How to Grill Vegetables and Fruits

Everyone knows that corn cooked on the grill is one of the pre-eminent tastes of summer. But outdoor cooking lovers shouldn't limit themselves to corn cobs as many vegetables - and fruits! - lend themselves to tasty and easy grilling. Just about any vegetables taste great on the grill, and with a little preparation it's an easy meal or side dish to complement the main course.

Vegetables and fruit can be grilled in multiple ways: kabob-style on skewers, encased in foil, inside a vegetable basket, or directly on the grill. No matter what the cooking style, grill lovers should follow a few basic steps before getting started.

1. Gather a few basic supplies.
Skewers. Whether wooden or metal, skewers are an important tool for grilling vegetables. Wooden skewers - often bamboo - can be purchased in multi-packs in a variety of styles at grocery stores and kitchen supply stores, and should be soaked in water before use. This limits how much the skewers burn or char. Unlike their wooden counterparts, metal skewers are used multiple times and with proper cleaning between uses will last for years. If not using skewers, get out the foil or vegetable basket.

Olive oil. A spritz or sprinkle of olive oil will moisten the vegetables, add delicious flavor, and help them not stick to the grill. Using a non-extra virgin variety will hold up best under the heat.

Grill brush. When cooking vegetables and fruit on the grill, starting with clean grill racks is important. The most efficient method to cleaning grill racks is to get the grill hot, and then scrape the racks with a wire brush.

2. Clean and marinate the vegetables and fruits.
Bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, potatoes, beets, tomatoes, zucchini, and garlic all taste great on skewers. Eggplant, corn, and portabello mushrooms can go directly onto the grill racks, and many fruits can be skewered or cooked in baskets. With a little additional flavoring - or just a simple spritz of olive oil - the vegetables will taste even better. Clean and cut up the vegetables and fruits, and place them in bowls, the foil or skewers, or back in the refrigerator.

3. Establish a timing system.
If grillers think about when food needs to be cooked ahead of time, food is less likely to be burned, dried out, or cold before the meal starts. Some vegetables will cook faster than others, and in order to ensure they don't get dried out or burned, grillers should put things on the grill at different times. Starchy vegetables like corn, beets, and potatoes take longer to cook than peppers and onions, and need to be turned frequently to avoid overcooking one side. Seared eggplant and portabello mushrooms make great sandwiches, but take less time than burgers. Fruit like pineapple and peaches sear extremely quickly, and should be put on the grill last.

Another thing to keep in mind is that though mixed kabob skewers look attractive, the vegetables cook more evenly if all the vegetables are the same since onions cook faster than mushrooms. Almost all fruits and vegetables should be cooked on a medium flame; therefore, gas grills with multiple flame settings or charcoal grills that can have hotter areas are best to work with when grilling vegetables and fruits.

The fresh fruits and vegetables of summer open a range of eating and grilling opportunities. In addition to the great taste and healthy benefits of grilled fruits and vegetables, clean up is a snap. So fire up the grill and try something new.