You can revive a fire that's died down by sprinkling a few teaspoons of cooking oil on top of the coals--perfect for marshmallows!

Never place cooked food on the same platter you used for raw meat, fish, or poultry. Wash all utensils, plates, and containers that come into contact with these raw foods in hot, soapy water.

2torial #0816: Learn2 Light a Charcoal Grill Test and maintain the temperature At this point you can test the temperature of the coals. The "hand test" is a common way to do this. Put your hand close to the cooking rack, palm facing down. Do not touch the rack. Hold it there and count seconds until it's too hot (being careful not to burn yourself!). Withdraw your hand and note how long it took. Depending on what you plan to cook, you may want to adjust the temperature. For example, red meat is generally cooked at a higher temperature than chicken, pork, fish or vegetables, which are cooked at a medium temperature. To lower the temperature, you can either raise the cooking rack, cover the grill (leave vents open), space the coals further apart from each other, or close the bottom air vents of the grill halfway to restrict airflow to the coals. To raise the temperature, you can either gently tap the coals with the tongs to shake off excess ash, put the coals closer together, add two or three more briquettes, or lower the cooking rack closer to the coals. If you have a lot to cook, adding a few briquettes every 30 to 40 minutes will also help maintain a more constant temperature. Now that your coals are nice and ready, it's time to put them to good use--so get out that entree and start cookin'! Step 4