|
Expensive grills don't mean tastier outcome |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by Sharon Thompson, KRT
|
|
Monday, 03 July 2006 |
|
|
|
|
Recently, Home Goods, a discount home-furnishings store in Lexington, Ky., had cooks salivating over an "outdoor kitchen" with a grill, refrigerator and other bells and whistles. The price was about $1,000.
That seemed high for a fancy grill, but after a look around Housewarmings, an outdoor-furnishings store, it was a bargain.
Grills have gotten bigger, shinier and more costly. Prices range from less than $100 to thousands of dollars.
But what's the real difference in terms of quality of grilled food? We wondered whether those expensive grills make dinner taste better.
 We went to Housewarmings' open house recently and asked Jerry Hibbard, with Everburn Manufacturing Co. in Lexington, to cook four rib-eye steaks (cuts were the same size and seasoned the same) on two grills: a $1,599 Firestone Legacy grill top and the Big Green Egg, a ceramic cooker designed for smoking, grilling, roasting, baking and barbecuing.
Customers and staffers at Housewarmings did a blind sampling, and all but one preferred the steak cooked in the Big Green Egg.
Dan Jackson said it "definitely has a different flavor. It's more flavorful." Trevor Bryan said it was juicier, and Malcolm Barrett said he liked the woody flavor produced by the Big Green Egg.
Claire Barrett said she liked the steak cooked on the Firestone grill much better. "I didn't like the woody flavor," she said.
The Big Green Egg uses natural lump charcoal — one bag will last for months — needs no lighter fluid, reaches cooking temperature in 10 minutes and produces little ash. It comes in five sizes, mini to extra large, and costs about $240 to $990.
Buying an expensive outdoor grill doesn't necessarily mean you'll get better taste.
The June issue of Consumer Reports said: "Spending more may get you more stainless styling and a few additional convenience features, but not necessarily better performance."
The CR experts tested 44 models costing $100 to $3,200, and their "Best Buys" cost $200 to $500. Their advice is to "assess features, quality and value independent of brand, which we found an inconsistent indicator of quality or performance."
CR's quick picks combine high performance and value. The highest scoring mid-size grills are Vermont Castings, $400; Char-Broil, $270; Thermos, $300, and BBQ Grillware, $200. For cooking for a crowd, two grills ranked high: Great Outdoors, $500, and Brinkman, $300. For smaller groups and tailgating, the portable Weber, $180, is a good choice. | Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
