Looking for one more reason to buy that new natural gas grill this summer? By cooking outside during the summer months you can keep your kitchen (and entire house) cooler. Take your culinary skills to your grill, try some new techniques and work your air conditioner a little less at the same time.

Options in natural gas grills today allow grillers of any skill level to serve flavorful food with little effort. Southeast Gas Marketing Representative Will Bumpers spent early June honing his barbecuing skills and trying less-traditional projects. “I cooked on a Holland, which provides indirect heat,” he says. “My approach to cooking on this grill was simple – if something could be baked in an oven, it was on the table for me to try grilling on the Holland.”

During his grilling “experiment,” Will cooked traditional items like beef tips, pork loin and sausage. He also had success with treats you might not realize could be prepared on a grill – pies, biscuits and even a breakfast casserole. Natural gas grills are much like natural gas ovens and cooktops – they offer precision cooking. Will recommends closely monitoring the temperature inside your grill at all times and utilizing a timer to ensure that whatever you’re preparing is cooked to perfection.

“The great thing about grilling in Southeast Alabama is that we can pretty much do it year-round,” Will says. “So, basically, when you add a grill, you’ve added a new dimension to your home. You’re basically giving yourself a second kitchen.”