Making food on the grill can have truly delicious results, but it’s not without its challenges. One of the biggest headaches is when a small morsel slips between the grill grates, burning it and making it difficult to retrieve. The solution? A grill basket.
It may not look like much, but a grill basket is essential for anyone who wants to diversify their backyard barbecue. Flipping hamburger patties is easy enough, but grilling vegetables or smoking small pieces of fish can be a challenge. Putting them in the basket keeps them from slipping between the cracks, and the container’s perforations still let the flames through, so it’ll still taste fresh off the grill.
Naturally grill baskets have to be resilient to withstand the high temperatures of a grill, but they should also be easy to transport and big enough to hold everything you’ll be cooking up. Of course, there’s plenty of options out there, so you’re bound to find a basket that suits your individual grilling needs. Here, four of the best on Amazon.
1. Cuisinart Non-Stick Grill Wok
Cuisinart’s a big name in the home appliances biz, so it stands to reason that its grill basket would be one of our tops. The container is made of durable perforated steel, and is about 11 inches by 11 inches. One of its best traits, though, is that it has a nonstick coating, so you’ll never have to worry about your meat or veggies getting stuck on the metal. Do bear in mind, though, that this coating may start to warp or peel at temperatures of 400⁰F or higher.
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2. Cattlegrill Foldable BBQ Basket
Cattlegrill’s grill basket doesn’t look quite as, well, basket-like as some of its brethren, but that can be a real asset. Unlike other baskets, you can flip this one to ensure even cooking and maximum smokiness—though its shallow depth means you can’t pile food on top of food like you would a regular basket. The handle is made of wood and heat resistant, and the basket even comes with a basting brush and a grill mat.
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3. Traeger Grills Stainless Steel Grill Basket
One of the biggest issues with grill baskets is that, while great for cooking vegetables, they cut down on just how much food you can cook at once. Rather than having the whole grill at your disposal, you’re limited to just what you can fit in the basket. That’s not a problem with Traeger Grills’ apparatus though, as it’s about 16 inches by 11 inches, so there’s plenty of room for fish, veggies, and small cubes of meat. Front and side handles also make it easy to transport.
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4. Salmon Store Stainless Steel Grill Basket
Not every grill basket has to be so one note. Salmon Stores’ offering can easily serve double as a wok pan to cook stir fry, for instance. The stainless-steel basket has handles on either side so you can carry it from the grill to the table, and at about 15 by 10.5 inches, it’s big enough to cook up a good amount of food at once. It’s not be the most stylish option out there, but hey, you didn’t buy a grill basket to be a centerpiece did you?
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