Monday, January 19, 2009

BBQ Tools You Can't Live Without

By Ana Dupuis

When you're looking for BBQ tips, you might want to start with some advice about the accessories that will make the experience more pleasurable. The kinds of BBQ grill tools that are essential and the ones are just nice to have around will depend on the type of barbequing you plan to do. However, there are a number of tools that will be used over and over.

The final outcome is sometimes what matters most, and in this case it's cleaning up the grill. Sometimes this can be a real pain, but if you have the proper tools it doesn't have to be that way.

A simple way to avoid excessive cleaning up is to not let things get messy to begin with. You can achieve this quite easily with drip pans that are disposable. They catch any grease or bits of meat and bun that fall through the grill and after cooling down you simply pull them out of the BBQ and toss them into the garbage.

The next best thing to disposable drip pans for the BBQ are removable ones. This will make the job easier since you can pull out the pan, spray it with oven cleaner and scrub it over a large sink. Oven cleaner is a lot easier to use when you don't have to wipe around a dozen other parts that are in the way. It also makes for a better BBQ experience the next time, since any oven cleaner used on a grill has to be thoroughly removed before the next use. If you don't, the result will be bad smelling and bad tasting food the next time around, which could actually be unsafe.

A wire brush is a requirement for most BBQ clean up situations. A dual purpose style is your best choice. These feature a wire brush on one side and a metal scraper on the other. For scraping those hardened black bits off the grill, there's just no substitute.

There are many BBQ tools that make cooking a pleasure rather than a chore. For example, skewers are handy for shish kabob meals and for cooking a big chunk of meat that requires frequent turning. A good pair of BBQ tongs is another essential tool. 'Good' means easy to grip, low slip and no chance of overheating in your hands.

BBQ oven mitts are another essential accessory. It's inevitable that you'll come in contact with grill parts and metal tools that make wearing them the only sensible thing to do. There's just too much heat around to do without them.

If you like to barbeque fish or other less sturdy food items, you'll find that a wire barbeque basket will be a useful accessory. Choose a model that lets you cook veggies in a mesh basket with a handle so you can make your entire meal on the grill.

You can find countless different BBQ tools that will enhance your grilling enjoyment. Just be sure to always buy quality. That way they'll end up in your hands, and not in the drawer collecting dust. - 15359

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