Tools To Make Grilling Thrilling
It's hard to grill up a great Fourth of July meal without the right tools. Tanya Steel, editor-in-chief of Epicurious.com, visited The Early Show to showcase a few grilling tools that every serious backyard cook should have.
For starters, Steel says for efficiency, she prefers gas grills. "Charcoal is great for flavor so it really depends on what kind of things you want to cook. If you want something long and slow you go with gas. Fast and hot heat, you go with charcoal," she says.
Her favorite gas grill is made by Vermont Casting and costs about $400. "It's the best buy for Consumer Reports, number one. The reason is it's got 36,000 BTUs. You know what? That's really all you need. You don't need 100,000 BTUs," Steel explains.
Another favorite product is a pizza stone you can use on your grill. It costs about $100 and is available through Williams-Sonoma.
"It's actually on the grill and makes the best pizza you've ever had. It's a thin, thin crust. Really crispy. This is great. It's a hundred bucks but so worth it. It has a temperature gauge so it tells you when it's gone done," Steel says.
An item that's perfect for cooking delicate things like veggies, chicken or fish is a non-stick copper finish grill skillet, which sells for about $30 at Kitchenkaboodle.com. "This is perfect for anything that's a little bit more delicate … so things don't get really burned by the flames. This is a great thing. The handle is detachable," she explains.
One product that is not necessarily a grill essential but might come in handy is an portable party fridge. The model Steel brought along costs about $500 and can be bought at frontgate.com.
"This is top of the line. This is the Prada of barbecuers," Steel jokes. "This baby is selling out for everybody." It features a digital thermometer and can hold 48 bottles of beer or 36 bottles of wine; Steel points out that cheaper options can be found at Target or Amazon.com.
Another favorite pick is a $40 stadium hot dog griller, available at hammacher.com. "This is so great because then the hot dogs cook totally evenly and at my house, we have hot dogs about every day. We love them. You can do it with sausages and it's a really great tool you would never think of having," Steel says.
"Another great tool I think is indispensable for a barbecue person is to get a grill digital thermometer," she says. "This is a fantastic one from Chef's Pro. You press the button and you set it. It has nine different settings. Chicken, beef. You stick it in and stick a fork in it and it's done. This will tell you whether it's rare, medium. You know, whatever you want to set it to."
One advantage is that you don't have to cut into the meat, which can then dry out.
Last but not least, Steel brought along a tool everyone with a sweet tooth and who loves s'mores should consider. It's an electric marshmallow toaster and costs about $20 at wishingfish.com.
You stick the marshmallows on prongs, hold it over the flame and press a button, rotating them evenly over the heat.
Click here for more on these products and Epicurious.com.