| How to Grill Crab Legs Posted: 18 Feb 2020 04:00 PM PST Steaming crab legs is a classic way to prepare them, but grilling the legs gives them a great smoky flavor. Instead of preparing a large steam pot, toss crab legs on a hot grill. Since they're already cooked, you simply need to cook the legs until they're hot throughout. If you'd like to add a garlic butter flavor, baste the legs with a simple sauce and heat them in a smoker. Serve the grilled or smoked legs with lemon and plenty of butter. [Edit]Ingredients [Edit]Grilled Crab Legs - of thawed crab legs
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- Clarified butter, for serving
Makes of crab legs [Edit]Cocktail Dipping Sauce[1] - 1 cup (225 g) of ketchup
- 1/8 cup (30 g) of prepared horseradish
- hot sauce
- of lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) of freshly ground pepper
Makes of sauce [Edit]Clarified Butter Garlic Sauce[2] - 1 cup (226 g) of salted butter
- 2 garlic cloves
Makes of sauce [Edit]Avocado Wasabi Dipping Sauce[3] - ½ of an avocado
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 g) of wasabi
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) of mayonnaise
Makes of sauce [Edit]Ponzu Dipping Sauce[4] - of soy sauce
- 1⁄4 cup (3 g) of bonito flakes
- of fresh lemon juice
- of mirin
- of rice vinegar
- of fresh lime juice
- 2 in (5 cm) piece of kombu
Makes of sauce [Edit]Smoked Crab Legs with Garlic Butter - of thawed crab legs
- 1 cup (226 g) of melted butter
- of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) of cajun or Old Bay seasoning
- 2 cloves of minced garlic
Makes of crab legs [Edit]Grilling Crab Legs - Thaw the crab for 2 hours or overnight. If you know you'll be grilling the next day, transfer of frozen crab legs to the refrigerator to thaw. For a faster thawing method, put the crab legs in a sealed bag in the sink and cover the bag with cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes until the crab legs have thawed.[5]
- It may take 1 to 2 hours before the crab legs defrost in the cold water.
- Avoid thawing the crab legs in hot water, as this could cause bacteria to grow.
- Heat a gas or charcoal grill to high heat. Turn the burner to high if you're using a gas grill. If you're using a charcoal grill, fill a chimney full of briquettes and light them. Once the briquettes are hot and ashy, dump them in the center of the grill grate.[6]
- To determine if the grill is hot enough, hold the palm of your hand over the grate. The grill is ready if you can't hold your hand over the coals for more than 3 seconds.
- Arrange the crab legs on the hot grill. Place the thawed crab legs directly over the hot coals. If you're using a gas grill, simply place them on the preheated grill. Ensure that the crab legs are in a single layer. It's fine if the legs are touching or slightly overlapping.[7]
- If you want to grill more than of crab legs, you may need to grill them in batches.
- Grill the crab legs for 4 to 8 minutes. Put the lid on the grill and leave the crab to cook. Use long-handled tongs to turn the legs every 2 minutes so they heat evenly. Individual legs will finish cooking after about 4 minutes. If you're cooking legs that are still attached to the bodies, they'll need closer to 8 minutes.[8]
- The shells should become charred once they've finished grilling.
- Keep in mind that the crab legs have already been cooked so you're just warming them up. Avoid overcooking them or they'll dry out.
- Remove the crab and serve it immediately. Because the crab will keep cooking even once you take it off of the grill, avoid cooking it for more than 8 minutes. Place the grilled crab legs on a serving platter and set it out with lemon wedges and clarified butter.[9]
- To store leftover grilled crab, wrap the legs in foil or put them in an airtight container. Refrigerate them for up to 3 to 5 days.
[Edit]Creating Dipping Sauces - Stir together ingredients for a classic cocktail sauce. Put the ketchup, horseradish, hot sauce, lemon juice, and ground pepper into a bowl. Stir the sauce until the mixture is combined. Then cover and refrigerate the cocktail sauce for 1 hour before you serve it with the crab.
- Consider using sriracha, tobasco, or cholula hot sauce.
