ovens
It seems to be a reasonably common consensus that wood-plank cooking works simply positive in conventional indoor ovens. The truth is, the wooden is far much less more likely to catch hearth with out the flickering of flames from an out of doors grill, and it requires much less soaking time, notes Wild Alaskan Company. Whereas planks certain for the grill must soak for at the very least an hour, the identical planks want solely a 15-minute water immersion previous to baking. It is vital to completely submerge the wooden in water to create the woodsy, fragrant steam that defines cedar-plank cooking. A soaked plank additionally helps retain moisture and hold meals from drying out. It’s also possible to experiment with different liquid soaks comparable to wine, cider, or fruit juices.
Many commercially accessible cedar cooking planks include directions, and plenty of advise seasoning the wooden with cooking oil earlier than utilizing it the primary time. Wild Alaskan simplifies the idea by suggesting a easy coating of oil straight on the plank earlier than including your meals. Temperatures are extra controllable in an oven than on a grill. Wildwood Grilling recommends warmth ranges from 350 to 450 levels F, relying on the recipe, and positioning the plank on the higher oven rack. Different suggestions embody inserting a baking sheet on the underside rack to catch spills and crisping the meats, fish, or greens for a few minutes underneath the broiler earlier than eradicating the plank.
Selecting cedar baking planks
Some food-grade wooden board producers distinguish between grilling planks and baking planks, however it’s extra frequent to seek out common planks that work in each functions. Excessive-quality boards will be reused as many as 3 times, per Wild Alaskan Company, as long as they’re free from extreme charring and will be cleaned with out cleaning soap, which might seep into the wooden. Varied sorts of wooden can be found for planking, together with alder and oak, however cedar is the gold customary for many cooks. Wildwood Grilling recommends utilizing western pink cedar for its smoky taste, aroma, and non-toxic properties.
Commercially accessible cooking planks will be expensive, however the Seattle Times reveals a cheaper method to incorporate planking into your culinary world. Head to your native lumberyard and ask for an “untreated” cedar board, which will probably be free from chemicals that could enter your food. Purpose for a thickness of at the very least ½-inch for stability. For larger longevity (a number of makes use of), select one thing even thicker. Keep away from boards with extreme knots that would entice scorching oils throughout cooking.
You may ask the lumberyard to cut the board for you. In a YouTube video on learn how to make your individual cedar planks for cooking, InnerBark Outdoor suggests buying a 4×4 piece of untreated cedar for about $15 to $20, which might yield as much as 20 or 30 cedar plank cooking boards, relying on how you narrow them.
