Delicious Grilled Food & the Stains That Come with Them

Dusting off the grill and getting it out for a dinner party – either with friends or with family – and enjoying some delicious grilled food is always fun, though it’s a bit messy!

In this article, we’ll walk you through the tastiest foods to prepare for your next BBQ party and we also share our top tips to make even the most stubborn food stains disappear with the help of Vanish.


Getting your grill started

With so much to arrange on the day of the dinner party, a little preparation goes quite a long way. Here are our top three tips for the perfect grilled dinner menu.

  • Think about the added extras

To make sure your feast goes the distance, start by preparing some cold sides such as potato salad and coleslaw. Don’t forget to provide plenty of bread, and a range of sauces too; ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise will be expected, while you can come up with your own dips and sauces to add variety. Just don’t be annoyed when the sauces end up in more places than just burger buns!

  • Cater for vegetarians

Before choosing your menu, it’s a good idea to ask your guests whether they’re vegetarian or vegan, and if there are any foods they don’t eat. This will enable you to ensure there’s enough to go round while keeping everyone happy – or some of your guests might not have enough!

  • Pre-heat your grill

If you are having friends over, they’ll be expecting to smell heavenly aromas coming from your kitchen. While you won’t necessarily need to have started cooking when the guests start filtering in, it’s a good idea to get your grill started. That way, it will be ready at the right temperature for when you need to start cooking. 

Foods to prepare

The key to good grilled food is all in the flavour! You can add something extra to your food by using a simple marinade of oil and herbs, or a spice rub.

The best thing about grilled food is that there is no fixed menu! From fish and meat through to breads, vegetables and even fruits – anything can be grilled to absolute perfection. Be careful though, as all these ingredients, as delicious as they may be, can leave stains if they come into contact with your clothes or tablecloth.

To make irresistible kebab skewers, combine chopped peppers with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and halloumi cheese. Add diced meat to a selection for the non-vegetarians.

Spare ribs, burgers, chicken wings and skewers accompanied by some roasted vegetables – the stickier and messier, the better! For afters, treat yourself and your companions to a delicious dessert, such as grilled pineapple or peaches. There, everyone’s really enjoying your food and having the time of their lives.

Removing stains caused by grilled food

No matter how many napkins you provide and how carefully you and your guests eat, there will always be stains all over the place! Whether they’re on clothes or the tablecloths, splotches of ketchup and grease are part and parcel of all good grilled dinners.

To remove stains caused by grease and oil, you’ll need to soak the garment and linen in 4L of warm water and 60ml of Vanish Oxi Action Gel Leave the garments to soak for about an hour.

For sauce stains like BBQ and ketchup, use Vanish Gold Oxi Action Powder to get the job done in no time at all. Mix ¼ scoop of powder with ¾ scoop of warm water, and use the underside of the scoop to rub the mix onto the stain. Leave it on for 5 minutes. For stubborn stains, mix 1 scoop of the powder with 4L warm water and soak your garments for 1 hour. For perfect results, add 1 scoop of powder and wash as normal.

As long as you keep your cool and have Vanish handy to deal with the post dinner stains, your grilled dinner party is likely to be a brilliant success.