- Heat a garlic butter dipping sauce. Place the butter and garlic cloves in a small saucepan. Turn the burner to medium-low and heat the butter for 3 to 5 minutes so the butter solids sink to the bottom of the pan. Strain the garlic out of the sauce and serve the clarified butter immediately.
- Keep an eye on the butter as it heats so the solids don't begin to burn.
- Blend an avocado wasabi dipping sauce. Scoop half of a ripe avocado into a blender and add the wasabi, a pinch of salt, and the mayonnaise. Put the lid on the blender and pulse the ingredients until they're creamy and smooth. Serve the sauce with the crab.
- If you don't have a blender, you can use a food processor.
- Mix a quick Ponzu sauce. For an Asian inspired dipping sauce, put the soy sauce, bonito flakes, lemon juice, lime juice, mirin, rice vinegar, and piece of kombu into a saucepan. Turn the burner to high so the ingredients come to a boil. Turn off the burner and leave the sauce for 30 minutes. Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and finish cooling the sauce before you serve it with the crab.
- Discard the kombu from the strainer.
[Edit]Smoking Crab Legs with Garlic Butter - Heat the smoker to . If you're using a gas or electric smoker, turn it on and place a handful of wood chips to the smoker box in the smoker. If you're using a charcoal grill, scatter hot briquettes and wood chips along the sides of the grill. Then place a disposable aluminum pan full of water in the center.[10]
- The water will create steam as the grill heats.
- Arrange the crab legs in a roasting pan. Get out a disposable aluminum pan and place the thawed crab legs in it. If the crab legs are longer than the pan, use a heavy knife to cut the legs at the joints.[11]
- To thaw crab legs that are frozen, put them in the refrigerator the night before you plan to grill or put them in a bag and cover them with cold water for a few hours.
- You can also try twisting the joints to make the legs shorter.
- Pour butter, lemon, seasoning, and garlic over the legs. Mix 1 cup (226 g) of melted butter, of lemon juice, (8 g) of cajun or Old Bay seasoning, and 2 cloves of minced garlic in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the legs in the roasting pan.[12]
- Turn the legs over once so both sides are covered with the mixture.
- Put the crab legs in the smoker and heat them for 20 to 30 minutes. Place the pan of crab legs directly into the hot smoker. Close the smoker and leave the crab legs to heat up. Open the smoker 1 to 2 times as the crab legs smoke and baste the legs with the butter mixture.[13]
- To test the crab, remove 1 leg and crack it open. The meat should be completely hot throughout.
- Serve the smoked crab legs. Carefully lift the roasting pan full of crab legs out of the smoker. Let your guests help themselves to the crab legs or lift the legs out of the roasting pan and transfer them to a serving platter. Spoon the sauce into a serving bowl and set it alongside the crab legs.[14]
- Refrigerate leftover crab legs in an airtight container for up to 3 to 5 days. Keep in mind that the garlic butter flavor will intensify as the crab legs are stored.
- If you're using live crabs, submerge them in hot water for about 1 minute to stun them. Then tear off the top shell and remove the gills, lungs, and innards. Then you can toss the crabs on the grill. Add 2 minutes to the grilling time so the crab meat cooks completely.
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Grilled Crab Legs with Garlic Butter - Sealable bag
- Gas or charcoal grill
- Long-handled tongs
- Serving plate
[Edit]Cocktail Dipping Sauce - Measuring cups and spoons
- Bowl
- Spoon
[Edit]Clarified Butter Garlic Sauce - Saucepan
- Fine mesh strainer
[Edit]Avocado Wasabi Dipping Sauce - Measuring spoons
- Blender or food processor
[Edit]Ponzu Sauce - Measuring cups and spoons
- Fine mesh strainer
- Saucepan
- Spoon
[Edit]Smoked Crab Legs - Measuring cups and spoons
- Smoker or charcoal grill
- Long-handled tongs
- Serving plate
- Wood chips
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Barbecue basting brush
- Large disposable aluminum pan
[Edit]References |
| How to Stop a Cold when You Feel It Coming On Posted: 18 Feb 2020 08:00 AM PST Prevention is the best defense against a cold, but sometimes, despite your best efforts, you still get sick. That is because the cold virus can live up to 18 hours on unwashed surfaces while it looks for a host. The cold enters through your mouth, nose, or eyes and is thus commonly spread through talking, coughing, and sneezing. While you might not be able to completely cure your cold, there are some things you can do to alleviate your symptoms and speed up your recovery, including washing your hands as frequently as possible. [Edit]Taking Immediate Action - Gargle with salt water if you have a sore throat. Gargling with salt water can help reduce inflammation in your throat and flush out mucus. To gargle salt water, stir of salt into a glass of warm water and gargle some of it for 30 seconds. Then, spit it out, making an effort to swallow as little as possible.
