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The Dos and Don’ts of Healthy Grilling

DO:

• Keep it clean. Scrub your grill with hot, soapy water before each use and wash your hands (and utensils) before and after handling food to avoid the transfer of bacteria (especially when handling raw meat and poultry!).
• Marinate and thaw safely. Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator or microwave and marinate meat in the refrigerator. Never use the same brush to baste raw and cooked meat and wash brushes in hot, soapy water between uses.
• Keep the air vents open (or the fire will go out) and make sure charcoal briquettes are gray-ashed before cooking.
• Control flare-ups by closing the lid. Don’t use water.
• Use an instant-read thermometer, the best way to test if your food is ready. This special thermometer reads the internal temperature of meat and poultry instantly!

Temperature Guide:

Steak: 145°F (Allow to rest for 3 minutes before carving or consuming)
Hamburgers: 160°F
Chicken: 165°F

• Keep it simple with the three flavor musketeers of grilling: olive oil, salt and pepper. If you use good quality food with this trio of ingredients, everything you grill will be delicious!
• Cut off the fat. Not only will this save you calories, but it will also eliminate harmful chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the smoke caused by fat dripping onto the hot grill.
• Use skewers when cooking small items like shrimp, fruit, vegetables and chunks of meat. If you use bamboo skewers, just soak them in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning.

DON'T:

• Peek under the lid when cooking food that takes longer than 10 minutes (like meat). Every time you lift the lid, heat escapes and the cooking time increases.
• Add volatile fuel or lighter fluid to the fire. Use either fire starter cubes or crumbled newspaper.
• Flatten burgers or chops — you’re not helping it cook faster, you’re just squeezing out yummy juices!
• Play with your food. The more you touch it the more it will stick and fall apart.
• Use the same cutting board, plates or grilling utensils when handling raw meat and ready-to-eat foods. Color-code them if need be. This will help avoid the spread of bacteria.

Published July 21, 2014. 

Brittany Doohan is a health and lifestyle editor and writer living in San Francisco.

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• Healthy summer recipes for diabetics
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