Grilling Hacks

Grilling season has official begun. The internet is loaded with more recipes than one could ever hope to try. Pinterest is the perfect place to find some grilling inspiration…and waste a couple of hours. We love to grill and don’t let the snow or the mosquitos keep us from cooking outdoors. One of my least favorite household chores is cleaning the grill. I use the nifty ammonia in garbage bag method, which does work, but still it is a task I’d rather skip.

Nonetheless, this past weekend I cleaned our grill as part of my spring cleaning ritual. With the season of goo removed I feel motivated to keep it clean and cook some fantastic stuff on it at the same time. Enter in Pinterest. Two pins I’m going to try: while the grill is warming up, but not yet hot run a sliced onion across the grates. Apparently, people have been doing this forever and it works to keep food from sticking. Another pin with the same goal is a rag soaked in olive oil and stored in a baggie in the freezer, run the rag over the grates prior to placing food on. Both tips are simple and got favorable feedback.

I’m always on the lookout for simple ideas that make cooking easier and food tastier. A few other grilling hacks caught my eye. We love kabobs at our house, but it never occurred to me to double skewer the food to stop it from spinning. Seriously, such a simple solution. How about using a small cooler as a warmer to store cooked corn on the cob or baked potatoes until it is supper time. Huh, why have I not been doing this?

Last time I looked lemons are cheaper and tastier than cedar planks, so why not grill fish on top of sliced lemons. Yum. Maybe hot dogs are more your thing, take 30 seconds to spiral cut the hot dogs. Not only will they look fancier, they will provide more caramelized crunch – which is of course the best part.

When most people think cooking on the grill, meat is what comes to mind. Grill up some veggies and save yourself the trips in and out of the house while cooking. We like to cook up cubed potatoes, sliced carrots, and onions with olive oil and seasons wrapped in foil. Easy and tasty. Many veggies grill up nicely with some olive oil, but if you’re looking for something a little more out of the ordinary try wrapping asparagus in bacon. So good.

Dessert is often overlooked on the grill, but it really shouldn’t be. Few things better than grilled pineapple, but don’t stop there. Cut up some bananas and strawberries, mix together with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, scoop into waffle cones, wrap in aluminum foil, and grill until melty. It won’t take long for this cone of goodness to become your favorite campfire treat.

Hopefully you are motivated to try something new on the grill – even if you have to clean it first!

Here are a couple of links to websites with more tips:

http://www.people.com/people/greatideas/gallery/0,,20839733_30193816,00.html

http://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/14-food-hacks-you-need-know-for-grilling-season-0156039/