- Repeat this throughout the day whenever your throat is hurting.[1]
- Take a hot shower to help with nasal congestion. Feeling stuffy and congested can make a cold feel a lot worse. To get rid of that stuffy feeling, hop in the shower and stay in there for longer than usual so some steam has time to build up. The steam from the shower should help temporarily alleviate your congestion.
- Use a saline nasal spray if you're still feeling stuffy. Saline nasal sprays are saltwater sprays that you flush your nose with to decongest it. Use the saline nasal spray to prevent mucus from building up and clogging your nose. It will also provide an instant feeling of relief.[2]
- Keep using the nasal spray every day until you feel better.
- Turn on a humidifier to keep the air around you moist. Moisture in the air can help loosen the mucus in your nose and throat so you don't feel as congested. Put a humidifier in your bedroom so the air is moist while you sleep, and keep one in other rooms you'll be spending a lot of time in.[3]
- Be sure to change the humidifier filter frequently, as unclean filters can lead to additional breathing and lung problems. Look at your specific humidifier's instruction manual to get an idea of how often the filter should be changed.
[Edit]Helping Your Body Recover Quickly - Drink 8 glasses of water every day to stay hydrated. Dehydration can make a cold even worse, so it's important that you drink 8 glasses of water every day. Drinking more fluids will also help loosen mucus in your nose and throat so you feel less congested.[4]
- Don't drink alcohol, coffee, or caffeinated soda or you could become more dehydrated.
- Eat 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day to help your immune system. If you're not getting the nutrients your body needs to be healthy, you'll have a harder time fighting off a cold. Eating more fruits and vegetables is an easy way to get the nutrients your immune system needs to function.[5]
- Try eating a salad with a couple servings of fruit every day.
- Some studies suggest that garlic and citrus fruits can shorten the length of a cold and make it less severe.[6]
- Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Your body is hard at work fighting off infection when you're asleep, so it's important that you rest as much as possible so it can fight your cold. Try to go to sleep earlier than usual and take a nap during the day if you can. The more rest you get, the better your chances will be of a speedy recovery.[7]
- Take off school or work if possible. Getting lots of rest and drinking plenty of fluids can be tough if you're at school or work all day. If you're able to, stay home so you can focus on recovering so your cold doesn't get worse.[8]
- If you decide to take the day off from work, reach out to your boss over the phone or by email as soon as possible. Let them know you're too sick to come in and apologize for the inconvenience.
- If your boss seems hesitant about letting you take the day off, ask if you can work from home for the day instead.
[Edit]Taking Medicine and Supplements - Take acetaminophen or an NSAID if you have a sore throat, headache, or fever. Acetaminophen and NSAIDs are both pain relievers that can help relieve the symptoms of your cold. Follow the dosage instructions on the packaging and don't take more than the 24 hour dosage limit.[9]
- While acetaminophen and NSAIDs won't stop your cold, they can make it more manageable while you focus on recovering.
- Common NSAIDs you can take are ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen.
- Both DayQuil and NyQuil contain acetaminophen.
- Try an antihistamine or decongestant to help with coughing and congestion. Over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants can help clear up your throat and nose and alleviate your coughing. Always read the packaging for usage instructions and avoid mixing multiple medications or you could overdose.[10]
- Never give antihistamines or decongestants to children under 5.
- Exercise caution before taking over-the-counter cold medicine if you have high blood pressure, glaucoma, or kidney issues. Always read the labels first, and consult your doctor before starting any new medicine.
