I came across this article about skewers.  I thought some of you might benefit from some of these tricks.

Soaking: Soak bamboo skewer in soy sauce- flavored water for 30 minutes or up to two hours before grilling to keep their exposed ends from burning.

Parallel skewering: Skewer fish fillets, scallops and squid with two or more parallel skewers to keep them from falling apart and to make flipping easier.

Lemongrass skewers: Lemongrass stalks make great skewers, adding subtly aromatic flavor t food.  Peel off dried outer leaves and sharpen one end for easy threading.  Soak in soy-sauce flavored water for 20 minutes before using.

Sugarcane skewers: Like lemongrass, fresh sugarcane skewer look great and their juices sweeten foods as they grill.  Peel a 6-inch section, then cut downward into eight wedges and cut wedges into strips.  Cut one end at an angle to make a point.

Here’s an up-close picture of my use of parallel skewering.  I mostly use parallel skewering with vegetables, especially tomatoes.  I haven’t purchased those metal skewers yet, but when I do, I’ll buy the metal skewers that are relatively flat.  Flat skewers do the same thing as parallel skewering.