Gas Grills, Why pay lot?

22 years ago

I'm reading at lot about gas grills on here and finding it kind if intrusting. Weber, Sunbeam, Members Mark..ect, do you really think one cooks that much better than the other. My thinking the more stuff they stick on these grills the more you might as well cook in doors. Gas grills already take so much away from the traditional charcoal cooking in flavor that if it wasn't for the convince & cleanup I would never have stopped using my Weber kettle grill which is still fine after 20 years. My sunbeam cooks as well as the Weber gas grills IÂve used and is bigger pulse cost $300 less. When it come to using a Rotisserie my thinking the heat is better from the bottom than an extra heat element focused on the meat from the back because the hot temps is under the meat while the warmer air is above, I donÂt see rear heat elements doing this. Kind of, like putting a rotisserie in a convection oven with the same Temperature air moving around the spinning meat, while bother turning the meat when the air is doing it already. Rear heating element might cook faster but I bet it dries the meat out faster preventing the natural juices from swirling around in side like they are supposed to because of the cool/hot air heat zones combo they lack. My grates are Porcelain coated along with the burner and I clean them off each year, the burner is still fine after three years and I find it pretty sad when cast iron grates rust away which donÂt sit in water. Stainless steel or cast Aluminum housing both should last about the same time because neither rusts. I remember with the old hibachi cast iron grill that if water hit them while they were hot would mostly cause them to crack, and cast iron holds bacteria thatÂs why cookware is mostly stainless steal now. To me the biggest improvements in gas grills and only ones needed were grease guards protecting the burners like Weber flavor bars which are not prefect & sunbeam heat blocks which both replace Lava rocks. Also none stick grills like my porcelain coated one which I think are stainless steel underneath, Cast Iron concerns me for the reason s I said above. When I see Weber grills going over 2 thousand dollars I laugh because as long as the grill makes heat they all cook the same.

Comments (15)

averageguy
22 years ago
Remind me to not come to one of your barbecues, if that's the way you think.
ccc_123_com
22 years ago
I was going to mention that your information about cast iron is completely wrong, but then I saw that you only clean your grills once a year--well, let's face it ANY material that's used for food and only cleaned once a year is liable to be riddled with bacteria. Do your family a favor and clean up after each use, please.

But, back to the cast iron--it's perfectly safe to use, in over 40 years of cooking, I've never heard of anyone getting sick from using it, nor have I EVER heard that rumor before. Of course, it is a good idea to clean it after using. Cast iron is actually very healthy to use since it adds needed iron to your diet.
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the weber will outlast the charbroil, but at twice the price, is it worth it to you? the Charbroil has a larger cooking surface AND higher BTU rate than the Weber. also it has cast iron cooking grates, which to me equal more even heat than the Weber's stainless grate. so, for me, i would go with the Charbroil. not to start anything here, but have you considered charcoal or dual fuel grills? i saw a Char-Griller at my lowes a couple weeks back that was 2 grills in 1. gas on one side and the other grill was charcoal. ifyou plan on cooking anything that requires a long cook time, such as smoking meats, you just cannot beat a charcoal grill. gas cooks quicker, and has less mess to clean, but does not do as well for slow cooking items. i smoke my ribs for 6 hours on my chargriller, and they fall off the bone. trying to cook teh same ribs on a gas grill and they cook in under 2 hours and are TUFF!
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no_haha_yea
22 years ago
it's a known fact that that cast iron cookware is a breading ground for bacteria, that is why stainless steel cookware has taken off so much. I'm talking about cleaning the burner & casting bottom once a year, the grates get cleaned after each use along with the burnning off high temp method.
kev56
22 years ago
Please give a cite for the "well known fact that cast iron cookware is a breading ground for bacteria".

Always looking for info ...
Thanks
chase_gw
22 years ago
I don't know why you folks don't learn to ignore Menace's posts? As with other pests "it's the light that attracts them". Ignore him/her/it!
ann_t
22 years ago
Chase is right. Most of us on the other food related forums just ignore her/him. I don't respond to any of her/his postings any more. Not sure whether this is a woman or a man.

Ann.
Darkmenace
22 years ago
http://www.international-gourmet.net/all-clad/cookware-materials.htm
Type: Cast Iron
Advantages: Extremely durable, great for searing and blackening
Disadvantages: Can be a full of bacteria, can impart other flavors to food, food can stick to it
you can go look for the other sites yourself.
averageguy
22 years ago
I always love Menace's posts because he/she/it takes misspelling, bad grammar, incorrect punctuation and general stupidity to a new level of art form. After all, it is quite a bit of effort to "bread" bacteria. I never realized you could actually "bread" bacteria.

And what's classic about that particular screw up, is that he/she/it not only stated it once (making it a possible simple typo), but twice, very emphatically, showing that he/she/it is TRULY STUPID.

Post away, Menace, so we can continue to laugh at you.
lindac
22 years ago
I love it! I love it!! We have had "cooking menace"...and "food menace" and "BBQ menace" and now "darkmenace"!! LOL! And somehow I don't feel that there is much menace shown at all!!
And...I guess greasy grills might grow bacteria....particularly if you never heated them up and counted on them to cook without a fire!
Linda C...looking for a lunch of "breaded bacteria"....cooked in my stolen stainless "steal" pan....LOL!
averageguy
22 years ago
Well, I have a large selection of Cuisinart Stainless Steel pans that were acquired at a wealthy person's garage sale, at quite a bargain. In fact, you could almost say they were a "steal" which WOULD make them Stainless Steal pans!

I've had success in be able to "bread" chicken, fish, cheese nuggets, mushrooms, potatoes, onions, and even brocolli (and I KNOW I didn't spell that one right!), but I've never been able to "bread" bacteria. Little buggers are too small to get the beer batter to stick.
mbone
22 years ago
I would consider a Holland Grill, if I were going to spend
the money that a Weber Genesis costs.
Much more versatile, and it is stainless steel.
No flare-ups, and water can be put in a pan to let one smoke meats.
All grills do not cook the same.
If menace thinks that aluminum and stainless have the same durability factor, then maybe there is something wrong here.
Why would any company coat a stainless steel grate?
All the consumer grade gas grill mfg's are in the parts business anyway.
And that is the way it tis.
qcaudill
21 years ago
Your hamburger is full of bacteria too, that's why we cook it before we eat it, and you better know where it came from and where it's been if you don't cook it well done. Last time I checked, the little buggers can't stand the heat!

Q
Kimmidi
21 years ago
Hello there-may I put in my two cents?
The food of course will never touch the cast iron-only the stainless steel grids.Cast iron is preferred for use with propane because of its density.Its too hot and flammable for use with other metals.
Thank you
Darkmenace
21 years ago
aluminum and stainless steel don't rust or react with food. I figure the casting is pressed aluminum while the grates and burnners would be stainless.
fparry
21 years ago
wow, alot of conversation on this topic. well here is my opinion:

Gas Grills: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
Buy a hundred and fifty dollar grill and repace the burner every second or third year, cooking grid, lava rocks, every couple of years or so. and then give up and buy a new grill in less than 4. Do that three times and a five hundred dollar grill doesn't seem so expensive anymore.

Gas Grills, Why pay lot?

Comments (15)

averageguy

ccc_123_com

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