- Give vitamin C or echinacea supplements a try to shorten your cold. While the evidence is unclear, some studies suggest that vitamin C and echinacea can help lessen the severity of a cold. Since these supplements aren't harmful, you may want to give them a try and see if they help stop or shorten your cold.[11]
- Powdered vitamin C supplements like Emergen-C may also help shorten the duration of your cold.
- Read about potential interactions and side effects as printed on the label of the supplement before you start taking it. If you have any pre-exisiting medical conditions, talk to your doctor before starting a new vitamin or herbal treatment.
- Adults usually get a cold 2-3 times a year, while children will generally get colds 7-10 times a year.
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Photograph Hummingbirds Posted: 18 Feb 2020 12:00 AM PST Hummingbirds are beautiful animals, and many amateur photographers spend weeks trying to get a good photo of one. However, the birds fly very fast and rarely stay still long enough to be photographed, making it difficult to get a good image. If you're trying to get a non-blurry, well-focused shot of a hummingbird, the first thing you need to do is to create a setting where you can successfully photograph the hummingbirds. With a few camera adjustments and setup tips, you'll be well on your way to taking a hummingbird photo that's worth framing. [Edit]Setting up a Location - Set up a hummingbird feeder near your home. Hummingbirds are drawn to the brightly-colored feeders and sweet liquid inside, so if you hang one near your home in the warm summer months, you'll soon have a handful of birds coming by to eat every day. Position the feeder in a location where you can see it easily (e.g., in front of a kitchen window) so you'll know when the birds are coming by to eat. Then, grab your camera![1]
- If you happen to have more than 1 feeder already in place, take 1 down. You should only have 1 feeder hanging, so that all of the birds congregate in a single location.
- Sit or stand near the feeder so the birds acclimate to your presence. Hummingbirds are skittish and easily frightened off by humans walking around. In order to let the birds get used to you being nearby, sit or stand between away from the feeder. Photographing hummingbirds takes patience. Plan to sit still (though not completely motionless) for at least 15–30 minutes before the birds are comfortable enough to start feeding.[2]
- If it's a sunny day and you don't have other plans, you could even take a lawn chair out to the hummingbird feeder! You may need to spend several hours around the feeder anyway, waiting for the birds to arrive and taking various photos before you get a great one.
- Remove the feeder's perches and tape shut all but 1 of the holes. Since you most likely want to photograph the hummingbirds in flight, take off the feeder's perches so the birds will have to hover while they're feeding. Then, tear off 3 or 4 strips of scotch tape and use them to cover the feeder's holes, leaving only 1 open. This will ensure that the birds all feed at the exact same location, making it easier to set up your camera to take high-quality photos.
- With the perches removed and most of the holes blocked, you know where the bird will be and it will be much easier to position your shot.
[Edit]Positioning your Camera for Shooting - Set up your tripod about away from the feeder. This is a great distance from which to shoot hummingbirds. Being a little farther than from the birds will allow you to compose the shots as you like. The distance will also let you focus on the bird without the background of the photograph overwhelming the subject.[3]
- If your particular setup doesn't allow you to situate the tripod this far from the feeder, don't worry. You can always zoom out more with your lens if you're closer, or crop out blank space around the bird if you're too far away.
- Use a telephoto lens if you're shooting from farther away. If you had to set up your tripod much farther than from the hummingbird feeder, you'll need to use a lens with a zoom capacity. Otherwise, if your tripod happens to be positioned closer to the feeder, using a regular 35 mm lens will be fine. If your camera doesn't already have a good-quality lens, you can purchase one at a photography store.[4]
- Telephoto lenses also have another perk: in letting you shoot from farther away, they lower the likelihood that you'll spook the birds when you start snapping pictures.
- More experienced photographers may even choose to use a wide-angle or fisheye lens and position the tripod only about away from the birds. Since this would put you extremely close to the birds, you'd need to trigger the camera shutter remotely.
- Set up 3–4 flashes around the birdfeeder to light the hummingbirds. Flashes are small electric bulbs that will provide a burst of light when you click the camera's shutter button. Position your flashes so they're only away from the birdfeeder, and set them to low power. You only want each flash to be at about 1/16 of its full strength so that the flashes don't over-expose the birds' colorful bodies. Depending on the height of your birdfeeder, you may need to set up the flashes on their own small tripods. Lighting the scene with flashes will ensure that you have consistently good lighting regardless of the time of day you're shooting at.[5]
- In most cases, if you're shooting during the daylight hours, hummingbirds shouldn't be scared off by flashes.
