The best grilling tools you can buy
The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
The Insider Pick:
-
If you're going to grill great eats, you need to cook on a clean grill and have all the tools you need at your fingertips. We've rounded up the best grilling tools, including everything from a grill cleaner and grill brush to grilling planks and meat thermometers.
In the past week, I've fired up my grill three times. And if the weather holds today, I'll be cooking up burgers and skewers for dinner tonight, too. There's just no comparison to food cooked on a grill, and when you have great grilling tools and accessories at your disposal, grilling is just about the easiest kind of cooking, too.
Think about it: You're outside, so there's no reason to worry about a few drips of oil here or some dropped of food there, you have a precise control over the temperature of a gas grill, so you don't need to time things perfectly as with an oven, and you're supposed to be drinking a beer while grilling, which ... well, OK that doesn't necessarily make things easier, but it does make the process more fun.
What does make grilling easier? A great spatula that doubles as a knife. A grill brush that scours away grit and bits of food in one pass. A meat thermometer that takes readings in seconds. And of course, reliable grill cleaning supplies that keep your barbecue station looking great and working well.
Today, I've put together a list of the primary grilling tools I use to cook, clean, and maintain my six-burner gas grill. Most of these tools can also be used with a charcoal grill, and I've even included a great way to get coals burning fast, no lighter fluid required.
Here are the best grilling tools you can buy:
- Best grill cleaner: CLR's BBQ Grill Cleaner spray
- Best grill brush: Kona 360° Grill Brush
- Best grilling planks: Primal Grilling Cedar Planks
- Best spatula: Char-Broil Basic Grilling Spatula
- Best grill gloves: Steven Raichlen Extra Long Suede Grill Gloves
- Best grill pan: Char-Broil Porcelain Grill Topper pan
- Best on-the-go fire starter: Pine Mountain ExtremeStart Wrapped Fire Starters
- Best charcoal starter at home: Looftlighter Charcoal Starter
- Best charcoal: Royal Oak Ridge Briquettes
- Best thermometers: ThermoPro TP03A and ThermoPro Wireless Remote Dual Probe
Updated on 08/08/2018 by Steven John: Added the Looftlighter and ThermoPro TP03A after testing. Updated prices.
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
The best grill cleaning products
Steven JohnWhy you'll love them: Used together with a bit of elbow grease, CLR's BBQ Grill Cleaner Spray and CLR's Stainless Steel Cleaner can leave your grill looking brand new.
It's not often that I'm genuinely surprised by the quality of a product. In my line of work and in my several hobbies, I've tested a fair amount of cleaning products from a number of brands, and while most prove adequate or even impressive, few in recent years have left me as impressed as two grill cleaning formulas made by the vaunted brand CLR (Calcium Lime Rust).
CLR BBQ Grill Cleaner is a foamy spray formula that is safe to spray all over the grates, burners, and other interior components of your grill. It's non-toxic, non-flammable, and even biodegradable, so health and environmental concerns are essentially nil. It's also super tough on grease, grime, soot, and baked on char. With a coat of this stuff on the grates of my much-loved, not-all-that-much-cleaned gas grill, it took me about two minutes of scraping and scouring to restore the cooking surface to the pure, shiny state I remember from the first day I used the grill.
Dozens of soap and water cleanings came nowhere close to the efficacy of a single use of this stuff, and to be honest, I think the burgers I cooked on the grill an hour later even tasted better than that last round cooked up before the deep cleaning.
As the grates of my grill weren't the only surface that needed some TLC, I was glad to also have a can of CLR Stainless Steel Cleaner on hand. This stuff brought out a shine I could hardly believe the exterior of my grill could achieve after years sitting outside facing the elements (I mean... I usually have it covered...), and as with the BBQ Grill Cleaner spray, the cleaning process took about two minutes.
If you want to hear the opinions of other folks who have used CLR Stainless Steel Cleaner with the same satisfaction, just check some Amazon reviews. With more than 200 reviews posted, the stuff has a fine 4.2-star average rating. A lady named Kasia called it "a great cleaner" that removed even the most stubborn spots on her steel stove. A gentleman named Howard said the "nothing else cleans our stainless steel refrigerator" like CLR Stainless Steel Cleaner.
