Grilling Tools: The Supporting Cast for Outdoor Cooking
I recently wrote an article entitled "The 5 Best Reasons to be Outdoors" and "Grilling" was number three. I'll provide a link later so you can find out what the other four reasons covered. I operate on the theory that just about any food can be prepared on a gas grill. Yes, I am
one of those gas grill guys and I am particularly fond of the convenience and ease of a model like the Weber Genesis E-320 Propane Gas Grill because it has a 12,000BTU side burner that really expands my "cooking" options outdoors.
Warm Spring weekends or Summer nights are perfect for moving both our kitchen and our dining room to the backyard. Once we get the outdoor living space right and our grill in just the right spot, it's bring on the menu and the tools for the task of grilling.
If a grillmaster wants to, they can go way overboard with the tools and gadgets that make up the supporting cast for grilling fun and food. The following are what I call the "top five essential grilling tools."
1. A grilling glove or insulated mitt. I have had a healthy respect for fire since I was a kid and I really hate burns. For that reason, I recommend you get one of the fancy gloves that can deal with open flame. Catching a homemade padded kitchen mitt on fire is no fun, I can tell you from experience. This glove should be your number one supporting cast purchase.
2. A set of long handled utensils. Tongs are the Big Kahuna of utensils. I have a scissor-handled one that I use for fishing things off the burners, and a stainless steel spring loaded one that I use for flipping. If your set has a fork and a spatula, you are covered but you might consider a long handled basting brush.
3. A grilling basket. This I use for fish, veggies and any small stuff that might otherwise fall thru the grate. On occasion, I cover the grate with foil that I have poked some holes in for fish and the like, but it really changes the favor of the food in my opinion.
4. A set of long metal skewers. We are kabob fans and I really favor my set of 17-inch skewers with handles and a wide flat blade. I prefer this type of wide skewer rather than round ones, so the heavy veggies won't spin around rather than turn over. With these long skewers, I put the kabob on the grate slot and let the handle stick out under the front of the hood. That way I can grab the handle, with my grilling glove, lift the hood and turn the kabob over. If I want a smaller serving size kabob, I use the skews from my Showtime Rotisserie and lay them across the grate. I really am not fond of wooden and bamboo skewers with all their soaking, splinters, and charred edges.
5. A deep skillet and a non-stick pan. These are for the Weber Genesis Grill's side burner. This supports the options for sautéing and sauce prep without running back and forth to your kitchen stovetop. This means you don't heat up your house as much on a warm Summer night as well. If you are going to use your Grandma's favorite cast iron skillet, see grilling glove above!
The above cover my essential supporting cast cooking tools for enjoyable and successful outdoor cooking on a grill like the Weber Genesis E-320. There certainly are other candidates for the supporting cast. If you have not mastered the "Chef's Poke Test" techniques for getting the right doneness, a meat thermometer will come in handy.
I truly love being outside on a gorgeous SoCal day working over my grill. What I am not so high on is the cleaning up afterwards. For that reason, I look for shortcuts at every turn.
For the grates, there are wire brushes and scrapers of all kinds and sizes and there are even cool battery operated cleaning devices available. Since we have a lot of morning dew, once the grates have cooled, I often drop them in the grass by the patio. Something about "grass enzymes" and the dew really softens up the "yucky" on the grates and makes cleaning simpler the next morning. There's more info on Google on that subject. Couple of times a year, I take out the burner cover "flavorizers" and clean them up. Fortunately, the new colored porcelain insert surfaces on the Weber Genesis E-320 are much easier to clean than the previous stainless steel models.
These are our recommendations for grilling tools. So slip on that flame retardant grilling glove and get outdoors. Whether your "main feature" is a porterhouse or baby back ribs, this supporting cast should help you win a grill'n Oscar!