Safety Tips for Outdoor Grilling

August 21, 2024

Barbecue, cooking and man with burgers outdoor backyard for meal at reunion, social event or lunch on terrace.

‘Tis the season to cook and eat outdoors, and that means grilling our faves, from chicken to fish, corn, skewered vegetables and hamburgers (whether the meat or vegetarian variety). But outdoor grilling comes with safety risks. After all, where there’s smoke there’s fire, and where there’s fire, there’s a need to protect ourselves from possible mishaps.

Dr. Alexis Halpern, an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and Assistant Attending Physician at Weill Cornell Medicine, has seen it all in the ER, which is why she decided to share her safety tips for outdoor grilling in a recent video. See it here.

Here are the key takeways for safely grilling this season:

Only use your grill outdoors.
Grill away from your house and any overhanging tree branches.
Keep children and pets at least 3 feet away from the grill at all times, and that includes while the grill is cooling down.
Open the lid of the gas grill before lighting it.
If the flame goes out on a propane grill, turn the grill and the gas off, and wait 5 minutes before relighting it.
Regularly remove fat or grease buildup. That’s easiest to do when you finish cooking.
When using a charcoal grill, only use lighter fluid made for that type of grill.
Let the coals cool completely before disposing of them.