Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Friday, December 13, 2024 76° Today's Paper


Features

Hot BBQ tools

1/10
Swipe or click to see more
BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Toss veggies just like Bobby Flay with the Mesh Chef's Pan ($49.95), top, with removable handle. A version without that feature is on sale for $19.99. From Williams-Sonoma at Ala Moana Center.
2/10
Swipe or click to see more
BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
"Sliders are the rage these days," said Kelli Furushima of Executive Chef. The Mini Burger Set ($34.95) cooks nine sliders at once. Comes with mini burger mold.
3/10
Swipe or click to see more
BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
The Steak Station ($37.95) monitors four pieces of steak at once and is oven friendly. From the Executive Chef.
4/10
Swipe or click to see more
BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Dexas silicon Spoon & Roll Baster ($12) scoops up the sauce and distributes it evenly. From Compleat Kitchen, Kahala Mall.
5/10
Swipe or click to see more
BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Fine Mesh Grill Pan ($29.95) is great for cooking fish. From Williams-Sonoma at Ala Moana Center.
6/10
Swipe or click to see more
BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Tablecloth weights ($16.95) are handy for holding down food umbrellas once the grilling is done. Just clip one to each corner of the food net. From the Executive Chef at Ward Warehouse.
7/10
Swipe or click to see more
BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Heat-resistant mitts can take temperatures from 485 to 500 degrees. From left, Norpro silicone/cloth glove ($18.50), Dexas silicone mitt ($23.50) and Trudeau mitt ($18) from The Compleat Kitchen.
8/10
Swipe or click to see more
BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
The grill cleaning brush, from Williams-Sonoma ($26), provides double the cleaning power. Both brushes are replaceable.
9/10
Swipe or click to see more
BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
The Wireless Probe by CDN ($56.95), fits in a pocket and prompts the cook when the food is ready. From the Executive Chef at Ward Warehouse.
10/10
Swipe or click to see more
BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
"On the Grill," by William Cooper ($41.95; on sale, $34.95), an easy-to-use recipe book, is available at Williams-Sonoma.

Summer’s halfway gone, so grilling season has just about peaked on the mainland. That means some of those fancy grill gadgets stocked in specialty stores here are about to go on sale if they haven’t been marked down already.

It’s a plus for barbecue enthusiasts in Hawaii, where, on any given day, smoke billowing over a grocery store parking lot signals a huli-huli chicken sale and hibachis are fired up year-round. (So if you do end up paying regular price for some items, you’re bound to get your money’s worth with use.)

Even an old-school barbecuer whose repertoire requires only a simple pair of tongs, Hawaiian salt, aluminum foil and a wire brush might find these tools handy.

The fish mesh pan, for instance, is great for grilling veggies as well, and silicon heat-resistant gloves can be used as oven mitts for the kitchen, too.

So treat yourself to a few of the following to show off at those football tailgating parties just around the corner. Or get a jump-start on Christmas shopping and stock up on gifts for friends.

Here are some of the more popular tools out there:

Over at Executive Chef at Ward Warehouse, the "Steak Station" from Charcoal Companion monitors four steaks at once, with four color-coded, stainless-steel probes to track the temperature of each piece of beef. "It’s easy to read and can be used on the grill and in the oven," says Kelli Furushima, store buyer.

Furushima also recommends the Wireless Probe as a great tool "for the social griller who has those big slabs of beef on the grill but likes to walk around and talk story."

"The remote alarm (with a 100-foot range) that fits in his pocket lets him know to get back to the grill ‘now’ because those steaks have just reached his pre-programmed level of done-ness."

Jennifer Lin, manager of Compleat Kitchen at Kahala Mall, says, yes, real men (and women) need a grill mitt. She recommends the type without cloth edging. "It’s just that the cloth edging gets burn marks," she says.

The Roll Baster is good for basting fish. Its "windmill" roller ball gently pierces the flesh to absorb more sauce.

At Williams-Sonoma at Ala Moana Center, sales associate Linda Paxton, a former events planner for Sea Life Park, recommends the store’s Fine Mesh Grill Pan. "It’s great for fish," she says, "so the pieces don’t fall through into the coals. Plus, it’s dishwasher safe."

Another popular pan has a mesh cover so you can flip vegetables like a pro, without any pieces escaping.

The specialty shop’s grill-cleaning brush is impressive, with replaceable heads on either side of a solid spatula-type base that has grooves to scrape off grime so it won’t accumulate as a permanent part of the grill.

For a grilling bible, Paxton suggests "On the Grill," by William Cooper. It’s an easy-to-follow, everyman’s cookbook that uses simple ingredients and instructions. "Plus, it has drink recipes in the back to help wrap up your barbecue evening," she says.

 

Comments are closed.