Improve Grilling With Few Simple Tricks

Here are 10 slick tricks to improve your grilling this summer:

Do your kebabs spin when you turn them? Thread the food on two skewers, one beside the other.

Grills at public campgrounds are sometimes (OK, often) less than pristine. Take along a vegetable grilling rack and put it on top of the grill.

Improvise a grill scrubber by using a crumpled-up wad of aluminum foil. If it gets hot, hold it with a pair of tongs.

More cleaning tips: Before cooking, spray the rack (away from the fire) with nonstick cooking spray. Rub the rack off as soon as you take the food off. Put the lid on and let the heat burn off any remaining residue. If you have a gas grill, turn it up to high for a minute or two.

For easy marinating, buy a box of gallon-size resealable plastic bags. Mix the marinade right in the bag, then add meat or vegetables. Press the air out, seal and refrigerate.

Forgot to soak your bamboo skewers? Wrap the tips in aluminum foil.

Put hard vegetables like carrots and potatoes on metal skewers. The insides will cook quicker.

For flavoring fish and mild foods, throw fresh herbs on the coals or flames.

If you don’t have a lid for your grill, turn a disposable roasting pan upside-down over the food.

If you don’t have a vegetable grilling rack, lay a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil on the rack and poke a few holes in it with a fork.