Insisting that you can feel the doneness of a steak based on the firmness of some random spot on your palm.

No. Use a meat thermometer. Different cuts have different textures and feels as they approach doneness. Yes, some restaurant cooks can execute this move with ease, but they’re cooking 50 steaks a night. Maybe more! Unless you’re doing that, too, stick to the thermometer, Emeril.

Using the temperature dial on the grill to know when it’s hot enough to cook on.

No. Use a meat thermometer. Different cuts have different textures and feels as they approach doneness. Yes, some restaurant cooks can execute this move with ease, but they’re cooking 50 steaks a night. Maybe more! Unless you’re doing that, too, stick to the thermometer, Emeril.

Oiling the meat and not the grill.

Who started this nonsense? I have heard a lot of arguments against oiling the grill and the most compelling one is that the oil overheats on the grate and that is not ideal for our health. But, charred meat is apparently not great for our health either so…who are we kidding here? I have much, much better results when I oil the grill. Please don’t be that person who takes your nonstick cooking spray to the grill. Clean your grates when they’re hot with a stiff bristled brush and then dip a tightly folded non-important kitchen towel in oil. Use tongs to rub the grates with the oiled towel. Voila! Now you’re working like a professional.

Overcooking your meat because you’re afraid you’ll kill everyone at your party.

You won’t. Stop overcooking the chicken! Cook to within 5-10 degrees of the ideal cooking temperature of whatever it is you’re grilling, and pull it from the heat. Allow it to rest and the temperature will continue to climb due to carryover cooking. If pulling chicken a little early makes you squeamish, at the very least pull it at 165, not 200.

Note: Melissa is referencing Chicken specifically here, but the same goes for any of your red meats like Bison, Elk, Venison, Beef, etc. For reference, here are the approximate cooking temps for steaks:

Rare: 110-120 degrees
Medium Rare: 121-125 degrees
Medium: 126-130 degrees

Using the wrong tools.

That grill kit the inlaws gave you for your birthday is not great. Avoid tongs with plastic edges, and bulky spatulas. Look for tongs like these (longer if you fear the heat), and a fish spatula like this. That’s all you need, aside from your sturdy grill brush for cleaning and your meat thermometer.