- This step is technically optional. If you prefer to work without flashes, or if you're shooting in an area with bright, indirect sunlight, you may not need a flash at all.
[Edit]Adjusting Your Camera Settings - Choose an ISO around 400 or 800 to get crisp, detailed photos. If you're using a digital SLR, simply adjust the ISO setting on your camera to 400 or 800. 400 is a relatively slow film speed, so make sure you're shooting in bright sunlight or else the pictures may come out underexposed.[6]
- If you're shooting with film, you can purchase rolls of 400 or 800 ISO film at a photography outlet store.
- If you're shooting with a slow film speed in low-light conditions, you'll need to shoot with a flash to avoid taking dark photos.
- Turn on your lens's autofocus feature for quicker focus. Nearly all SLR digital and film cameras have an autofocus feature that continually focuses the lens on whatever object is in the center of the viewfinder. Hummingbirds will be flying much too fast for you to try to manually focus your lens on them, and using the autofocus will let you focus on timing and composing the shot.[7]
- If you're using a cheaper non-SLR camera, you can typically engage the autofocus feature by pressing the shutter button halfway down.
- Set your shutter speed to at least 1/800 of a second. In order to freeze the lightning-quick wings of a hummingbird mid-flap, you'll need to use a very fast shutter speed. If you use too slow of a speed, you'll notice that the birds' wings are blurry and hard to see. In some cases, to avoid blurry wings on a fast-flying hummingbird, you'll need to use a shutter speed of at least 1/2500 of a second to freeze the birds in motion.[8]
- Depending on the aesthetic of the photo you're trying to take, you may actually want the bird's wings to look blurry. In this case, use a slightly slower shutter speed to capture the wings' motion.
- Try a handful of different shutter speeds to see what works best. You could shoot 50 pictures at 1 shutter speed, then adjust it and shoot 50 more.
- Use a wide aperture around f/4 to adequately expose the photographs. Since you're using such a short shutter speed, you'll need to use a wide-open aperture setting to ensure that enough light gets into the camera. Manually set the aperture to f/1.4, f/4, or f/5 to prevent the shots from being dim and poorly lit. [9]
- Using a fast shutter speed and a wide aperture means that you'll have a low depth of field, so the scenery behind the hummingbird will likely be out of focus.
- On some SLC cameras, the aperture is referred to as the f-stop. These terms mean the same thing.
- Snap 200–300 photos to ensure that you get a good one. The majority of the shots you take will, unfortunately, not be great. The bird will be out of focus or poorly exposed, the shot will be poorly composed, or the lighting will be off. To avoid ending the photo session empty-handed, take hundreds of photos of the birds. This will dramatically improve your chances of having 1 or 2 great photos you can be proud of. If you have a digital SLR camera, you could also try engaging the function that lets you take 3-5 photos in rapid succession.[10]
- You could also try shooting a video of a hummingbird feeding and then select the best still video frame.
- If you're shooting with a digital camera, just make sure that you've cleared off enough memory on the device that you can fit hundreds of new photos.
- If you're shooting with film, be prepared to burn through 6–8 rolls.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Hummingbird feeder
- Scotch tape
- SLR camera
- Tripod
- 35 mm lens
- 3–4 flashes (optional)
- Telephoto lens (optional)
- Flash mounts (optional)
- Hummingbirds only live in the western hemisphere. While Central America—and especially Costa Rica—is especially rich in hummingbirds, you can spot them throughout North and South America as well.[11]
- If you're concerned about jiggling the camera when you push down the shutter button, you could invest in a remote shutter button. These allow you to stand away from the camera and trigger the shutter remotely, without pushing on the physical button.
- You might also try taking your tripod and camera to a nearby botanical garden and setting yourself up near a particularly bright flower display. However, since individual flowers each hold relatively little nectar, the birds won't hover in 1 place for long.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References |
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