Speaking of getting your grill in working order (surely you read last week's article!), as long as you're replacing parts on it, you may as well give it a thorough cleaning, too. After all, when there's a hungry crowd gathered around your
picnic table, you don't want to serve them any of last week's or, worse yet, last year's food. Charred food on a grill can harbor harmful bacteria that can contaminate other food the next time you cook on it.Although you can clean any grill with all-purpose elbow grease, there are other methods that require less effort. For example, you can clean a gas grill by covering the racks with foil, closing the lid, and turning the grill on high for no more than ten minutes. Once it cools, you can easily remove burned food using a brass-bristle brush, and clean any areas of rust with vegetable oil.You can also steam-clean the racks on a grill. Just wrap them in wet newspapers while they're still hot, close the lid, enjoy your food, and go about your other business. The moisture and the heat from the grill create steam, which loosens up the food that is stuck to the grill. When you're ready to clean up, wipe off the racks with a rag, or for more stubborn particles, use a brass-bristle brush, or a crumpled piece of aluminum foil.You can also use this same procedure on smaller, electric grills, using wet paper towels. As soon as you remove the food from the grill, and after you unplug it, put three to four layers of paper towels onto the cooking plates, and close the lid. Later, clean it with a cloth, sponge, or nylon scrubber.Another easy way to clean racks is to put them into a large plastic garbage bag, pour a mixture of one cup of baking soda, and a half-cup of ammonia over them, close the bag, and let it sit overnight. The next day, most of the food should rinse away; and whatever is left can be wiped off with a rag or a sponge. Rinse the racks completely before cooking on them again. To prevent food from building up, apply a coating of vegetable oil to the rack, and wipe it off as soon as the grill is cool enough to touch. Just remember that the more vegetable oil you use, the more elbow grease you can conserve.Speaking of conserving elbow grease, one way to ensure a successful cookout without using any elbow grease at all is to get a gorgeous picnic table from AllPicnicTables.com. All it takes is a few clicks of your mouse, and you will find yourself perusing one of the grandest assortments of picnic tables available in one place.AllPicnicTables.com features traditional, decay-resistant cedar, pine, oak, cherry, and teak tables, as well as everlasting polywood, vinyl, and aluminum tables, in every size, color, and shape you can imagine. With styles from classic to contemporary, and rustic to refined, AllPicnicTables.com has tables and dining sets to complement the motif of any patio, porch, deck, or gazebo.To see the entire collection of picnic tables and outdoor furniture, visit
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