Stainless Steel BBQ Grill Basket with Metal Handle – Heavy Duty Double-Sided Wire Mesh Barbecue Grilling Rack for Meat, Fish, Chicken & Vegetables – 34 × 23 cm & 23 × 21 cm

BBQ Grill Basket with Metal Handle, Double-Sided Stainless Steel Mesh

This BBQ grill basket is a double-sided stainless steel wire mesh rack with a long metal handle. Food is held between the two mesh sides, so you can turn everything over in one go instead of chasing pieces around the grill. It comes in two sizes, 34 x 23cm and 23 x 21cm.

It is ideal for delicate food that falls apart or slips through the grill bars: fish fillets, prawns, burgers, chicken pieces, sliced vegetables and halloumi.

Key features of the bbq grill basket

• Sizes: 34 x 23cm and 23 x 21cm
• Prices: 34 x 23cm £11.00, 23 x 21cm £8.00
• Material: stainless steel
• Design: double-sided wire mesh
• Handle: metal
• Use: meat, fish, chicken, seafood and vegetables
• Reusable: yes

How to use it

Brush the mesh lightly with oil, lay the food in a single layer on one side, close the basket and secure it, then place it over the grill. Turn the whole basket with the handle every few minutes. Everything flips at once, nothing falls through the bars, and fish keeps its shape.

The larger 34 x 23cm size suits a family meal of chicken pieces or a whole tray of vegetables; the 23 x 21cm size suits fish fillets, burgers for two or a side of vegetables.

Best foods for a grill basket

Salmon and white fish fillets, sardines, prawns, sliced aubergine, courgette and peppers, mushrooms, halloumi, burgers and chicken wings all benefit from a BBQ grill basket. It also suits small pieces such as sliced onions or cherry tomatoes that would otherwise drop between the bars.

Barbecue food safety

The Food Standards Agency advises cooking chicken, pork, burgers, sausages and kebabs until they are steaming hot all the way through, with no pink meat inside and juices that run clear. Thick pieces cook on the outside long before the middle, so cut meat into even, bite-sized pieces and turn it often. Keep raw meat away from cooked food and salads, and use one set of tongs and plates for raw meat and a clean set for cooked food.

Cooking meat partly in the oven first and finishing it on the barbecue is a simple way to be sure it is cooked through for a large group.

Marinades and flavour

A marinade adds flavour and helps keep meat moist over the coals. Yoghurt with garlic, ginger, lemon and tikka or tandoori spices suits chicken; olive oil, lemon, oregano and garlic suit lamb and halloumi; soy, honey and chilli suit chicken wings and prawns. Marinate in the fridge, never at room temperature, and do not brush raw-meat marinade onto food in the last minutes of cooking. Prepared this way, food from your BBQ grill basket comes off the grill juicy and full of flavour.

Lighting and heat zones

Light charcoal 30 to 40 minutes before you want to cook and wait until the flames have died down and the coals are covered in a light grey ash; cooking over leaping flames chars the outside and leaves the inside raw. Bank the coals to one side to make a hot zone for searing and a cooler zone for finishing thicker pieces. On a gas barbecue, preheat with the lid down for about ten minutes, then turn some burners lower.

Use the hot zone to mark and colour food on your BBQ grill basket, then move it to the cooler side to cook through gently.

Planning a barbecue

Make a simple plan: marinate the night before, take food out of the fridge in batches rather than leaving it in the sun, and keep a cool box for drinks and salads. Grill vegetables and halloumi first while the coals are at their hottest, then meat, and finish with pineapple or peaches for dessert. Have a clean tray ready for cooked food, a bowl of water for rinsing hands and a bin bag for rubbish.

With a little preparation, a BBQ grill basket helps the cook spend more time with guests and less time hovering over the grill.

Cleaning after the barbecue

Let everything cool before cleaning. Soak the BBQ grill basket in hot soapy water to loosen burnt-on marinade, then scrub with a stiff brush or non-scratch pad, rinse and dry thoroughly before storing in a dry place. A thin film of cooking oil before the next barbecue helps food release.

Stainless steel resists rust, but drying it properly after washing keeps it looking new season after season.

Vegetarian barbecue ideas

Barbecues are not only about meat. Paneer tikka marinated in yoghurt and spices, halloumi with lemon and oregano, corn on the cob brushed with chilli butter, portobello mushrooms with garlic, and thick slices of aubergine, courgette, peppers and red onion all grill beautifully. Cook vegetarian food first, on a clean part of the grill, so it does not pick up juices from meat, and use your BBQ grill basket to keep everything easy to turn.

Safety

The metal handle gets hot over the grill, as the listing warns, so always use heat-resistant gloves when turning or lifting the BBQ grill basket. Open it on a heat-proof surface or a board, away from the coals, and let it cool before cleaning.

At a glance

• BBQ Grill Basket, double-sided mesh
• 34 x 23cm or 23 x 21cm
• Stainless steel
• Metal handle
• Even cooking and easy flipping
• Reusable

BBQ Grill Basket questions

What sizes are there? 34 x 23cm and 23 x 21cm.

What is it made from? Stainless steel wire mesh.

Does the handle get hot? Yes. Use heat-resistant gloves when grilling.

What can I cook in it? Meat, fish, chicken, seafood and vegetables.

Why use a BBQ grill basket? It holds food securely and lets you flip everything at once, so nothing falls through the grill.

How do I clean it? Let it cool, soak it in hot soapy water, scrub, rinse and dry.

Which size should I choose? The 34 x 23cm BBQ grill basket suits a family meal; the 23 x 21cm size suits fish fillets or a meal for two.

Can I use it on a gas barbecue? Yes. A BBQ grill basket sits on the grill of a charcoal or gas barbecue.

Looking for more like this grill basket? Browse the full Kitchen Tools & Gadgets collection or the rest of the Kitchen Utensils shop. To learn more, see this overview of barbecue grills.