The Genius Way To Make Flavorless Fruit Taste Way Better This Summer, With No Added Ingredients

To paraphrase chefs from coast to coast and the original "Jurassic Park" (1993), we're so preoccupied with whether or not we can get all kinds of produce year 'round, we seldom stop to wonder if we should. Seriously, we're eating BLTs, pico de gallo, and bruschetta and caprese salads clear through the winter and wondering why the tomatoes don't taste like much. Summer is typically a little bit better, with tons of fruits and veggies at their peak, but sometimes you still end up with a lackluster yield that makes all your shopping and menu planning seem like a waste of time and money. But a simple turn on the grill can salvage those botanicals.

Fruit might not be top of mind for the casual grill master, but, in general, if you can fit it on the grates, you can fire it up. This could not be any easier with larger items like pineapple slices, watermelon wedges, peach and banana halves, and even more petite pieces of nature's candy can be configured for a kiss of the flame. You just need to know how to arrange them.

Those bigger fruits can go right on the grill to boost their sugars for maximum flavor, get a bit of caramelization, and collect some appetizing color in the process. You obviously aren't trying to cook them, but imagine that you're just trying to finish them to a beautifully mauve rare, like a perfectly prepared tuna steak. Just a couple of minutes on each side will do it.

For daintier treats like pitted cherries, strawberries, and figs, you'll want to grill up some fruit kabobs. If you aren't working with reusable metal skewers, you'll want to soak the disposable wooden variety for at least half an hour so they don't, you know, catch fire, before spearing your harvest like you would any old meat. The objective here is also not to get them to any target temperature, but rather to get their juices slowing and their sugars blooming, so these will be done in the virtual blink of an eye, too.