The Best Backyard Grill Doesn’t Actually Have ANY Grates

A few years in the past, I had by no means used a flat-top grill. I believed they had been reserved for restaurant cooks and fast-food kitchens. I didn’t notice you could possibly get one to make use of at house. After which, I used to be tasked with reviewing house models for America’s Test Kitchen. And that’s when my complete grilling world opened up.

You see, a flat-top grill is sort of a very massive griddle blended with a fuel grill. As an alternative of grill grates, it has a protracted, huge sheet of carbon metal. And when you can’t obtain grill marks or smoke meals, you can get an epic sear on steak or salmon fillets and make use of its griddle floor to prepare dinner issues that aren’t usually grilled, like pancakes, bacon, eggs, grilled cheese, smashed burgers, fried rice, and sliced veggies (with out having to fret about issues falling via the grill grates!). And since a flat-top grill has a number of burners, you possibly can create distinct cooking zones, permitting you to make issues that require decrease warmth (like pancakes) and those who require increased warmth (like bacon) on the identical time.

Now, not all flat-top grills are nice (or, ought to I say grate — wink, wink). There are spherical fashions, which lack sides, so substances are inclined to careen off of them with an errant flick of a spatula. And there are grills which have teeny, tiny holes for drainage, which makes them a ache to wash (extra on that beneath).

I’ve a flat-top grill from Blackstone, which is without doubt one of the greatest names within the flat-top grill enterprise. It’s fairly excellent, for my part. It has tall partitions which might be useful for holding and flipping meals, a big cooking floor, and a large drainage space on the again that results in a grease cup. While you’re completed cooking, you possibly can merely scrape any meals remnants again and into the grease cup, which makes cleanup straightforward. I additionally love that this flat-top grill has two facet tables that I can place sheet pans of to-be-cooked and cooked items on. It has wheels, too, for patio cleansing and grill relocating.

Any flat-top grill, together with the one I’ve, requires upkeep. Like a carbon steel pan, a skinny layer of oil must be utilized to the grill’s griddle prime after cleansing to forestall rusting. And, for storing and defending it from the weather, I like to recommend shopping for a grill cover. If it’s not getting used for a protracted time period, the grill must also be positioned in a cool, dry place. Nevertheless, if it does get rusty, a flat-top grill may be reasoned, identical to a cast iron or carbon metal skillet! (Examine the grill’s handbook or the producer’s web site — most present seasoning and re-seasoning directions!)

In case you hold all of this in thoughts and deal with it proper, you’ll be tremendous glad together with your flat-top grill. I by no means tire of creating breakfast, lunch, or dinner on mine. To me, it’s out of doors cooking at its most interesting and funnest.

Do you might have a flat-top grill? Inform us about it within the feedback!