Summer doesn't officially begin until your barbecue gets sparked for the first time. Grilling (which is simply cooking on a hot grate) is a wonderful way to initiate the season because it's an excellent, lowfat cooking method for a variety of healthful foods -- from seafood and chicken to vegetables and even fruit. To maximize the health-and-nutrition potential of your barbecue, check out the three simple techniques here -- searing, fruit-and-veggie grilling, and butterflying -- along with three delicious recipes, one for each technique.

If you don't have an outdoor grill (or even a backyard), don't worry. These techniques and recipes are ideal for indoor grills -- such as the George Foreman or any other indoor electric grill -- and stove-top grill pans, such as All-Clad or Circulon, which are basically skillets with grates. (Preheat the grill pan just as you would an outdoor grill; cook food at medium-high heat.) Before you get grilling, though, see our tips (at left) so your food will cook perfectly every time.

Technique 1: Searing
You may think searing, as in "seared tuna," means raw in the middle. Not true: Searing simply means cooking the outside of meat, fish and poultry over very hot heat, and then finishing the cooking by another method. Searing on the grill creates a crisp, flavorful exterior and moist, wonderful interior, locking in flavor without adding fat.

Searing requires both "direct" and "indirect" cooking. First, food is placed on the hottest part of the grill for 2-3 minutes; the hot grate sears the meat, creating a crisp, caramelized texture (and those fabulous chef-quality grill marks). Then the seared food is moved to a cooler part of the grill (over "indirect" heat) with the lid closed to complete cooking. The heat circulates around the food -- similar to roasting -- so there's no need for flipping.

Searing steps
1. Place chicken on the hottest part of the grill and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the chicken 45 degrees, without flipping, and cook for another 2 minutes (this produces crosshatch grill marks).

2. Flip and repeat on the other side.

3. If the food needs further cooking, move it to a cooler spot on the grill and close the lid. (Very thin pieces of meat, fish and poultry will cook through in searing steps 1 and 2 and may not need further cooking.)