From crispy vegetables to an assortment of meats, a grill helps create some of the tastiest dishes. It’s the perfect appliance for hosting a barbeque with friends and family. However, the functions of a grill are not straightforward, and there are various factors one needs to consider, right from lighting a fire to cleaning it. Not following the proper method could result in a poorly cooked meal. Here are five common grilling mistakes to avoid.

Using lighter fluid
Those who have charcoal grills tend to use lighter fluid to ignite the fire. However, this liquid contains chemicals that may mix with the food during the cooking process. One should consider lighting the coal in a chimney starter instead. It has a top chamber where the coal sits and a lower chamber for the fuel (usually newspaper) used to ignite the coal.

Skipping preheating
When using charcoal in gas grills, skipping the preheating process could result in the cooking grate not being sufficiently hot. This mistake may cause meats to stick aggressively because their proteins form a chemical bond with the metal. One should let the metal surface become sufficiently hot before placing the raw food.

Not oiling the grate
Charcoal and gas grills are made of steel or cast iron and must be oiled before grilling to keep the food from sticking. One should use tongs to dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and thoroughly wipe the scrubbed, preheated cooking grate before adding the food.

Leaving the lid open
People often like to leave the lid open to see how the food cooks. But this causes the heat to leave the grill, which increases cooking time. One should follow the steps of a recipe thoroughly and keep the lid closed to trap as much heat as possible.

Cooking with a dirty grill
Most grills that are not cleaned will have food debris and grease build-up on various parts. This could cause sticking and even add burnt flavor to fresh food. The built-up grease on the interior basin and underside of the grill lid may particularly carbonize and transform into a patchy layer that flakes off and lands on the food. To ensure this does not happen, one must follow the grilling best practices. This includes preheating the grill, scraping the cooking grate with a brush, lightly scrubbing the cooled grill and lid with steel wool and water, and emptying cooled ash frequently.