THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE
If you want to play the game, you gotta have the gear. Here's our list of essential tools and gack to have on hand.
Grill Tongs:
A must have - a barbecuer's side arm. Essential for turning sausages, small tings like scallops and shrimp and a whole host of handy things. Get a pair that's a least 30cm long and spring loaded is really helpful.
Wide Spatula:
A wider than normal spatula made just for grilling is great for getting underneath everything from burgers to chicken breasts. Best of all, many come with built in bottle openers! A "super" wide version is a must for moving large fish filets off the grill without them falling apart.
Basting Brush:
Natural boar bristles work best as nylon bristles will melt if they touch the hot grate. One thing to remember when basting on the grill, where a mitt in case of flare-ups!
Barbecue Mitts:
We know we all like to live with danger, but longer-length, flame resistant mitts will protect your hands and forearms.
Meat Thermometer:
Go out and buy a good one - it will save the day more times than you can imagine. There are two basic types: one you stick into the center part of the meat for about 5 seconds and get a quick reading. These instant read types are much better than the old style, which take way too long to give you an accurate cooking temperature. The instant-read versions give you a good picture of what's going on in 5 seconds.
The other, a probe is left in the meat during the cooking process and is attached to a wire that runs to off the cooking surface to a gauge. They usually have some kind of an alarm when the food gets to the right temperature. For a very cool factor, there are even wireless units that transmit to a pager unit when your food is ready. We love this idea but are kind of afraid we'll more than likely wander off and get distracted by a small shiny object or fluffy dog.
Skewers:
You'll need them for kabobs and to help turning small pieces if food more easily. Metal skewers never burn up, but you do have to wash them. Wooden or bamboo skewers work well, but they do need to be soaked for about 30 minutes before loading them up and placing on the grill.
Grill Toppers:
These are super cheap and great for holding small and delicate veggies so they won't fall through the grate.
Fish Baskets & Grates:
Boneless and skinless filets are tricky because they almost always break apart when you try and flip them or remove them from the grill. Hinged fish baskets and grates with small holes really help keep the fish together and make flipping a piece of cake.
Olive Oil:
Olive oil is the lifeblood of the griller. This is one of your most important tools. It'll help keep your food moist and juicy and prevent it from sticking to the grate. Get the best quality you can - extra virgin olive oil is what we use. Always have plenty on hand and ready to go beside the grill.
Balsamic Vinegar:
The companion to olive oil is balsamic vinegar. It's great for sprinkling over veggies like peppers and corn on the cob. With the tandem of olive oil and balsamic vinegar you can do almost anything. For new grillers, don't worry about marinades, rubs and sauces just yet. Olive oil and balsamic is pretty much all you need.
Coarse Salt & Ground Pepper:
The other essential you can't live without is salt and pepper. For most classic food on the grill, salt and pepper is all you really need. Not your everyday table variety, but good quality rock salt and whole black pepper from a pepper mill. Table versions are much finer and will dissolve before they have a chance to do much. Coarse salt and ground pepper last much longer and really sink into the meat to work their magic.
Vegetable Oil:
Don't forget vegetable oil for prepping the grill - you'll use this a lot. It's your best friend when it comes to keeping food sticking to the grill. As we talked about it the prepping the grill segment, vegetable oil doesn't have any taste so it won't compete with the flavor of the food.
Grill Brush:
After you're finished grilling, when the grill is still hot, it's a good idea to clean off the grate with a long handle wire brush to loosen off any nasty bits and get it clean and ready to go for next time. For a porcelain enamel finish, brass bristles work best. For cast iron, use a steel brush.
Small Fire Extinguisher:
Hey, you never know!
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