Gear up for grilling season

Memorial Day is around the corner, and the experts at Consumer Reports have gear, gadgets, and tips to prepare you for barbecue season’s opening day!

Before you cook on your gas grill for the first time this season, give it a thorough once-over, deep-clean it, and look for any parts that need to be replaced.

If it’s time for a new grill, Consumer Reports’ testers have evaluated grills all year and can help you choose.

For gas grills, testers look at pre-heat performance, how evenly the grates heat up, whether the grill can cook over indirect heat, and how broad the grill's temperature range is. 

Testers also look at the convenience and sturdiness of every grill.

CR also surveys its members on their experience with different grills. 

Weber grills consistently earn high marks for owner satisfaction and reliability. 

And the top-performing midsized Weber Genesis Smart Grill EPX-335 35810001 for $1,400 is no exception.

However, CR’s tests have also found that you don’t need to spend thousands to get a great performing grill. 

While not as sturdy as the Weber, the Monument Grills 25392 for $420 performs just as well for hundreds less.

To keep your grill running at peak performance, you need to keep it clean. 

CR tried out different grill brushes to see which ones cleaned up the mess, such as stuck-on chicken skins, salmon skins, and melted cheese, foods that typically stick to grill grates.

The metal Grill Daddy Steam Cleaning Grill Brush, which costs $100, made light work of our messes; however, it’s pricey. 

The Room Essentials Nylon Grill Cleaning Brush is an alternative costing $10. 

A nylon bristle brush also gets the job done, but you’ll need to replace it more often because Nylon can melt on hot grill grates.

To keep foods from sticking to the grates, preheat your grill for about 15 minutes before cooking.

CR says to always wipe down your grill grates after using a metal bristle brush because the bristles can break off and end up in your food. 

A damp cloth will do. Use an oiled cloth if you have a grill with bare cast-iron grates.