AUSTIN, Texas — Memorial Day is around the corner and the experts at Consumer Reports have gear, gadgets, and tips to get you ready for barbeque season’s opening day!
Some people don’t dust off the grill until the weather warms up, but Consumer Reports’ Paul Hope grills all year long and has some tips to get you geared up for the summer grilling season.
Before you cook on your gas grill for the first time this season, give it a thorough once-over, do a deep clean, and look for any parts that need to be replaced.
If it’s time for a new grill, Consumer Reports’ testers have been evaluating grills all year and can help you choose.
For gas grills we look at pre-heat performance, how evenly the grates heat up, whether the grill can cook over indirect heat, and how broad a temperature range the grill has. We also look at convenience and sturdiness for every grill.
CR also surveys its members on their experience with different grills. Weber grills consistently earn high marks for owner satisfaction and reliability. And this top-performing mid-sized Weber Genesis is no exception.
However, CR’s tests have also found you don’t need to spend thousands to get a great performing grill. While not as sturdy as the Weber, this Monument Grill performs just as well for hundreds less!
To keep your grill running at peak performance, you need to keep it clean. CR tried out different grill brushes to see which ones cleaned up this mess — stuck on chicken skins, salmon skins and melted cheese; foods that typically stick to grill grates.
This metal one from Grill Daddy made lightwork of our messes; however, it’s pricey! An alternative; this ten-dollar Nylon bristle brush also gets the job done but you’ll need to replace it more often because Nylon can melt on hot grill grates.
To keep foods from overly sticking to the grates, preheat your grill for about 15 minutes before you start cooking.
CR says to always wipe down your grill grates after using a metal bristle brush because the bristles can break off and end up in your food. A damp cloth will do. If you have a grill with bare cast-iron grates, use an oiled cloth.