Welcome to Part 3 of our Get Grilling series! For the past few weeks we’ve covered low FODMAP meat and grilling tips in Part 1, and flavour building with a low FODMAP BBQ sauce recipe in Part 2. This week we’re going to share some of our favourite tools for the grill! These tools really turn your barbecue into a jack-of-all-trades appliance. You’ll be able to cook things you never thought you could on a barbecue, which is perfect when it’s beautiful outside and all you want to do is soak up the sunshine.
1. Tongs, Spatula, and Cleaning Brush
These three tools are the basics of barbecuing and usually come in a set. Barbecue tongs and spatulas are different than their kitchen counterparts because they have a longer handle that will allow you to move your food around the grill while keeping your hand and arm safe from the heat. A cleaning brush is an essential tool to maintain the grates of your grill and prevent food from sticking.
2. Grill Pans and Baskets
There are many different styles of pans and baskets on the market, but they essentially all do the same thing. If you haven’t used one of these before you seriously need to! The grill pans are usually a stainless steel pan with small slits all over them that you place right on the grill. You can also find enclosed mesh baskets with a long handle that you place the food inside. These are great tools for smaller foods like chopped veggies and shrimp or more delicate foods like fish.
3. Flexible Grilling Skewers
These are another great way to get veggies on your grill. These flexible metal skewers are perfect for grilling shish kabobs this summer! They are much longer than normal metal or wooden skewers so you can pack them with meat or veggies and then bend them around so they don’t take up all the grilling space. They are also more convenient than disposable wooden skewers because they don’t require pre-soaking.
4. Pizza Stone
I know what you might be thinking, pizza on the barbecue?! Pretty crazy right? These stones distribute heat evenly and allow for a nice crispy pizza crust. They can be used in either the oven or a barbecue but who wants to turn on the oven when it’s boiling hot outside. They key to a pizza stone is to have it hot before you put the pizza on so you should allow it to preheat along with your barbecue. You can also sprinkle some cornmeal on the stone to prevent the pizza from sticking.
5. Cast Iron Grill/Griddle
Just when you thought your barbecue couldn’t do anything else, we’ve got one more tool for you! Many of these come double-sided – one side has grill lines and the other is flat. This tool can be used to cook fish, burgers, grilled sandwiches, even pancakes! One advantage of this tool instead of placing some items right on the grill is even heat distribution. This means you won’t get hot spots and your food will cook more evenly. You can also use this tool on your stovetop when the weather isn’t so great for being outside.
So as you can see, with a few simple tools, you can cook delicious and nutritious meals entirely on your barbecue!
Much love & good grilling,
Stephanie