Its the time of year we have all been waiting for! Spring has officially been here since March 20th, however it certainly hasn’t felt like BBQ weather since then!

Lets hope its safe to say that the snow is now gone until November – December would be even better 😉

Are you still lugging around your propane tanks? Did you know that Union Gas is now offering a promotion to all new customers to switch over to gas, if you are considering this for your Furnace, Hot Water Heater, Dryer, Fireplace or Stove why not have our technician install a gas connection for a bbq as well! Before we got our gas bbq I never realized how convenient it would be – especially for a mom who is coming home from work and if my husband is working late, I have to get dinner started. Using a gas bbq couldn’t be simpler and I never have to worry about running out of gas!

Using a gas BBQ is much like a propane BBQ, except instead of turning the handle on the propane tank to open the valve, you are turning a lever to open the gas line to the BBQ, then you light it just the same. Hopefully your BBQ still has an ignitor on it, they do work wonderful unless a puppy chews it off! Otherwise just use a BBQ lighter in the side underneath and turn the knob, once the fumes meet the lighter it lights. Very simple and with gas very quick heat.

Not only is the BBQ simple to light, it heats up fast. I typically start the BBQ, then come back inside prep dinner for the BBQ and by this time the grill is up to temperature and ready for the food. I will cook as much as I can on the BBQ – hey it means less dishes and we arent over heating the house by cooking inside – this is very important during the hotter days! AND if you have a cottage – having a gas BBQ is a no-brainer! You can arrive at the cottage, turn the lever and you are ready to cook! Especially at a cottage which is shared by more than one family, no one needs to worry about who filled the propane tank last!

Do your kids love pizza? Grab a couple pizza grill pans, let them help you make them, while you are making them the BBQ is heating up, remember not to heat it too hot (gas heats up fast!) and within minutes you can have a pizza hot off  the grill!

Personally as a mom, having a gas BBQ has made my life SO much easier! The biggest benefit to me is I do not have to worry about how much propane is in the tank, being connected to our gas line we always have fuel for the BBQ. Another mom bonus, less dishes! Cooking on the bbq not only gives your food amazing flavour but it also cuts down on dishes! Another mom bonus is cooking with gas is very affordable, much more affordable than propane is ! In fact when we moved last year we moved to a home with a wall oven, an electric wall oven. Keeping this in mind we decided to purchase a larger BBQ, the BBQ we bought is a Broil King and it has 2 seperate cooking spaces – we can cook a lot of food all at the same time and at different temperatures!

Check out these recipes for grilling on a BBQ – http://www.uniongas.com/residential/naturalgasproducts/grill/recipes.asp