The Want List: Grilling Essentials
Accessorize your outdoor kitchen with these hard-working accouterments.
Fired up for barbecue season? We’re not blowing smoke: Having the right items by your side makes all the difference. Consider getting them in stock by your next cookout.
Copper Grill Mats
We’ve all lost an heirloom carrot through the cracks, or watched a burger patty tragically disassemble on first flip. With these copper grill mats, you’ll spare yourself the trauma. These flexible, PFOA-free sheets are reversible, reusable, dishwasher-safe, and 100% nonstick, saving you precious spritzes of the grilling spray you keep forgetting to put on the grocery list. More than a stopgap solution for vulnerably sized items, these magical sheets are also a hack for perfectly cooked steaks, as they facilitate a nice, even heat transfer across even the largest slabs of meat.
$14.98 at Home Depot
Wooden Scraper
Maybe you’ve seen the TikTok horror stories about the dangers of wire grill brushes. Fear not: This wooden alternative, brought to you by the grill gurus at Weber, won’t bristle. Its notched hardwood design gets in all the nooks and crannies of your grate without shedding its hair. Moreover, its considerable heft goes in harder on residue, making the chore easier. Gas grillers will love it for knocking away those pesky chunks that accumulate on the shields over each burner just waiting to start the next grease fire. It’s not the cheapest option out there, but its durability lends itself to lasting use.
$36.99 at Ace Hardware
Stainless Steel Olive Oil Sprayer
Speaking of cooking spray, why not ditch the aerosol stuff entirely and switch to something more renewable? This purpose-built glass spray bottle stands ready to take on a full pint of EVOO or whatever alternative you desire, with an extra-wide dip tube that’s up to snuff for pulling more viscous flows. The metered trigger mechanism is perfectly calibrated to dispense a 1/4-teaspoon spray with each pull. This handy gadget is too cheap to pass up (and it pays its dues well beyond grilling season).
$6.99 at Amazon
Hedley & Bennett Essential Apron
Hedley & Bennett aprons have become something of an industry gold standard, the preferred PPE of Brooklyn baristas and Beard Award-winning chefs alike. And why wouldn’t they be? Made from durable 10oz. 100% cotton canvas, they’re durable enough for any indoor or outdoor kitchen, stitched to withstand the many inevitable wash cycles they’ll tumble through. With more than a dozen colors to choose from, there’s a perfect pairing for anyone’s personal style.
$86.00 at Hedley & Bennett
Red Wine Finishing Salt
There’s a reason salt comes before fat, acid, and heat — and because the salt you cook with is far more important than what’s in the shaker on the table, you’d best make it a good one. Developed by chef Dan Sabia, a veteran of Michelin-starred kitchens across NYC and the Hudson Valley, this red wine finishing salt blends Maldon flakes with carefully sourced sediment from the bottom of red wine barrels, conferring complex, oaky notes that bring out the flavors in just about anything you throw on the bars — savory or sweet.
