Items for cooking food included in the set. Most of these items are found exclusively in BBQ sets (see Purpose).
—
Knife for meat. Kitchen knife for cutting meat. Usually has a cutting edge that curves upward as it approaches the point; and some models look like "chef's" kitchen knives for general use. Such a tool can be useful both for preparing meat for frying, and for cutting an already prepared dish. However it is worth considering that the size of the blade in such a tool is most often relatively small, and it is not suitable for cutting large pieces of meat. Of course, the knife can be useful for other products, although this is not its main purpose.
—
Kitchen hatchet. A small hatchet, designed mainly for butchering pieces of meat. Working with such a tool requires some skills: the blows must be strong and at the same time accurate. However, the hatchet will be indispensable where the knife cannot cope — for example, when dividing the ribs into strips-portions and in other situations when the meat has to be “disassembled” directly from the bones. However, in nature there is rarely a need to use a hatchet — the work for which it is intended is easier to carry out in advance, in a normal kitchen. Therefore, this item is rarely used in "exit" kits. At the same time, it is interesting that among such sets there are premium-class picnic sets enclosed in expensive suitcases (se
...e "Form").
— Meat fork. A fork designed for cooking meat is usually two-toothed, with a long handle. This is a fairly versatile device with many uses. One of the most popular is checking the readiness of meat: it is pricked with a fork, and an experienced cook can determine by the colour of the juice whether the dish is fried enough. And some forks are even equipped with built-in temperature sensors that allow you to determine the exact temperature in the depth of the piece. The tool can be used as a makeshift replacement for tongs or a spatula by hooking up the meat for grilling, flipping or removing; this does not work in all cases, but if the meat is thick and dense enough and there are no spatulas or tongs nearby, a fork will do just fine. It is convenient to hold a large piece of meat when cutting with a knife (see above). In addition, two teeth are convenient when removing shish kebab from skewers.
— Tongs for meat. Kitchen tongs designed for use when grilling. Ideally, such a device should be quite long (about 40 cm), so that when working you do not have to get very close to the brazier, and durable so that you can take large pieces of meat (for example, a whole chicken) with them. Among professional chefs, there is an opinion that tongs are more preferable than a fork or spatula for removing the finished dish from the grill. And there is a very practical justification for this opinion: tongs securely hold pieces of meat, unlike a spatula, and do not pierce it, which is important when frying certain foods (for example, sausages).
— Shampura. Classic, familiar to many devices for cooking shish kebab and roasting various products on charcoal. A skewer is a metal rod about 40-60 cm long, pointed on one side for the convenience of stringing ingredients. On the other side there is a handle for holding the skewer and turning it on the grill. Note that although the main purpose of such devices is cooking, the finished dish can, in principle, be eaten directly from the skewer — this is not very aesthetically pleasing, but sometimes more convenient (or fun) than dumping food on a plate.
— Spatula with holes. Kitchen spatula with slots in the working part. By itself, the spatula can be used to turn the meat, move it along the grate, as well as lay out the ingredients on the roaster and remove the finished products (although tongs are considered more convenient for the latter, see above). Slots are provided in the design mainly so that excess fat can drain faster from the shoulder blade; this is very useful when cooking meat and fish. In addition, due to the slots, the weight of the tool is somewhat reduced (although this is more of a “side effect” than the original purpose).
— A brush. Kitchen brushdesigned for lubricating cooking foods with oil or sauce. The working part of such a brush has a width of several centimeters and is made of soft material — natural or artificial bristles, food grade silicone, etc. Such a tool is indispensable when cooking meat or seafood according to specific recipes that require lubrication directly on the grill.
— Mitten-tack. A gauntlet made of thick fabric with low thermal conductivity that protects the wearer's hand from hot objects and the heat of the brazier. The oven mitt allows you to safely handle heated kitchen tools and other items: for example, it can be used to safely lift the grill grate to turn the coals or add fuel. Of course, such a device does not provide absolute protection against burns, but in most situations that arise during cooking, it does its job quite effectively.
— Grill brush. A brush with stiff bristles — usually metal — designed to clean the grill grates after cooking. Such cleaning is recommended immediately after cooking, before the grill has cooled down (and then the grates should be wiped with a cloth soaked in oil). Before buying a set with such a tool, it's ok to check the compatibility of the brush with a particular brazier. For traditional cast iron and stainless steel grates, in principle, any brush will do, but it is best to use a tool with stiff steel bristles, which provides high-quality cleaning. For more "delicate" materials — for example, enamel — you should use softer brushes with brass bristles. However, some sets are equipped with two brushes at once, of both types.
The above utensils are the most common cooking tools found in most BBQ sets. However, the matter is not limited to them, other accessories that are useful in cooking may be included in the kit. Here are some of them:
— Basket. A device in the form of a flat basket made of metal bars, tightly closed during use. In such a device, it is convenient to fry small-sized foods — mushrooms, vegetables, hunting sausages, etc.: the basket grate is smaller than the grill grate, and pieces of food will not fall out of it, and it is more convenient to turn the dish along with the basket. Also, the basket can be used as an impromptu barbecue grill for a classic east european barbecue that is not equipped with its own grill.
— Thermometer. A thermometer, more precisely a temperature probe, designed to measure the temperature of meat and determine its readiness. It is often built into a meat fork (see above), but can also be sold separately.
— Lattice for ribs. Grid-stand for frying ribs in a vertical position. This slightly increases the cooking time, but more food can be placed on the grill than with classic frying (flat on the grate).
— Starter. A device for kindling a flame in a brazier. It looks like a small metal pipe into which paper is laid, and coals are poured on top. In the starter, the coals ignite quickly and efficiently, and then they can be poured into the brazier.
