Using a barbecue

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- Do not place raw meat next to cooked, or partially cooked meat on the bbq.

- Cover any cooked food with foil to avoid insects infecting it, or foliage landing on it.

- Large joints should be cooked in the oven, and finally placed on the bbq to give extra flavour. Otherwise, if you have a bbq with a lid, you can employ indirect grilling to cook a joint.

- Some meat needs to be cooked thoroughly, which is, pork, burgers, chicken and sausages. The meat should not be pink for any of these, any pink juices flowing out of the meat indicates it's not cooked enough.

- If you haven't got a hinged rack, you can cook delicate food like fish on a sheet of foil paper. Fold over the corners, brush with oil and place the fish on it.

- For vegetables you may wish to shake them for the best results. What you need is a grilling basket. The grilling mess ensures that the vegetables will not fall through the grate, and generally makes for an easier grilling experience if you need to turn tens of items and shaking will accomplish the job just as well.

- Do not puncture meat such as steak or chicken. Use tongs to turn over the meat and not a fork. For the most flavoursome meat you need to keep the juices within the meat and not on the floor of the grill pan.

- Keep the grates of your barbecue clean with soap and water between uses. The main cause of meats sticking to the grill is from old dried on meats.

- If you are using a gas powered bbq, make sure you have spare fuel cyclinder incase a problem occuring half way through a grilling session.

- Flare-ups are caused by fat dripping onto the grill. Lean meat such as chicken is rarely a cause of flare-ups. But meats such as sausages, with a high fat content should be given more due care and attention.

- If you can, lubricate your grill with oil whilst cooking, this should ensure that any meat sticking is kept to a minimum. To do this, place some paper towel on a fork, dip in oil and apply to the grill gates.