Have you got your eye on one of the many different portable grills that are available on the market today?
Are you concerned it might be a lemon, costing you money to replace parts – or worse – tossing it and buying a new one? And how do you know that it’s going to be great?
How to Avoid Buying a Bad Portable Grill
It’s been my experience that people don’t want to buy a crappy grill that’s not going to cook well, or last long. But it’s really easy to avoid buying them in the first place if you know what to look for.
Here is a cheat sheet for you to read over when looking at different portable grills:
- Is it made of cheap materials?
- Does it look flimsy?
- Does the workmanship look shoddy?
- Is the price a little too low?
- Does it require a bunch of assembly?
- Are replacement parts hard to come by, if at all?
How to Find Good Portable Grills
Choose the features you want. There are so many portable grills on the market that cover a wide variety of features, you’re bound to find one that’s right for you.
Some features you might want to consider:
- BTU – How hot do you need it to be? Remember, the larger the grill, the more BTU’s you’ll need for quality cooking. Also remember that stainless steel propane grills will likely require more BTU’s for even cooking than cast iron or cast aluminum barbecues.
- Ceramic/Cast Iron cooking grill – You know how your steak looks when you order at a steakhouse? It always comes to your table with thick, dark lines on it. That’s because steakhouses use cast iron grills to sear all those mouth watering juices into your steak before cooking it to perfection. Now, we can create the same experience at home, because many newer models are offering alternatives to those thin, wiry cooking surfaces we’ve all grown accustomed to.
- Portability – How portable do you need it to be? Is it going to sit on the balcony or your small patio, or will it be traveling with you quite a bit? If you need your grill to be very portable, make sure the one you pick will fit in your car along with all the other gear you plan on taking.
- Cooking Surface Size – Here again we have many options when it comes to propane grills. Even portable models can come with a surface large enough to cook for 6 people. On the flip side, you can find small, yet full size options to suit a family of four or less. Always check to see how big the cooking surface is.
- Check out my buyer’s guide for more help, or browse through some of the grills we’ve reviewed.
How to Spot Perfect Grills for You
Once you have a list of features that you would like to see in your grill, it’s time to do just a bit more work.
And where is the best place to do that research?
Amazon. No question that this is your best resource, because they tend to have the most customers. If you have a grill in mind, check to see if Amazon has it. They probably will. Once you find your product, go through the customer reviews to get a sense of how other people like their portable grills. The more reviews, the better. If the reviews are mostly positive, you know you will be buying a top-notch product. When I say mostly positive, I mean 4+ stars.
Don’t worry if there are a couple of people for every twenty reviews who have posted bad comments. There are always, no matter how high quality the product, lemons. Also, I find that some people really just like to complain, so take that into account when reading through customer comments about portable grills.
Congrats! You now know how to find one of the many portable grills that’s right for you!