The magnetic grates stay in place when transported, are slightly domed for strength, and can invert for use as a vegetable cooker basket. The stainless steel grates take a little more work Expert Grill Combo Grills to clean than cast iron, but not a herculean effort by any means. The firebox pops out for easy emptying, but the handle bolts make removing it without tipping a little difficult.
The grills are all rated on heat control and retention, size, features, performance, ease of cleaning, and overall value. For a great portable grill that won’t break your budget or your back, the Weber Go-Anywhere Gas Grill should be at the top of your list. This Expert Grill Combo Grills affordable grill comes from one of the most well-known brands in grilling, and it has all the features you need to cook up delicious meals on the go. Even though it only produces 6,500 BTUs of power, it was able to heat up to 600 degrees fairly efficiently.
We conducted two sets of tests for scoring, depending on whether the grill was gas-fueled or charcoal. The first step for each was to assemble the grill, rating it on the clarity Charcoal Grills Combo Grills of instructions and how easy it was to accomplish the task. Next, we judged the grills’ portability, such as how easy they were to move and if lids or grates fell off easily.
This is her third season testing grills for Good Housekeeping and has had her hands on at least 35 grills and counting. She’s a professional, trained cook, recipe developer and grill aficionado. The summer is favorite season, mostly because she can put one of her many grills to the test nightly. Lindsey Lapointe is a freelance writer and has tested gear professionally since 2020. Her careers have included working as a biological oceanographer for NOAA, outdoor wilderness instructor for Appalachian Mountain Club, and science teacher. Lindsey currently writes and edits on the subjects outdoor recreation, science education, and motherhood – as well as being the author of Seacoast Hikes and Nature Walks.
And they can be a good option if you don’t have the budget for a full-size grill. Grills with side table attachments, stands, and other prep areas ended up ranking higher in our tests, as we rated grills for their overall design. When cooking outside, a clean, workable surface makes prepping convenient and efficient. Setup took less than 20 minutes, but instructions are very detailed and require close attention to succeed on the first try. The shelves provided the biggest challenge, with little clearance for your hands to attach them easily. The components fit snugly and stay put when transporting, and the grill is a good size for cooking for three or four people.
On the left, we have vegetables that need to grill at a different temperature than the burgers on the right. The first night I landed in Japan for the ski trip of my dreams, we dropped our bags at our Tokyo hotel and headed straight for dinner. We feasted on soft shell crabs cooked over tableside, interlaced grills, and ate like royalty. When we fired up the Snow Peak Takibi Fire & Grill, I felt like I was right back in Japan—minus the traffic noises of Tokyo, plus a few more pine trees.
The Green Mountain Trek Prime pellet grill is the new branding of a very popular grill, the Davy Crockett. If you’re looking for a mostly smokeless, apartment/condo-friendly porta indoor grill option that you can take car camping or use a a portable RV grill, this is a great one. Our testers loved the dishwasher-safe grill plate, the easy storage, and the flexibility of an indoor grill. This portable grill has the elegance of a more permanent grill, so it’s ideal if you want one grill to use at home and while camping. We set it up on a portable camping table on the porch at a garden level apartment in Boston, and it was almost indistinguishable from a permanent grill. Be warned—this combination is not light with the cast iron topper, which alone weighs about 20 pounds.