When considering the purchase of a grill, many things need to be considered. Crown Verity is a major manufacturer of outdoor grills, and they have provided some useful tips to consider before making a grill purchase. Once you have read this and done your homework, you can purchase your new Crown Verity grill at US Foods Culinary Equipment & Supplies!
Things To Consider When Purchasing a Grill
1) What type of material is the unit made of? Is it stainless steel, painted metal, etc. Depending on where you are located and the type of environment the grill is going to be placed in will be a determining factor on what type of material the grill should be made of to withstand the environment it is going to be placed in. Any grill placed near salt water, or in an area exposed to wetness, should be stainless steel.
2) Does the unit come assembled or is assembly required? If the unit is not assembled it will cost additional time and money (if you are paying someone to assemble it) to assemble the grill and that should be taken into consideration when considering what grill to buy. Grills that require assembly are seldom, if ever, as durable as a grill that comes assembled. Grills that arrive assembled are put together at the factory by factory trained technicians who use the proper equipment and tools to assemble the unit correctly.
3) What type of warranty does the unit have and what does it cover? Many warranties are a limited warranty that work on a prorated basis. The longer you own the grill the less the warranty is worth when it comes time to replace something that has worn out. Warranties typically are one year or less and normally only cover the body of the grill and not parts like the cooking grids, burners, wheels, or igniter. Premium companies like Crown Verity offer a 10 warranty on its cooking grids and burners, which is not prorated, because of the stainless steel materials they use and the confidence they have in their product. These are two parts of a grill that many times are not covered by the manufacturers warranty at all as they know they will fail rather quickly.
4) Can I get parts for the grill if needed and how much will they cost? Many of the cheaper grills on the market that sell for less than $300 are basically made of consumable parts. The cooking grids, burners, igniters, and gas valves will need to be replaced at usually within a few years of being purchased depending on how often the grill is used. When it comes time to replace these parts they are often difficult, or impossible, to locate so the unit ends up being disposed of as it is no longer useful. Better made grills by reputable manufacturers that use stainless steel in the body of the unit and the interior and exterior components will last indefinitely. Higher end products that are sold by companies like Barbecues.com also offer parts for their units that are sold on their web site.
5) How is the grill going to be used? If you plan on doing a lot of entertaining and would like to use your grill for more than just grilling consider a grill that can also be used as a griddle or steam pan holder. Consider adding side burners or side shelves if you need some extra space to work. Good rule of thumb is one foot (144 square inches) of grill space for every 4-5 people you are cooking for.
6) How easy is the grill to clean? This is often an overlooked aspect of purchasing a grill. Whether the grill is gas or charcoal will it be easy to clean? Does the grill have a grease pan or better yet a water pan? If the grill does not have a water pan the grease is going to end up in the bottom of your grill making a difficult mess to clean up. Crown Verity makes all of their gas grills with water pans in the bottom of the units. Fill the water pan up with water and when drippings from the cooking grid fall to the bottom of the grill they end up in water. When filled with water the pans prevent grease fires from occurring and make clean up a snap as all the grease is suspended in water. The pans even have a drain so the water can be drained out prior to removal to ease handling.
7) Will the grill be built-in? If the grill is going to be built-in to an outdoor kitchen consider if it can be easily removed for cleaning and maintenance. Make sure it has a grease tray, or better yet water pan, that can be easily removed from the front of the unit. Many homeowners are building very nice cooking areas in the backyard of their homes. As these cooking areas are very nice they are not transportable, when it comes time to move all of your hard work stays with the house. An option to the built in outdoor kitchen is a transportable cooking area. Companies like Barbeques.com offer a variety of transportable grills and a number of transportable kitchens that allow the homeowner to have a beautiful outdoor kitchen and the ability to take it with them when they leave. Check out Crown Verity's new Cooking Island that is featured on their web site. It includes a built-in grill, refrigerator, and a granite counter top all built into a transportable wood cabinet.
8) Options/Accessories. When making a grill purchase it is important to consider additional options and accessories you may want for your grill. Does the manufacturer offer the things you are looking for like a rotisserie, bun rack, side burner, side shelves, griddle adapter, steam pan adapter, outdoor cover, and maybe a smoker box. If you decide to purchase any of these items at a later time are they easy to put on the grill and are they readily available? Searching on the dealers web site or the manufacturers web site is an effective way to determine if they have what you are looking for. With an email or phone call to the dealer and/or the manufacturer you can usually have answers to your questions very quickly. This is also a good way to determine what kind of service you would most likely receive from the dealer and the manufacturer if you purchased your grill from them.
9) Cooking performance. Many grills look nice but perform poorly. Depending on the size of the grill it is important to check to see what the BTU rating of the grill is. A BTU (British Thermal Unit) is a measure used by the gas association to measure gas products. A BTU is the amount of heat it will take to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. A good rule of thumb is for every 12" x 12" (144 square inches) of grilling space there should be approximately 20,000 BTU's. Grills that are properly designed will have a very even bed of heat on the cooking surface. Grills that are not properly designed will have varying beds of heat on the cooking surface. Better designed grills use straight burners that run front to back in the unit, are evenly spaced, and have separate gas controls for each burner.
10) Is the unit transportable? If your grill may be used in various areas of your yard, transported to sporting events, or wheeled around the neighborhood it is important to consider if the grill you are looking at is truly transportable. Does the unit have handles on it for lifting? Does the unit have wheels that are large enough to allow it to roll over grass? If lifted does the unit come apart in sections or can it be handled completely assembled? For gas units does the gas tank(S) attach to the unit?
cuts of beef and pork should be stored on middle shelf. On the shelf below that, ground meat and ground fish should be stored, and whole and ground poultry should be stored on the bottom shelf beneath the ground meat and fish food items.
Awesome Baked Beans
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