When home grilling began its rocket-rise in popularity all over the U.S. in the post-war 50s, everybody was sort of feeling their way along about the special do-it-yourself requirements of cooking over a hot fire. That meant adapting tools that were common to indoor food preparation. As necessity is the mother of invention, reaching and working over a wide, flat cooking surface required extension, which gave us long-handled tongs, spatulas, and forks. It also required more protection than potholders could provide, giving rise to heat-resistant gloves and mitts.
Pretty basic stuff, right? Fast forward through the last 60 years and we’ve gotten unquestionably creative about mastering the art of grilling at home and on the road.
Have you taken a look around lately? Everywhere you go there are inventive and ingenious grilling gadgets galore. No doubt, with such a flood of tools and utensils, how can you not run into the off-the-wall duds that abound as well?
But, let’s not dwell on the gimcracks and gewgaws. Tons of tools are available to let you do things on the grill that you may have never thought possible or to simply make things a whole lot easier.
Fuel Management
At the top of every charcoal griller’s list of tools should be a charcoal chimney starter. In the olden days, a large, empty Maxwell House coffee can with the top lid removed, the bottom vented, and the whole thing stuffed full of charcoal and combustibles was always good to the last spark. Later on, somebody had the right idea to add a handle and some venting holes, and voila—the mass-produced charcoal chimney starter was officially born.
This essential item allows you to get a really good fire going within 20 minutes or so. Lighter fluid taints the flavor of whatever is cooked after it is used. The silo-shaped chimney starter uses newspaper or other non-petroleum tinder so it burns cleaner without the adulterated flavors. The open ends create a heat channel with plenty of draft and your charcoal, wood, or briquettes are blazing in the time it takes you to prep your food in the kitchen.
While we’re on the topic of fire and heat management, moving from direct to indirect cooking in a matter of seconds is made simple with charcoal/fuel baskets. Do you want your fire in the middle, on each side, or all to one side? You can have it any way you want it. Each basket holds about half the fuel you started in a fully loaded chimney starter.
Grill-Top Helpers
Many grilling tools are one-trick wonders. Then there are those that do double or triple duty.
Rib/Roast Rack
How many racks of ribs can you fit on your grill or smoker at one time? Not many when you lie them flat, right? How’d you like to at least double or triple that number of simultaneous racks? And how’d you like a way to make handling a roast on the grill as simple as pie?
A handy-dandy combination rib rack and roast holder does the trick. Flip it to one side and the convex arcing supports hold 5 or more rib racks perpendicular to the heat source. Flip it to the other side. Now the supports are concave ready to have a roast set within to make the heavy lifting smooth and easy.
Grill Wok
Have you ever tried making Kung Po Chicken, Hunan Pork, Mongolian Lamb, Shredded Spicy Beef, or any other Asian favorite on the grill? Wait until you do! The smoke-infused and lightly charred flavors will ignite your palate with an entirely new flavor sensation.
To get you headed in that direction, check out the wide variety of shapes and sizes of grill woks. Many are square while others emulate a traditional wok shape. But they all have one thing in common: holes, and lots of them. Stir frys are a snap, but you really, really need good gloves and long-handled tools because you are working the food with your hands over the fire, not just setting it down and letting it cook.
When stir frying on the grill, it’s best to leave the sauces to the very end, especially if they contain sugar—you’ll have a mess on your hands and dampen the fire in the process otherwise. Better yet, mix the sauce in after the stir fry comes off the heat.
Grill Baskets
From fish, shish kabobs, and veggies to corn on the cob and popcorn, there’s a grill basket for just about anything you can cook over a gas or charcoal fire. They vary greatly by size, shape, and depth. Here again, if you look around, you’ll find some that also do double duty. For example, there’s a deep basket with a shallow lid that can be turned upside down and used as a frying pan.
One-Trick Ponies
On a more specialized level, here’s a great way to bring something unique to your picnic table: grilled jalapeno poppers. What an appetizer to dazzle your guests! Who would have thought? The rig is a horizontal rack with large perforations to set vertically the mighty little hotties, stuffed to the top with anything your heart desires. You get a popper that is fresh tasting and light on the palate—quite a contrast from the deep-fried versions. This utensil will change forever your popper experience.
And here’s a neat, new way to serve kabobs: as objet d’art. This goal-post shaped structure has hooks that allow you to display a virtual landscape of skewered delicacies as they come off the grill. It even has a built-in plate underneath to catch drips and to hold extras.
Night Grilling
Grilling at night used to require an adept touch managing your Maglite® with one hand or a buddy system. Now you can go solo and use both hands when you add a light to the handle of your gas grill.
What are your must-have or most frequently used grilling accessories? What’s your favorite grilling gadget? Do you prefer multi-purpose tools or do you think the one-trick ponies have their place as well? If you could add one grilling gadget to your grilling accessory collection, what would it be?
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