Close your eyes and picture your favorite grilled foods. They probably have a golden-brown crust that’s both flavorful and slightly crispy, which is a result of being cooked over direct heat. This type of grilling is quite simple — all you have to do is place your food directly above the heat source. For gas grills, that means cranking your burner(s) up to high and letting the heat work its magic. On a charcoal grill, direct grilling is easy as making sure your food is above roaring-hot coals.

This method is the way to go when searing steaks and other relatively thin pieces of meat, seafood, or veggies. Just avoid leaving your food over direct heat for long periods of time because exposure to high heat will eventually overcook or burn them, not to mention that the fat drippings can lead to potentially harmful flare-ups. Direct heat is different than grilling over indirect heat, a setup in which your food is placed opposite high heat over low temperatures so convection can cook it for longer.