With the summer months beginning to wane, it is time to take the cover off the grill, refill your propane tank, and get it cleaned up for the remainder of the summer grilling season. Cooking on the grill is fun and it reminds you that the warm weather is still here. Everything tastes better on the BBQ, whether it is vegetables, meat, or fish, there are plenty of ways to prepare a summer dinner. Enjoy a cold beer, fire up the grill, and get some use out of your patio furniture that goes unused for many months out of the year. In addition to taste, there are other reasons to cook outside.
Propane is Cheap
With the cost of refilling your propane tank around $16-20, it is inexpensive to use the BBQ grill. Depending on the size of your family you can probably get away with cooking on half of your grill, so there is no need to run all four burners, wasting unnecessary propane. Just a word of advice as I have learned from experience with having a cold grill in the middle of cooking, have a spare propane tank on hand; you will thank yourself instead of having to run out and get one and then start the grill again and try and salvage your dinner.
Save on Running the A/C
When you cook in the house, whether it is the oven or stove top, it gets hot. As the temperature inside increases, the air conditioner will start to kick on more and more, especially if you are starting to sweat from cooking and you lower the room temperature. Your energy bill will rise as it tries to maintain a constant temperature; it is hot enough outside, so you do not need to give any extra reason for your A/C to work any harder than it needs to.
Plenty of Health Benefits
Not only does everything taste better coming off a grill, it is also a healthier option to cooking. You actually eat less fat as the excess drips off and away from your food and into the drip pan. The vegetables you grill actually retain their nutrients more when you grill them (and you can add salt and pepper to give flavor instead of sticks of butter). Chances are if you are grilling outside, you were doing some sort of activity, such as cutting the grass or playing catch, so at least you were staying active before you eat instead of watching TV on the couch.