It’s grilling season once again and everyone is eager to enjoy the outdoors. What better way to start the summer season than with the first family barbecue? This article is for those master grillers that take the process of grilling very seriously.
What are some simple grilling safety tips that are often overlooked? Never leave the grill unattended. The grill should be in an open area with 10 feet of space around it with no obstructions.
Make sure children and pets are away from the area of the grill. Also make sure the grill is resting on a flat and even surface. Never wear loose-fitting clothing. These are but a few simple grilling safety tips that are often overlooked.
Serious grillers must consider everything when it comes to grilling, including safety. Therefore, before inviting friends and family over, the safety of grilling must not be overlooked. There is a safe way to prepare the grill for cooking and a safe way to store the grill after cooking.
10 Simple Yet often Overlooked Grilling Safety Tips
Practicing safety while using your BBQ grill will allow for a wonderfully memorable grilling experience. The grill must be taken out of storage to begin its preparation for use. Usually, grills are stored in a garage, on a deck, or covered porch.
For a safety practice, grills should never be stored away dirty. Hopefully, the grill was stored away somewhat clean so there isn’t much cleaning to do. If not, then commence to giving the grill a thorough cleaning before using it.
Once the grill is thoroughly cleaned, prepping the grill for food will be the next process. There are four grilling apparatuses. They are charcoal, gas/propane, electric, and portable.
Depending upon the style of grill, make sure all the necessary ingredients that are required to start a fire are ready to go.
This will include charcoal, gas or propane, lighter fluid, newspaper, matches or a mechanical lighter, wood chips, and electricity. Follow the 10 safety tips listed down below for a joyous grilling experience.
Here are 10 safety tips for grilling that are often overlooked:
- Make sure the grill has at least 10 feet of space all around it
- Keep children and pets away from the grill area
- Make sure the grill is on an even flat surface
- Make sure you have ample water supply or fire extinguisher close by for emergencies
- When firing up the grill, make sure you have no loose clothing on
- Keep the grill lid open when prepping the fire
- Wait until the fire has diminished and the charcoal is well kindled before adding food. If the grill is propane, wait until the grill grates are well heated before adding food to avoid sticking.
- After cooking, allow the grill to cool off before moving it.
- Remove all charcoal and other debris out of grill before storing
- NEVER LEAVE THE GRILL UNATTENDED!
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the grill must be at least 10 feet away from any obstructions such a house, trees, brush, deck, porch/patio, etc. This will prevent any accidents from occurring.
Children and pets should never be around the grill. The NFPA recommend that children and pets should always be at least three feet away from grill area. Only the person grilling should be near it.
All grills need to be located on a flat and even surface to avoid it from falling over causing a fire hazard. Usually grills are found stationed on grassy areas when it should be on a concrete surface. This is to avoid grass or wooded platforms from becoming fire hazards.
There should always be water and a fire extinguisher close by for emergencies. If it is a grease fire, use the extinguisher and pore flour or baking soda over the fire to smother it. It should never be too far away from the grilling area as a safety practice.
When grilling, never wear loose fitting clothing to avoid getting burned. It is one of those simple safety tips that is greatly overlooked. Wearing an apron is also good for added protection.
Always keep the grill lid open when prepping the fire. Close it only when it’s ready to receive food and if you need to reduce the oxygen that’s fueling the fire for a reduced flame.
Never add food to a flame that is visible. Wait until the charcoal is well kindled and you can see them glowing. For propane or gas grill, make sure the grates are well heated before adding food. It’s noticeable when water is flickered and the grates sizzle.
Never move a hot grill. Wait until it has cooled off before attempting to move it.
Once the grill has cooled off and moved, empty it of all used charcoal and debris in a metal container to avoid any rekindling of fire. Try to avoid leaving anything in it after its use.
A griller must always remember to never leave the grill unattended. It must always be monitored to avoid any safety issues. There should be a designated griller to back up the master griller so that the grill is always monitored.
