9 Essential Grilling Tool

Warm weather means it's time to take our cultural cooking outside and fire up the grill. Here are some of our essential grilling tools to make you the BBQ king! 

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Outdoor cooking is common in countries around the world. Wherever it is warm enough to do so (and some places where it's really not) people will cook outside.

As the weather warms for us and grilling season is upon us (for those of us who aren't fortunate enough to be able to grill year-round), it's time to start gathering the essential grilling tools that will take this year's grilling game to a new level.

Chimney starter

By far the best (and quickest) way to start a charcoal grill is with a chimney starter. You don't need lighter fluid with this handy gadget. Charcoal, a bit of newspaper, and a match get you ready to go much quicker!

Instant read thermometer

It's important to know when your meat is cooked to your liking. Thermapen is hands down the best when it comes to Instant-read thermometers. It is super accurate and super quick, which is important when you're standing over a blazing hot grill making Florentine Steak and wondering if it's time to take that steak off for the perfect medium rare. 

Long-handled tongs

Grill tongs give you good gripping power, and you need a long handle to keep your hands as far away from the heat as possible. Spring-loaded tongs that are at least 16 inches long. Please don't use that grill fork. It's much better to turn your Homemade Bratwurst then stab it and watch all those juices go running through the grates, creating nasty flare-ups at that.  And we all know tongs are essential when making kebabs, like these Lebanese Chicken Skewers.

Spatula/Turner

No wimpy spatula here, you want your grill spatula to be made of heavy-duty metal. It should be large enough to fit under a burger or pork chops easily and have a sturdy handle for optimal flipping power.  

Skewers

If you're making kabobs grill skewers are essential. You can find them in reusable metal or wood. Metal skewers heat up faster than wood, so they will work to cook your food from the inside too. (This is great for speeding up meats like these Greek Pork Skewers, but you need a little extra caution if you're doing softer items like tomatoes.) 

Brush to glaze

If you'll be brushing any sort of glaze or BBQ sauce onto your meat or veggies while they're on the grill, you'll need a good basting brush. Again, find a long handle (if you can) to keep your arms away from the heat. We prefer traditional hair brushes over silicone brushes because we feel they hold onto the sauce better to baste our Japanese Yakitori and South African Sosaties.

Veggie basket

Don't you just hate losing smaller items through the grill grates? Veggie baskets and trays are perfect for small things that would otherwise slip through the grates like Spanish Grilled Vegetables or Serbian Sausages. 

Heavy gloves

You're working with heat, and you need something to protect your hands. Your fabric kitchen pot holders won't stand up to this job, so you need some good heavy-duty grilling gloves like the pros use, preferably with long sleeves to protect your forearms as well while you are quick searing the steaks to make your Thai Steak Salad or Nicaraguan Style Steak Appetizers.

Wire brush

Proper clean-up keeps your grill in good shape and makes your next grilling endeavor go that much more smoothly. A sturdy wire brush with close, short bristles will help you get all the stuck bits off of your grates so they are ready for the next round.