Pros: BBQ grill cleaner cuts through stubborn grease and grime, stainless steel cleaner works with minimal manual effort, trusted brand name
Cons: Stainless steel cleaner leaves film on nearby surfaces
Buy a Two-Pack of CLR BBQ Grill Cleaner on Amazon for $23
Buy a can of CLR Stainless Steel Cleaner on Amazon for $7
The best grill brush
KonaWhy you'll love it: The Kona 360° Grill Brush cleans in all directions to scrape away bits of food and built up soot on the top, sides, and the bottom of the grill.
Cleaning your grill is important. We've established that, right? But nowhere have I claimed that it's exactly what you'd call fun. In fact, it's kind of an annoying process sometimes, especially when you have a long grilling session to look forward to and you'd really rather get on with things.
The Kona 360° Grill Brush is perfect for people who value a clean grill but want it cleaned fast. Its design allows you to clean the top, bottom, and sides of each bar of the grill without removing the grill top and with a minimal number of passes. While most grill brushes feature a panel of bristles facing in one direction, this clever tool has bristles facing in all directions. And what's more, there are three coils of said omni-directional bristles, so you can scrape away at a broad swath of the grill with each pass.
While lightweight and easy to wield, this grill brush is far from dainty. In fact, it's backed by a five-year warranty and is tough enough for use on all types of grill for hot or cold cleaning. For the record, you'll get the best results using it on a heated grill and with occasional dips into a bowl of water or with water sprayed across the grill, just watch out for hot steam! And though rugged, the many fine bristles are safe for use on ceramic, porcelain, or infrared cook surfaces, too.
With more than 2,100 reviews logged at the time of this writing, the Kona 360° Grill Brush has a stellar 4.7-star rating on Amazon. A grill master named Alan says he as "used many grill brushes before, [and] none of them cleaned up my old grill like this one." A chef named Mandy called it a "very efficient brush" that saved time during cleanings.
A review from The Z9 called the brush "ideal for cleaning all types of grills" and noted the "perfect length of the handle." A TopPro10 write up said it was "constructed of premium material."
Pros: Cleans in all directions, lightweight and balanced, safe for use on all types of grill
Cons: May rust if not properly dried
Buy the Kona 360° Grill Brush on Amazon for $16.95 (originally $29.99)
The best grilling planks
Primal GrillingWhy you'll love them: Primal Grilling Cedar planks impart a delicate, smoky flavor into your food and prevent flaky or fragile eats from falling apart.
For the finest fish fillets, you have to cook on a grill. But grilling delicate fish can be seriously annoying. All too often, the fillets fall apart and you end up losing much of the meat and all of the presentation value of your entree. The solution? Just serve PB&J sandwiches instead. Except no, actually just grill your fish on Primal Grilling Cedar Planks. Not only will these extra-thick, fully reusable grilling planks help the fish (or any other fragile foodstuff) stay in one piece, they will also impart a wonderful smoky wood flavor into the grilled food.
I've used grilling planks with everything from fish fillets to steaks to veggie kabobs to mini-sized pizzas with great success. When used properly (meaning plenty of soaking before use and careful cleaning after), a thick grilling plank like these from Primal Grilling can be used dozens of times. They will end up charred and can cause a bit of a mess, but they also come with a burlap storage bag that contains the sooty untidiness.
With more than 500 reviews posted on Amazon, these grilling planks have a truly stellar 4.8-star average rating. A user named Jonathan praised the "wonderful taste" they give to "salmon... chicken, meat," and vegetables, too. Another chef called these "virgin clear cedar" wood planks "great."
Pros: Imparts wonderful smoky flavor, helps fragile foods remain intact, can be used multiple times
Cons: Messy after several uses
Buy a set of Primal Grilling Cedar Planks on Amazon for $24.99
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- The best bean bag chairs you can buy
- 14 affordable, easy-to-use kitchen tools that are perfect for people who don't like to cook
- The best eyelash serums you can buy
SEE ALSO: The best grilling gloves you can buy