Time to heat up the grill!

With the official start of summer right around the corner, the aroma of grilled foods will again become a regular part of the evening. Whether you are a beginner or a master of the grilling arts, here are a few tips to help your grilling this season.

First, make sure the grill grate is clean. A stiff wire grill brush is ideal for this task, but a crumpled ball of aluminum foil will work too. Once the debris has been removed from the grate, it should be lubricated to minimize food sticking. If you can remove the grate from the grill, cooking spray can be used. But do not use cooking spray over a lit grill! Another method is to fold a paper towel into a small square, dip it in vegetable oil, and use tongs to rub it over the grill grate.

With the grill preparation out of the way, it's time to start cooking. When grilling, it is best to minimize the times the food is turned over. The more often food is turned, the longer it will take to cook, which often leads to food that is tough and dry. Don't use a fork for turning, as a fork will puncture the meat causing juices to be lost. If a sugary sauce, like barbeque sauce, is going to be applied to the food, it should be applied at the end of the cooking time because these sauces will burn if applied too early.