Best Gas Grills

There is a lot of debate about what the best gas grills are. What is best depends largely upon the consumer in question. Since you’re here reading this article, we’ll assume the consumer is you. The first thing you will need is a good understanding of the terminology involved and the features available.

The first term to know is stainless steel. Nearly every grill on the planet will claim to offer stainless steel construction, and all the best gas grills will have primarily stainless steel components. But not all steel is created equally. Many lower grade grills will utilize 300 series stainless steel, or 304 to be exact. Why does that matter? The details are in the chemistry, but essentially the chemical composition of a 304 stainless steel is different enough that it causes problems. Problems compared to what? Well the 400 series stainless steel is ferritic, rather than the austenitic 300 series. This means they are more resistant to corrosion. Why should that matter, you ask? Well grills are typically outdoor instruments, and unless you buy a grill cover they will be exposed to the elements.

This is where the quality of stainless steel comes in. Stainless steel is not “stainless” in the sense that it will not corrode or rust. It is stainless in the sense that it “stains less” than ordinary steel. How much less it stains is dependent on the composition of the steel. Ferritic steel is among the most corrosion resistant steel around, it is more expensive to make than austenitic steel. So many companies will take a shortcut and offer stainless steel that is sub-par.

Another thing to look at with regards to the steel in the best gas grills is where exactly the steel is stainless, and where it is dusted steel. Stainless steel is expensive, and oftentimes a grill manufacturer can cut a corner by offering burners and grilling surface that are made of stainless, while building the grill body out of another material entirely, such as the cheaper coated steel. Coated steel gives the same kind of look that stainless does, but without any of the protection.

There has been an interesting take on a hybrid infrared and gas grilling technology that is being tried in many of the best gas grills on the market today. It started out with the rotisseries. In a rotisserie the item in question is grilled for an extended period of time, and it is rotated to help cook it evenly. In theory this will create a perfectly cooked piece of meat. In practice however, most gas grills have hot spots. They are intensely hot in one area, and barely warm in another. So while one piece of your rotisserie is charring, another is still raw. Infrared cooking, on the other hand, delivers remarkably even and consistent heat. So many gas grills install infrared rotisserie burners to prevent the situation described above.

One of the best gas grills takes that a step further, and utilizes gas burners to heat an infrared surface, and then uses that surface to cook your meat. While the jury is still out on that technique, if it is a success, it could revolutionize what we think of when we say gas grill.