10 Grilling Tools That Everyone Should Own

Make sure you're ready for grilling season with these tools.

Certainly the cheapest accessory for the grill, heavy-duty foil can be used as a makeshift smoker box (simply wrap wood chips in foil, poke a few holes, and place it directly above the heat source), foil packets for fish or vegetables, a cover for grill side tables to ensure quick cleanup, or a simple grate cleaner (when balled up and held with long handled tongs).

Grilling's a dirty job but we all love to do it. That doesn't mean that you have to ruin your favorite T-shirt and shorts with sauce and grease stains, though. A good-quality apron (like the Memphis Adjustable Apron from Chef Works) will not only keep you clean at the grill, but you'll look like a pro, too!

Burgers and hot dogs are great, but grilling can be so much more — including countless appetizers, side dishes, desserts, and even cocktails! Get inspired with a collection of barbecue and grilling cookbooks like Melissa Cookston's Smokin' in the Boys Room, Bon Appétit's The Grilling Book, and Chris Lilly's Fire and Smoke.

Gas grills are great when you're short on time and want to grill up a few steaks or burgers, but nothing beats the thrill of cooking with a charcoal grill like the Kingsford charcoal or Weber Original Kettle grills. Plus, charcoal grills add a nice, smoky flavor to everything that you cook on them.

When it comes time to fire up a charcoal grill, there really is no replacement for a chimney starter. Simply fill the metal cylinder with charcoal briquettes, place a lit, crumpled sheet of newspaper or a Weber firestarter cube under the chimney, and in just a few minutes you'll be ready to start cooking.

While factory grates tend to work just fine, the addition of cast-iron grates (such as those offered by Craycort) deliver heat better and provide a nonstick surface on which to grill. Equally as effective, GrillGrates interlocking panels sit on the existing grate and amplify the heat of the grill (between 100 to 300 degrees hotter than the hood or dome) while smoothing out hot spots and providing protection from flare-ups.

Unless you enjoy having particles from your last grilled meal stuck to your food, a quality grill brush is a must. Be cautious in your selection of a brush, as many of the less expensive versions contain bristles that aren't well-secured and can wind up in your food. The Y-shaped Weber model is a high-quality steel bristle model and the Charcoal Companion grill scraper is an excellent non-bristle option.

Working with food on a searing hot grill can be a real challenge, especially when using a short-handled spatula or tongs. Avoid singed arm hair and burns by investing in stainless steel tongs with a long reach (like the Oxo 16-inch model) and an extra-long, heavy-duty spatula.

Who couldn't use a few more vegetables in their diet? The problem with preparing them on the grill, however, is that thin or sliced vegetables tend to fall through the grates. While vegetable grilling baskets work well, the Weber Grill Pan does double duty; it corrals the vegetables and can also be used to sear delicate items like fish and small shrimp. 

When you order a steak at a restaurant you ask for an exact level of doneness, so why not achieve the same results at home? Take the guesswork out of reaching a precise internal temperature and invest in a quality instant-read thermometer like the Thermapen and a remote probe thermometer like the iGrill2 (which is perfect for low-and-slow smoking).