Delicious Grilled Vegetables, Every Time

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Thin vegetables such as asparagus and scallions and watery vegetables like tomatoes and tomatillos grill best when left whole.

High water content greens like bok choy and romaine lettuce grill very nicely, simply trim off a bit of the bottom but leave the core intact and soak them in cold water to remove any sand or dirt.

Endive, fennel and others with a more substantial core, can be sliced lengthwise; this allows the core to hold the vegetable together while grilling. Most cores can be eaten but, if you desire, the core can be removed once the vegetable is cooked.

Bell peppers are often cut into small shapes and skewered but they never cook well using this method. Instead, cut off the top and bottom of the pepper, remove the core, then cut the pepper in half from top to bottom. This way you end up with two flat rectangles that are grilled skin side down.

Mind the flavor. Vegetables must be brushed with oil before grilling since, unlike meat, they don't contain any fat that allows them to self-baste. And since you have to add extra calories from fat, you might as well enjoy them. Forego the vegetable oil and use a nice tasty olive oil instead.

Don't forget the salt and pepper! It's okay to cook a burger without any seasoning—its just going to get drenched in ketchup anyway—but your vegetables won't. Make sure to season them before they go on the grill and taste and adjust the seasoning once they are finished cooking.

The best way to oil and season vegetables is to lay them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, brush them with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Turn them over and repeat on the other side. You can also load them into a zip lock bag, add the oil and seasonings and toss them. This method works better with some vegetables better than others (onions and fennel tend to fall apart) and, unless you wash them, you wind up tossing yet one more plastic bag into a landfill.

Marinades are great, but avoid those that contain sugar, which caramelizes quickly and causes the exterior to blacken too much. When cooking a mixture grilling different vegetables together, never marinate all of them. The result is a plate of food that all tastes exactly the same. The great thing about vegetables is that they have such a wonderful assortment of flavors; by marinating them all together you lose the interest and the dish becomes boring. It is better to choose one or two to marinate and allow the others to retain their natural flavors.