Roast Better Meatless Skewers With A Raised Rim Dish

While many look forward to their traditionally meat-centric BBQs during warmer months, vegans, and vegetarians may be experiencing a bit of social angst at the thought of arriving with their own veggie burgers, only to watch them crumble on the grill at the hands of an inexperienced cook. Thankfully, there's one food that almost certainly can't be messed up — skewers. And, if you're brave, you can either get behind the grill yourself or offer the designated queen or king of the grill a rimmed baking dish.

As Sheil Shukla, the author of "Plant-Based India: Nourishing Recipes Rooted in Tradition," recommended in Food Network's round-up of expert tips for meatless cooking, the rim of a baking dish will give your veggie skewers that nice char everyone looks forward to whenever someone breaks a grill out. Whether you step in and do it yourself or you pass it along to the host, everyone will be intrigued by the results.

Grilling with a rimmed dish

While it may sound a bit strange, grilling with a rimmed dish is top-chef-approved — even The New York Times encourages it. So, while you may anticipate a bit of distrust from your friends, you can assure them that the rimmed dish grilling method is one with a very high success rate, especially when it comes to your meatless grilled skewers. Whether you've layered them up with mushrooms, peppers, onions, zucchini, marinated tofu, tempeh, or all of the above, all you need to do is line your skewers across the rim of the dish and place it on the grill as if it was an oven. Then, watch them char.

In the end, you'll be left with a much heartier flavor that you can brag to all of your friends about. When they inevitably ask to try one for themselves, you can revel as you watch them take their first bite and see an amazed expression come across their face.