As grilling season approaches, it’s not just the grill you should be concerning yourself with, but also the peripherals you’ll want to have with you during your culinary escapades. As with any job, be it grilling chicken wings or putting together a bed frame, you want the right tools for the job.
Grill Chimney Starter
Weber Rapid Fire Chimney, $20 at Amazon.
Weber Rapid Fire Chimney, $20 at Amazon: Yes, you could pile of your charcoal into a corner of the grill, light it with paper at the bottom, and blow on it repeatedly and hope the gods of coal burn brightly upon you. Or you could get a chimney starter. With the $20 Weber Rapid Fire Chimney , your coals will light evenly, quickly, and so much more easily than ever before. It’s rare to see more than 5,500 ratings result in five full stars, but here you have it.
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Grill Tongs
Dragonn Stainless Steel Tongs, $11 at Amazon. Weber Grill Tongs and Spatula, $32 at Amazon.
Dragonn Stainless Steel Tongs, $11 at Amazon: Amazon’s best selling tongs cost $11 and come in a pair — a 9-inch and a 12-inch. Simple and sturdy, these should definitely cover your tonging needs.
Weber Grill Tongs and Spatula, $32 at Amazon: If you want to stick with good ole Weber products, check out its higher-end tongs and grill spatula set for quality that will certainly last. And if you want to get a more heavy-duty set of tongs with special tips for handling food, the $13 Cave Tools grill tongs are definitely worth a look.
Grill Rake
BigSunny Rake, $22 at Amazon. Weber Grill Rake, $15 at Amazon.
Weber Grill Rake, $15 at Amazon: You could use tongs to tap, slap, and push around your coals, but that’s silly and pretty unsanitary. A grill rake not only keeps you from contaminating your food handling tools but is also designed to make it easy to, well, rake your coals. One option is this $15 Amazon’s Choice from Weber.
BigSunny Rake, $22 at Amazon: For a few more dollars, this $21 rake includes a second notch ideal to lifting the grill grate, too.
Grill Brush or Scraper
Alpha Grillers Grill Brush, $10 at Amazon. LauKingdom BBQ Grill Brush, $17 at Amazon.
LauKingdom BBQ Grill Brush, $17 at Amazon: When you’re done grilling, you’ll need to clean up — or when you grill next time because cleaning the day of is not fun. To this end, get yourself a combination grill brush and scraper, like the No. 1 best seller in the category for $17. The Grill Art model is similarly priced and includes a flattened scraper at its tip.
Grill Thermometer
MEATER+, $100 at Amazon. ThermoPro TP20 Wireless Remote Digital Thermometer, $60 at Amazon.
ThermoPro TP20 Wireless Remote Digital Thermometer, $60 at Amazon: Looking at food to discern its readiness is… fine. But you can also use the technology of the modern world to help your vision. ThermoPro’s wireless and remote digital thermometer is the best selling grill thermometer at Amazon and more than 5,000 ratings leave it at a 4.5 average. The $60 investment will let you check on different types of meat concurrently and a handheld will let you stay mobile so you can party while you cook.
MEATER+, $100 at Amazon: If you want to be completely wireless, check out the MEATER+ thermometer, which connects to your phone and which I think must be the coolest thermometer I’ve ever used.
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