Almost anyone would agree that grilled food is one of the most amazing and healthy forms of cooked meals an individual could have. Aside from the fact that this cooking mode brings your family outdoors and encourages them to perform outdoor activities, grilling also ensures that you eat your food with little or no fat as it is cooked off the grill. With grilled food, you never have to worry about the depletion of nutrients in your food, as this mode of cooking helps to retain every one of them while cooking.

Now, there is a misconception people have about grilling. Many people believe that grilled food is the major cause of food poisoning and upset stomach. This is mostly because more people fall ill after a barbecue than after an indoor meal.

While there must be proper scrutiny while grilling your food to avoid upset stomach cases, this common belief is untrue. Research has shown that the major reason these food poisoning cases occur after eating grilled food is caused because most people have no idea how to grill their foods properly. This article aims to clear this misconception and encourage people to eat grilled food by explaining how to grill food properly.

Pre-heat the Grill

It is important to always pre-heat the grill for about 10 to 15 minutes before cleaning the grill.

Scrub the Grill Clean 

Most times, after a  long time of grilling food for people, we are often tired, and we go ahead and close the grill to go and enjoy with others. This is normal for everybody. However, these grills can harbor these pieces of leftovers or burnt food for days, weeks, and even months. This food attracts all kinds of birds, insects, and animals, which introduce many forms of bacteria to the grill surface, which can be very dangerous to the human system. Also, leftovers produce unusual flavors and odors in the food you are cooking on top of them. This spells the need for the grill to be well-scrubbed and thoroughly cleaned before cooking begins.

Oil the Grates

Even though most foods won't necessarily stick to properly heated grill grates, delicate foods like fish might stick and eventually break while trying to remove them. To stop them from sticking and becoming stuck on residue capable of inviting bacteria, all you have to do is simply oil the grates.

Separate Your Food And Cook Thoroughly

It is advisable to separate your food properly before cooking to avoid the mixture of juices which is often the cause of food poisoning and stomach upsets. There are different types of food, and different temperatures must be cooked. Examples are:

• Meat: To thoroughly cook meats like beef and pork, you need to cook at a high temperature in 10 minutes, so you don't necessarily need to wander around while cooking this type of meat. While cooking chicken on the other hand takes more time  like 30-40minutes and is required to be cooked under medium temperature. To check whether it is well cooked, you can easily slice through and check if it's no more pink on the inside.
• Fish & Vegetables: For these delicate foods and can easily stick to the grill, the use of high grill rack is highly advised as it exposes your food to less heat and ensures that the food is thoroughly cooked.

Proper Clean-Up

After a successful grilling operation, it is important to clean up the grill. You can use a brush wire to remove excess food particles and oil. This way, you don't have to do any serious cleaning before using it next time. You can use the grill cover when you aren't using the grill. This allows you to protect the grill from germs and prolong its life.

Conclusion

Grilling is an amazing way of cooking food, and it should never be forgotten or dropped all because of false misconceptions and beliefs. We hope this article helps to clear all the wrong notions people have about the usage of the grill and help encourage people to cook with it a whole lot better.