5 Tips for Grilling the Best Vegetables

I love grilling in the summer. Well, I prefer to have someone else grill for me, haha, but I have been throwing things on the grill now and then. (The best thing I’ve grilled so far has been peaches!!!) Grilled food just tastes like summer to me. Louisa’s recipe suggestions and tips have inspired some new dinner ideas for me.

5 Tips for Grilling the Best Vegetables 

Guest post by Louisa from Living Lou

Grilling is by far one of the best cooking methods. Cooking over a direct flame (or hot coals), is also the oldest form of cooking, and I find that it helps me connect with my food and the process the most. Did anyone watch Netflix’s series Cooked? The first episode was all about fire and inspired me to grill pretty much everything all summer long.

I’m lucky that I have a barbecue at my parents’ house to grill with, but many apartments and condos will have communal grills you can use, or if you’re lucky enough to have your patio or balcony you can have your own grill!

When most people think about grilling, they think meat; burgers or chicken wings and the like, but this year I’ve been grilling more vegetables than anything and I want to share my top five tips for grilling perfect vegetables.

1. 1. Pre-cook certain vegetables

I know that sounds crazy to precook, but some vegetables require a bit of a longer cooking time, and because of this, they are likely to burn on the grill before they are fully cooked through. My favorite thing to grill right now are grilled sweet potatoes, and I boil these for a few minutes before finishing them on the grill for that perfect smoky flavour (and Insta-worthy grill marks).

2. Slice them properly

Vegetables come in all sorts of funky shapes and sizes, but slices them into uniform pieces will ensure they cook evenly and also maximize the surface area for flavour. For example, I slice zucchini into four long spears to grill them; then I cut them into bite-sized pieces for my favorite grilled zucchini and white bean salad.

3. Oil them up

Vegetables dry out quickly when they hit the heat without any oil. Always toss vegetables with a light coating of a neutral oil before grilling. You can always finish them off with a flavoured oil like I do for my grilled asparagus with sesame dressing, but I recommend sticking to grilling with canola oil for this high-heat method.

4. Use a skewer or grill basket

Some vegetables will fall through the grates really easily, and that’s where skewers and grill baskets come in handy. I like to use a grill basket for grilling cherry tomatoes or green beans, but skewers are a great idea for presentation. I make grilled eggplant skewers for my vegetarian and vegan friends because they are the perfect alternative to meat.

5. Use foil

Aluminum foil is your best friend on the grill. Not only is it the perfect way to cook fish, but you can use foil to create packages for more delicate vegetables to steam. Add a touch of oil to the veggies then seal up the foil packets and place them directly on the grill. I also like to wrap potatoes to make baked potatoes on the grill and even baked sweet potatoes on the grill.