Great summer BBQ and grilling tech

Summary: Jason Perlow gives you his picks for the best BBQ and grilling tech/accessories for Memorial Day Weekend and the summer ahead.

 |  Image 1 of 12

Jason Perlow gives you his picks for the best BBQ and grilling tech/accessories for Memorial Day Weekend and the summer ahead.

LooftLighter ($79, Amazon.com)

Looking for a way to light your charcoal grill in a safe, environmentally friendly way in virtually any weather condition, all year long? Forget lighter fluid, propane torches or dangerous chimney starters. Check out the LooftLighter, which was designed and originally marketed in Scandanavia for lighting grills in extremely low temperatures and damp environments. The Looftlighter is able to ignite even the densest, dampest hardwood charcoal using superheated 1,250 degree air in only a few minutes.

See the ZDNet review of the LooftLighter.

  • Thumbnail 1
  • Thumbnail 2
  • Thumbnail 3
  • Thumbnail 4
  • Thumbnail 5
  • Thumbnail 6
  • Thumbnail 7
  • Thumbnail 8
  • Thumbnail 9
  • Thumbnail 10
  • Thumbnail 11
  • Thumbnail 12

Topic: Amazon

About

Jason Perlow, Sr. Technology Editor at ZDNet, is a technologist with over two decades of experience integrating large heterogeneous multi-vendor computing environments in Fortune 500 companies. Jason is currently a Technology Solution Professional with Microsoft Corp. His expressed views do not necessarily represent those of his employer.

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

Talkback

12 comments
Log in or register to join the discussion
  • RE: Great Summer BBQ and Grilling Tech

    Saw the Big Green Egg at Lowes
    geoff.schardein@...
  • RE: Great Summer BBQ and Grilling Tech

    Who'd have guessed that BBQ would ever go high-tech? Coincidentally, I was asked to review a new iPad App, called Great Backyard Grilling. Not my normal legal technology subject matter, but pretty cool, and just in time for the 4th:
    http://trial-technology.blogspot.com/2011/06/great-backyard-grilling-ipad-app.html
    litigationtech
    • RE: Great Summer BBQ and Grilling Tech

      @litigationtech This application looks interesting and you are right, right in time for 4th. useful for a backyard weekend griller like me ..
      MeghanWilmoth
  • RE: Great Summer BBQ and Grilling Tech

    The tools are fairly nice... I like the temperature control blower. However, how many meat thermometers need to appear on the list.

    Also I wanted to point out that with a little bit of ingenuity, some foil trays, wood chips, and good charcoal any large charcoal grill can be used as a makeshift smoker...

    I have one of these that I've had for 4 years now... I've been using it to smoke briskets and half-racks of ribs for a while simply by putting a tray under the meat, and moving the coals and wood off to the far side of the grill, and keeping the top vent closed down fairly low.

    http://www.amazon.com/Aussie-Swinger-Charcoal-Grill-Red/dp/B002RXJGNK/ref=sr_1_6?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1309450355&sr=1-6

    I'm not a huge fan of Weber's round grills either... I've had the wheels fall off of them fairly quickly.

    Also in terms of grill cleaning... I just clean the grill top every time I use it, before and after, and I don't have any gunk on it and I grill probably about 3 times a week in the summer.
    snoop0x7b
  • "Instant" Read Thermometers

    It seems that all the digital thermometers are "instant" read models. To me, this should mean that the actual temperature displays right away. What I find in practice is it takes several seconds for the thermometer to work its way up to the actual temperature. I want to know if it's possible for a thermometer to give me the final actual temperature within 2-5 seconds.
    Larry Huisingh
    • RE: Great Summer BBQ and Grilling Tech

      @Larry Huisingh Well, there's no getting around physics. Thermocouples need some time to filter out the voltage fluctuations from the variably excited bi-metal probe. Just wait the few seconds. It's still faster than the analog variety.
      PacoBell
  • RE: Great Summer BBQ and Grilling Tech

    How is a charcoal chimney very dangerous??? Man those amazon prices are ultra high i still don't understand why people shop on amazon when everything they sell is so over inflated yikes.
    Fletchguy
    • RE: Great Summer BBQ and Grilling Tech

      @Fletchguy

      Chimney starters aren't dangerous when used properly. But there are those ID10Ts out there, so of course the *device* is obviously the problem...
      lshanahan
  • Sorry you didn't get to review The Grillion!

    There is a great new item just coming on the market that replaces the inadequet wire brushes (besides them also being usafe due to wire bristles breaking off and getting in your food), it's called The Grillion and can be seen at www.TheGrillion.com It's wonderful and would have made your list if you had reviewed it.
    PC Developer
    • The Grillion is best grill brush ever

      someone finally made a way to clean my grill with the grillion. Everyone stands in amazement that it really works. The onion knife is the real advantage. you have to see it for yourself
      I never thought i would clean my grill with an onion, I love the Grillion, a smart invention, made in america what more can I say
      bbq5000
  • What I would give to eat good Hiroshima Style Okanomiyaki

    It's bacon, egg, cabbage, fried noodles, under an egg and flower batter topped with mayonase and a special sauce which has a great asian BBQ taste. i had the auhentic one in Onomitchi a little prefecture next to Hiroshima. It was awsome. Honolulu got some knock offs but doe not even come close.
    Bakabaka
  • Reindeer Steaks

    Lol, do a lot of summer BBQ in Scandinavia do they??
    James Keenan