In addition to being National Chocolate Eclair Day (nummy!), yesterday was National Onion Ring Day. In celebration of this greasy ring of golden-fried love, we bring you all the tips and tricks you can cram onto a red-checked, paper-lined basket:

1. Choose big onions. You can mess around with petite rings and half-moons and anything else you can think of once you feel like you’ve mastered the original, but the truth is, nothing beats a big, round ring for flavor and ease of eating. You want thick slices that offer enough onion to counterbalance the breading. Yellow onions or sweet onions will work — it all depends on what you like to eat. read more »

The third segment in our Summer Grilling Perfection series — presenting tips and tricks from Elizabeth Karmel — brings us to a lovely, if less common, barbecued delicacy: the grilled pizza.

Elizabeth says a lot of people are afraid to try grilled pizza because they’re worried that the dough will stick to the grate or fall through it. But oiling, then rolling, the dough, she says, can help avoid a sticking problem, and the addition of a dusting of grits adds “a rustic texture” and more stick-resistance. read more »

A few tips to make your steaks the best on the block this holiday weekend!

#1:  Pull meat out of the fridge at least 1/2 hour before it will be cooked.  This makes for more even and rapid cooking.

#2:  Season meat as far in advance as possible to get maximum flavor.

#3:  After you grill steaks DON’T SKIP THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!!  Rest your steaks on a wire rack.  This will keep the juices inside the meat where they belong.

For more grilling tips and tricks, we like http://www.weber.com/ as a reference.