Grilling during warmer months is a great way to avoid heating up your kitchen and keeping the temperature down inside your home. While a grill is a versatile cooking tool for making a variety of foods such as steak, burgers, chicken, veggies, and seafood, there are certain foods that don’t work well on a traditional grill with slatted grates. Foods like flaky fish, scallops, bacon, peeled shrimp, small or thinly sliced vegetables, breaded meat, and calzones are best avoided when cooking directly on a grill. These foods may fall through the grates, dry out, or create a mess on the grill.
Flaky fish like tilapia, cod, and halibut are not ideal for grilling directly on the grates as they tend to fall through once they start cooking. Firm fish are recommended for grilling on the grill, and when grilling flaky fish, it’s best to use a fish grilling basket to keep the fillets intact throughout the cooking process. Shrimp should be left in its shell when grilling to prevent it from drying out quickly in the intense heat of the grill. Scallops should be cooked in a skillet on the grill to achieve a proper sear and caramelized crust that slatted grates may not provide.
Small or thinly sliced vegetables like green beans, snow peas, button mushrooms, and broccoli florets should not be placed directly on the grill as they may fall through the grates. Instead, use skewers or a sauté pan on the grill to cook these vegetables safely. Bacon, whether thin or thick-cut, is not recommended for grilling on a traditional grill due to the high fat content that can cause splatters and grease drips on the fire. Breaded meat and calzones are also not suitable for grilling directly on the grates due to the risk of burning the breading or the filling leaking onto the grill.
While grilling is a popular cooking method, it is important to choose the right foods that work well on a grill to avoid any mishaps or messes. By avoiding certain foods like flaky fish, scallops, peeled shrimp, small vegetables, bacon, breaded meat, and calzones, you can ensure a successful grilling experience. Using alternative cooking methods such as fish grilling baskets, skillets, skewers, or sauté pans on the grill can help you cook a variety of foods safely and effectively. Remember to keep your grill clean and well-maintained to enjoy hassle-free grilling all summer long.
