It’s grilling season! All week long we’ve been talking about backyard grilling, from which grill is right for you to tips that’ll help you master cooking on the grill.
Up today? Grilling tools. Grill pans, grill baskets, grill brushes … What’s good? What’s necessary? Here are the grilling tools we recommend!
While you probably already have a set of tongs in your kitchen (I have and love these for regular cooking), you'll want extra long tongs for grilling, so you can keep your hands far away from the heat and flames.
Winco's 16-inch tongs are a great choice. They're spring-loaded, durable, and versatile enough to use for almost anything you want to cook on the grill. If you only get one grilling tool, start with this.
Winco Heavyweight 16-Inch Grilling Tongs, $7
Whether flipping burgers or chicken thighs, you'll need a good turner—sturdy yet flexible, with a heat-resistant handle.
Mercer Kitchen's Hell's Handle line of tools fits the bill nicely. Their 8-inch by 3-inch turner isn't the longest and widest blade they offer (that would be this one), or even the one with the longest handle (this one), but at half the price of the others, it's still a great all-purpose grilling turner that'll last for years.
Mercer Culinary Hell's Handle Turner/Spatula, $14
I'm not a fan of grill brushes with wire bristles, since there are reports of the bristles coming out and ending up in your food—scary!
This untraditional-but-highly-reviewed wooden paddle by Great Scrape is my pick. It comes in 18-inch and 20-inch lengths, with the longer "shovel" option offering a bit more reach and heft. By branding the wooden paddle when the grill is hot, it takes on the shape of the grill's grates for a custom clean. And no worrying about those metal bristles!
Great Scrape Wood Grill Scraper, $35
While you can buy a separate high-sided stainless steel grill basket to grill vegetables, I like to use my 12-inch cast iron Lodge skillet. You'll get great caramelization on a pile of vegetables without losing any through the grates.
You can also cook steak, hamburgers, or chicken in a cast iron skillet over the grill to retain all the juices, get a great sear, and avoid flare-ups.
Lodge 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet, $33
Gotta make those kebabs! I like stainless steel skewers, both rigid and flexible, because they're durable and reusable.
These stainless steel skewers from Norpro have a flat surface, which helps keep food from slipping off, but if you're trying to make the most of every bit of space on your grill, you might like something like this flexible stainless steel skewer better!
Norpro Stainless Steel Skewers, Set of 6, $8.60
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Cambria Bold is the Product and Lifestyle Director for Simply Recipes. She has almost a decade's worth of online editorial experience and know-how, first as the Managing Editor for Apartment Therapy's green living site Re-Nest (RIP) and later as the Design and Lifestyle Editor for Kitchn. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and their two little girls. And, yes, this is her real name.
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