While meat, fish and poultry are popular for grilling, don’t forget to add some vegetables and fruits this summer. When vegetables are grilled, their flavor becomes sweeter since they lose water when heated and sugars become more concentrated as a result according to Food and Health Communications.
Try these grilling tips:
- Soak vegetables in cold water for 10 minutes before grilling. This prevents them from drying out when grilled.
- Chop vegetables into equal-sized pieces so they cook evenly. Bigger, thicker pieces take more time to grill.
- Grill vegetables over medium heat. Grilling time will vary depending on what you’re grilling and how it was prepped. Grilled vegetables will be easy to cut with a knife and have browned grill marks on them.
- Brush vegetables with oil to keep them from sticking to your grill. Canola, corn, or olive oil work well.
- Add a wee bit of salt before grilling to pull out moisture before grilling. This helps intensify their flavor.
- Use a grill basket or skewers to prevent your vegetables from falling into the grill. Aluminum foil also works very well. The vegetables cook rapidly but they do not stick to the grill. Any of these aids are great when you want to use a variety of vegetables that tend to be all different sizes.
- Experiment with different seasonings, vinegar, citrus juice, or dried herbs on vegetables prior to grilling to spice up the flavor. Lemon juice goes well on asparagus as well as broccoli and peppers.
Similar to grilled vegetables, grilled fruits will become sweeter as their sugars concentrate and caramelize. Typically, bigger fruit is best for grilling including apples, bananas, melon and pineapple. Stone fruits like avocados, peaches, and nectarines also work well. The fruit should be firm and not too ripe. Smaller fruit like berries, grapes or cherries can be placed on skewers before grilling.
- Fruit should be cut into big chunks or slices. This helps it keep its structure when the fruit meets the heat. Bigger pieces will also survive the grates and not fall through your grill or use a grill basket.
- Preheat your grill to medium high for about 10 minutes prior to grilling. Get rid of previously grilled tidbits and lightly grease the grates before grilling your fruit. Canola, corn or other neutral oil may be used. To lock in the juice of grilled fruit, line a grill pan with aluminum foil or use a rimmed baking sheet when grilling your favorites.
- Similar to grilling meat, grilled fruit should be left alone and not jostled around when being cooked. If you move it too much, it won’t sear and you’ll miss out on those desirable grill marks. Since fruit contains sugar, some sticking to the grill may happen.
- Just like thicker cuts of meat taking longer to cook, larger pieces of fruit will, too. Pineapple will need more grill time than citrus fruit or peaches. Put the lid on the grill to help larger fruits cook through and check every 3 to 5 minutes for doneness.
Enjoy the flavors of grilled vegetables and fruits this summer.
Article release July 12, 2021
