Grilling is cooking an ingredient over very hot heat on a metal grill of some sort.

Grilling is great not only because it’s reminiscent of summer, but also because grilling imparts to food delicious, complex flavors without adding fat, sodium, or calories. Grilled foods are healthful options in foodservice that don’t feel like a sacrifice. So fire up the grill and fire up flavor in your foodservice dining room.

Trends in Grilling

Healthy Grilling: Compared to frying food, grilling is a much healthier option in foodservice because you can grill foods without adding oil or fat to them. When you fry food, it adds as many as 100 fat calories for each tablespoon of added oil. Cooking meat and vegetables on a grill doesn’t just reduce the amount of fat you are adding; it also lets much of the food’s existing fat melt and drip away.

Grill – does it all: People are making everything on the grill these days, from breakfast to desserts. The flavor imparted by the gas or charcoal just screams summertime dining. Stray from the traditional proteins on the grill and start adding more veggies and fruits (stone fruit - see below, pineapple, figs and grapes do great on the grill.). Any substantial cake, from pound cake or angel food cake to shortcake, can be grilled. Even chocolate can be grilled. Try a grilled chocolate sandwich with spiced sugar.

Flavor: Spices and rubs are a great way to intensify flavor in your foodservice operation. Use marinades made with orange and lemon juice, fresh or dried herbs, and spice rubs to compliment char-grilled flavors.

The McCormick® Grill Mates® & Lawry's® Flavor Forecast 2011: Grilling Edition has identified four trends that are firing up flavor this season:

• New Tart 'N Sweet
• Regional American Fire
• Hot, Hotter, Hottest!
• Flames of Adventure