Trying to Be Authentic

Ever make corn tortillas from scratch? Me neither.

It's not that I didn't try, it's that I apparently had no idea what I was doing. Oh, I followed directions, it was the lack of a "tortilla press" and cooking it properly that I seemed to have gone afoul.

Oh well. I was going to tell you about making your own, authentic tortillas and say how easy it was, but, well, that ain't gonna happen tonight. Woof.

Ok, so what can I tell you that's useful? Oh, here's a grilling tidbit you may not know about. Saw it in this month's Esquire magazine. It's an easy, non-intrusive way to tell if the steak you're grilling this summer is rare, medium rare, medium or medium well.

Here's what you do: Take your right hand and make an "OK" sign with your index finger pressed lightly onto your thumb. Now, with your left index finger, press the muscle under your right thumb. That's what a rare steak feels like.

Side note – Never, ever, ever cut into the meat to see if it's done or press down on it to see what color the juices are. Because once the juices are out, you can't put them back in.

Ok, so you've got rare. You can tell medium rare by pressing your middle finger to your thumb. Medium is your ring finger to your thumb. And medium well is your pinky ring to your thumb. What's well done feel like? The bottom of your shoe.

So try that this weekend when your cooking out. Or show it off to your brother-in-law and just play cool like you've know that trick for years. And try not to smile

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a kitchen to clean up.