shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com May 14, 2019 • Page 9 Grilling Safety: The Dos and Don'ts of Cooking On The Grill Spring and Summer – it’s such a great time for grilling. The days are longer and grilling out makes every day just a little more special. This is a good time to remind everyone on how to use your grill properly. Seriously, we can all use a refresher. Especially when you consider that up to 7,000 Americans are injured each year using barbecue grills. Read through these DOs and DON’Ts so you don’t become a statistic! GRILLING DOs 1. Adhere to the “10foot rule”: Minimally, grills should be kept 10 feet away from any type of structure, including carports, garages and even porches. Any closer and the potential for nearby objects to catch fire greatly increases. Generally speaking, the farther away your grill is from any type of structure, the better. 2. Maintain it: Grease is the biggest factor in grill flare-ups, so if you allow grease and fat from foods that you’re cooking to build up, your risk of a fire also increases. Cleaning your grill is relatively simple and, in addition to minimizing the fire risk, it can also help you cook better. 3. Check regularly for leaks: Most times, a gas leak is obvious – like when an odor can be detected. While other times, it may not be so obvious. That’s why it’s recommended that you periodically check for leaks using a little bit of craftiness. Create a solution comprising half dish soap and half water and then apply it to the line connecting your gas tank and grill. Then, turn on the grill. If the solution begins to bubble, you’ve got a leak that you should address immediately. 4. Take preventative safety measures: Grilling is essentially managing a fire, so make sure you’re prepared to deal with these flames should they become dangerous. It’s recommended that you keep a spray bottle of water handy for minor grill flare-ups and have a fire extinguisher in your garage or nearby location in case things escalate. GRILLING DON’Ts 1. Don’t - turn on the gas with the lid closed: This is perhaps the biggest no-no, as it is one of the most common sources of injury associated with grilling outdoors. Why should you never light the grill with the lid closed? Because gas will build up inside of it, igniting a fireball that can cause serious injury when you do get around to lifting the lid. 2. Don’t - leave your grill unattended: Many grillers will throw some food on the grill and then occupy themselves with something else until it is ready, only periodically checking on it. This is another habit to avoid— because fires are said to double in size every minute. So if you’re away for 5 minutes and a fire breaks out around your grill, you’ve got five times the problem on your hands than if you had tended to the grill properly. 3. Don’t - use a grill indoors: Remember the “10-foot rule” that we mentioned in the “do’s” section? It would be kind of hard to cook indoors without being within 10 feet of some sort of structure or other object. 4. Don’t - cook too much food at once: It may seem practical to cook as much food at a time as you can, especially if you’re hosting a big party. But overloading your grill with too much food can cause excess fat to drip down onto the grill flames, possibly starting a small fire. So be careful with how much you’re cooking at one time. We hope this article is a good reminder to all. Enjoy the summer, avoid fire damage, and grill safely. MetroCreativeConnection 7 Little-Known Facts About Grilling Did you know … 1. May is National Barbecue Month? 2. In 2012, more than 14.3 million grills and smokers shipped in North America? (That’s a decrease of about 2.6 percent from 2011.) 3. Gas grills continue to top the charts as the most popular type, followed by charcoal and electric? 4. 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