The Safest Type of Grill to Use
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), gas grills contribute a higher number of fires than charcoal grills. With that information, it is assumed that charcoal grills are considered safer.
However, all grills are safe to use provided they are done with safety in mind.
There are four types of grills, which are listed down below.
The Four Types of Grills:
- Gas/Propane
- Electric:
- Charcoal
The gas and propane grills require more stringent monitoring since fires are more likely to happen.
The safety concern for the electric grill is the electrical cord. When in use, the cord must be concealed and secured to prevent it from becoming a trip and fall hazard.
The charcoal grill must always be on a flat, even and concrete surface to avoid it from falling over causing a fire hazard.
Portable grills require the same precedence as the charcoal grill even more so due to its size. It is easier for it to fall or be knocked over by accident.
Why It Is Important To Follow Grilling Safety Tips?
After reading through the safety tips in the sections above, you might be wondering why any of this matters. In this section, we will be going over why it is important to follow grilling safety tips at all times, whether you are a beginner or an expert.
Take a look at the list down below to get some insight on this topic.
Why It Is Important To Follow Grilling Safety Tips:
- To avoid any injuries
- To avoid fires or explosions
- To maintain the quality of the grill
The first, and most obvious, reason why it is important to grill safely is to avoid any injuries. When you don’t follow the tips that were mentioned earlier, you are at risk to burn yourself or others.
In addition, you should follow safety procedures in order to avoid fires or explosions of any kind. This is increasingly important in public areas as well, but no less in private either.
Finally, you will want to maintain the quality of your grill. There is no point of buying one and keeping it in your yard if you are not going to take care of it.
Properly maintained grills always last the longest, and will give you the least amount of safety issues as possible.
How to Store and Maintain a Grill Safely
Before storing the grill, it must be prepared for storage. It will help in its maintenance for future grilling. There is a process for storing the grill, which is outlined in the next list down below.
How To Store and Maintain a Grill Safely:
- Remove all charcoal and other debris from the grill
- Remove all grill grates for proper cleaning.
- Make sure all knobs are turned to the off position.
- Make sure the valve to the propane tank is turned to the off position and disconnected.
- Make sure the gas line is turned to the off position and disconnected.
- Store all grills in a cool place.
- Unplug all electrical cords, wrap and secure them.
- Never leave the grill out in the elements without proper protection.
For charcoal and portable grills, all charcoal and other debris must be removed. Empty it in a metal container to avoid any rekindling of fire. Then, remove all grates for cleaning.
For all gas/propane or electric grills, all grates must be removed for cleaning. It’s important to clean the grates as proper maintenance for future grilling.
For all gas/propane and electric grills, make sure all knobs are turned in the off position, the propane tank valve is turned in the off position and disconnected from the grill. The propane tank should be stored separately from the grill.
For the gas grill, the gas line should be turned in the off position and disconnected from the grill.
The electric grill should be unplugged from its electrical source and cord wrapped and secured.
Store all grills in a cool place like a garage or covered porch. Try not to leave the grill out in the elements without a protective cover to avoid damage or rust.
In summary, grilling can be a wonderful experience this summer season for everyone to enjoy. When following safety practices, a griller can provide a positive safe environment for their friends and family.
The 10 simple safety tips will allow a griller to practice safety while creating delicious grilled food. All grills are safe to use provided that the griller practice safety protocols. A griller must remember to never leave the grill unattended. If left unattended, it will negate all the other safety rules.
There are four types of grills that require the same safety practices. When finished grilling, there is a proper way to safely maintain and store the grill.
Before storing the grill, it must be prepared for storage. It will help in its maintenance for future grilling. Each grilling apparatus requires detailed attention to certain processes that need to be done before it is stored.
Store all grills in a cool place like a garage or covered porch. Try not to leave the grill out in the elements without a protective cover to avoid damage or rust. For all four grilling apparatuses, the ten safety tips are very important to practice. Enjoy the summer season of grilling in the outdoors.
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