Hissing

I have a love/hate relationship with grilling. I love the convenience of throwing a protein on the grill and leaving the mess outside. I love not warming up my house with the extra heat of cooking. I love the taste of grilled garden veggies. I love taking a simple hotdog and making it seem a bit more special than just a wienie on a bun. So what's not to love?

Grills come with their own demands. Our first grill was the classic black Weber kettle grill. The challenge of lighting charcoal and getting the heat just right was not really my cup of tea. I didn't love grilling THAT much. We also had a cute little Hibachi grill, popular during our early years of marriage. It had portability going for it but, like the Weber, there was charcoal involved. Over time our baby Hibachi was used less and less and we finally parted ways.

We eventually purchased a low-budget propane grill. I liked the convenience of gas but it did not take long for the starter to get cranky and unreliable. When I am ready to grill, I do not want to play Russian roulette with a starter. After that particular grill was blown off the deck during a storm for the second time, I decided the grill gods were speaking and it was time to leave grilling to the avid lovers of charred foods.

A couple of years ago, I felt the urge to try another grill. We purchased a small semi-portable propane grill to test the waters. It did not take long for me to discover I was using it multiple times a week. As with all grills, this one is not perfect. Due to its small size, the surface area is a bit cramped when I am cooking for more than the two of us. It also seems a bit finicky with its heat distribution.

A recent attempt at grilling a steak resulted in a nice char on one side but a dead flame for the flip side. Upon further investigation it was evident the problem was an empty propane tank. We like our steak on the rare side so we salvaged the meal but my husband received orders to fill the tank. He enjoys grilled food so it wasn't long before we were back in business.

When I started up the grill again, I noticed a hissing noise. My fertile imagination imagined the next day's headlines, "Grill explodes. Woman maimed for life." When I asked my calm and steady husband to check on it, he responded as he usually does, "Just let it run for a bit and watch it." Little comfort for me but the burgers were ready to be cooked so no time to let a little hissing stop me.

Once again, my husband was right. The hissing eventually subsided and the burgers were grilled without incident. Alas, the victory was short-lived. The subsequent grilling session resulted in another hiccup and it looks like I will be "letting it run for bit" once again.

My love/hate relationship with grills is back to square one. I am going to continue to wrestle with my fickle grill friend for now and hope for the best. I have a feeling I will be perusing the close-out specials on grills this fall. And if a windstorm unleashes its fury on my current grill, I will most likely not shed a tear.