Some of us cook outdoors year-round, but for many, Memorial Day weekend officially kicks off the summer grilling season.
To keep your game sharp — and your guests happy — you need some essential tools and gadgets at the ready that will make cooking over gas or charcoal a breeze. Here’s six backyard chefs should have in their culinary kit:
Every time you flip a burger or barbecue a piece of chicken on your grill, it leaves tiny bits of char, grease and other gunk on the grates. For clean cooking, a grill brush is your best friend. Grillart’s Grill Brush and Scraper has three times more bristles than the traditional grill brush, which makes cleaning both more efficient and easy. Made of heavy-duty, rust-resistant stainless steel, it features an extra-sharp scraper for removing those stubborn, built-up bits of grit, and an 18-inch ergonomic handle to keep your fingers safe from the heat. Also, the stainless-steel wire is firmly embedded in steel pipe in a tight rotation, so no worries about swallowing stray bristles. $19.97 at Amazon.com
Sure, you can use a dinner fork or kitchen spatula to transfer food to a plate from your grill. But the job will be more professional, and a whole lot safer, with a set of grill-specific tools. All-Clad’s BBQ Set includes a two-prong fork, slotted turner and locking tongs for lifting and turning food, and it also comes with a basting brush for glazing meat, poultry and vegetables with sticky and savory sauces. All are ergonomically shaped for comfort and secure gripping and have hanging holes for easy storage. Dishwasher safe. $119.95 at Williams Sonoma.
Cooking over charcoal adds a succulent, smoky flavor to food, but it also can take what feels like an eternity to get coals hot enough for cooking. Weber’s Rapidfire Chimney Starter speeds the process for both charcoal lumps or briquettes (your coals will be ready for cooking in around 25 minutes) while eliminating the need for lighter fluid, which can impart an unpleasant flavor to grilled foods. A two-handle design allows for more control when dumping red-hot coals into the kettle, with a chamber that fits 7 quarts of charcoal. $26 at Lowes.
A grill can set off some pretty intense heat. A pair of heavy-duty leather grilling gloves will protect your hands and wrists from spitting sparks or hot coals when you’re trying to save a piece of dinner that’s fallen through the grill grates, lift a greasy piece of meat or position glowing coals just so. Outset’s Leather Grill Gloves measure 15 inches, making them one-size-fits (most) all. Soft and pliable for an easy grip, the brown-suede exterior has a flame-retardant lining. And they’re heat-resistant up to 400 degrees. $34.99 at In The Kitchen, Strip District.
Is there anything more embarrassing when you’re cooking for a crowd than running out of gas mid-burger? A propane tank gauge lets you know exactly how much gas you’ve got in the tank, without having to remove and shake it. Gas One’s Propane Tank Gauge has three modes that tell you at a glance whether your tank is full, low or in need of a refill. It also includes a built-in leak detector. $14.99 on Amazon.com.
Pros might be able to tell if a piece of steak is done by mere touch, but the rest of us need a method that’s a bit more reliable. ThermoPro’s Wireless Grill Thermometer takes the guesswork out of grilling, while also allowing you to enjoy your company. Two probes can monitor two kinds of meat simultaneously, to a remote range of 500 feet. There’s also a countdown/count up timer that emits an alarm when you reach a preset value, and the easy-to-read backlit LCD screen shows current temp and set temp simultaneously — in either Fahrenheit or Celsius. $75 at Home Depot.
Gretchen McKay: gmckay@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1419 or on Twitter @gtmckay.
First Published: May 22, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: May 24, 2023, 2:45 p.m.
