Summer is grill time. The smell of barbeques brings back memories for most American families. Whether you only grilled the fresh fish you caught when camping, grilled on the beach during a family reunion or grilled in the backyard, summer means grills.
Back in the day, grilling meant meat. Now grilling involves gourmet items like balsamic infused organic peaches with the highly sought after grill marks. Grilled veggies include more than corn on the cob and potatoes wrapped in foil. Even grilled pizzas have made their appearance on the backyard grill. Baking is still iffy yet I had some brownies made on the grill that did not involve a Dutch oven. With the advent of gourmet grilling utensils, gone are the days when frankfurters or hamburgers fell through the grill.
The affordability and temperature stability of gas grill has expanded the grilling into the world of outdoor summer kitchens. Summer kitchens were popular among the prominent in colonial Williamsburg due to the summer heat. Summer kitchens were placed either in a building away from the main house or in the basement of the indoor kitchen to eliminate the problem of heating the house when the outdoor temperature and humidity rose. Summer kitchens still serve the same purpose however now the kitchens are placed within sections of outdoor living areas.
In the insurance industry, our view of grilling is safety first. Underwriters Laboratories have their Top Ten key safety tips:
1. Keep your grill at least 10 feet away from your house;
2. Clean your grill regularly
3. Check for gas leaks
4. Keep decorations away from your grill
5. Keep a spray bottle of water handy
6. Keep a fire extinguisher within a couple steps of your grill
7. Never turn on the gas while your grill lid is down
8. Never leave your grill unattended
9. Do not overload your grill with food
10. Never use a grill indoors.
National Fire Protection Assoc. also has wonderful grilling safety tips. Click below to go to their website.
Enjoy your summer grilling and be safe.
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