With Memorial Day weekend approaching, It’s time to shine the burger flipper, clean the grill and make sure the propane tank is filled or charcoal is at hand.

To help get you started, here are some helpful tips gleaned from Food & Wine magazine’s annual all-things-grilling issue. It highlights equipment and wine pairings for grilled foods, plus stories about grilling from such far-away places as Argentina and, closer to home, a Portland, Ore., Thai restaurant.

Included are 20 smart tips for everyday grilling, with thoughts and ideas from chefs and grilling experts. Here are some of the highlights:

• Baste burgers with butter while they are on the grill. That helps the natural sugars caramelize.

• Soak vegetables in ice water before grilling to keep them moist and crisp.

• Tenderize meat in onion juice or in onions pureed in a food processor with ingredients such as parsley, salt and your favorite spices.

• Grill your sauce on a stick. Thread tomatoes, onions, garlic and chiles on a skewer and grill. When the main dish is done, puree the grilled sauce ingredients and season with salt.

• Use a citrus squeeze. Superstar chef Emeril Lagasse recommends having lemons, limes and oranges on hand for spritzing over meat, seafood and vegetables.

• New this year from the folks at Weber-Stephen Products Co. (makers of Weber grills) is an e-mailed recipe of the week. You can sign up at www.webernation.com.

Jamie Purviance, author of “Weber’s Way to Grill: The Step-by-Step Guide to Expert Grilling” (Sunset, $24.95), offers these simple steps for grilling ease:

• Set up two or three heat zones, with a hot side and a cool side. “This way you are not locked into one heat if things aren’t going right,” says Purviance.

• Oil the food, not the grill. The food will be less likely to stick, and you will use less oil.

• Keep the lid closed. That keeps the grate hotter for searing foods, prevents flare-ups because less air is getting in, and it traps some of the smoke.