Before you put any food on the plate or grill, you should preheat the barbecue for a few minutes so the cooking surface and the vapouriser grid reach optimum cooking temperature. The first thing you should do is lightly oil the cooking surfaces.

Turn on the burners as follows:

1. Flat top barbecues (without hoods) - Turn all burners onto high for about 10 minutes. Then reduce the burner settings to achieve the desired degree of heat and flame before cooking.
2. For barbecues with roasting hoods - Turn the outside two burners onto high, and leave on for about 8 minutes with the hood down. Then reduce the burner settings to medium to commence cooking.

For safety reasons, you should not leave the barbecue unattended during this time. Test the surface by placing a small amount of food on it. The times given are approximate. Extra time should be allowed for cold or windy conditions.