A. Mastering Fire

Fire is raw energy that results when oxygen unites rapidly with another substance. Usually, oxygen bonds with materials so slowly that combustion doesn’t occur. For instance, when oxygen unites with iron, you get rust (no flames there). But when the same union occurs with gasoline or another petroleum distillate, fire and intense heat are given off. Anything with the potential of bonding rapidly with oxygen in this way is called fuel.

In order for combustion to take place, three things have to be present: fuel, an ignition source, and plenty of oxygen. In a gas grill, these elements are mostly automated and controlled by the fuel knobs or valves, an electric igniter, and a regulated mixture of fuel and oxygen. Lift the lid, open the valves, and push the igniter button (or insert a flame into the match hole), and a gas grill will light instantly.