Mel's Top 10 Best BBQ Essentials

Since we don’t own a garden, our BBQ days are usually a ride to the beach in the summer, which means ensuring we only pack the necessities. And since space is valuable, this stylish and compact portable BBQ is perfect for our BBQ days at the beach.

The lid is made out of food-grade bamboo that also doubles up as a tray, a small storage space for cutlery and some food is just right under the lid. Take this out and the BBQ racks are revealed below. Take out the top rack to add the charcoal on top of the bottom rack, and place back the top rack to begin cooking.

The walls of this BBQ have built-in heat protection to stop heat emission, a clip is provided to secure it all together and it comes with a shoulder strap for ease of portability. This BBQ is small and enough for 2 to 4 people, and comes in four beautiful colours.

If you’re someone who loves an outdoor BBQ and are tired of lugging around bulky BBQs or using disposable BBQs, this is that stylish portable BBQ you need this summer.

If you want your meat done perfectly each time, this is the thermometer for you! It is a thermometer with an app that is connected via WIFI or Bluetooth. You can control precisely how you want to cook your meat, poultry, fish or lamb through the app, and the app will provide you with details, like cooking and resting times. 

If you are someone who likes their food perfectly cooked to how they want it but is not sure how to calculate cooking and resting times, this app will be your perfect cooking guide in the kitchen. It is a handy tool for organising and planning out meals that can sometimes be difficult.

Setting up notifications and alerts is easy and allows you to ensure you don't miss out. However great this device is, the connectivity range can somewhat be playful.

As I previously mentioned, we love going for barbeques at secluded beaches and, at times, it requires a little bit of walking to get to them – often across uneven terrain. This 47 litre hard cool box is more than large enough to carry enough food for 4 people and has sturdy wheels to make it easier for you to reach your destination, even on uneven terrain, without breaking a sweat!

This has four moulded cups on top and a drain for the liquid to exit from. It is made out of BPA plastic making it safe for food and drink use. It keeps food and drinks cold for a few days, however, I cannot confirm that it can keep food cold for 5 days as they state on their website. For accuracy, Coleman’s does provide recommendations on the number of ice cubes that should be used for each box size.

There aren’t many cool boxes that I have seen with wheels at this price range. It is great value for money, plenty of space, the wheels seem sturdy enough, but keep an eye on the handle as others have had issues with it. I would recommend this to a family of four going on a short camping break or picnic/BBQ.

Here are two utensils that I use all the time when it comes to BBQs: a turner and a pair of tongs. I have always found large BBQ stainless steel utensils cumbersome to use as they are more difficult for me to grip. These are great and perfect for someone like me, as they come with rubber grips on the handles. 

The turner has an ergonomic design that makes flipping food effortless and the tongs have a bottle opener along with one of its sides. A little pricey, however, for the price, design, and the rubber grips, I find the price justifiable.

As we love a good, smoky charcoal BBQ, we have always used wood lighters to help us light our barbeques. These natural eco wood lighters, by Log Barn, are suitable for all types of fires and are great for a number of reasons. 

They are made with responsibly sourced, untreated wood, a factor highly important for me and for many others, wool and a coating of natural wax. They can quickly and easily light charcoal, that lasts as long as 10 minutes, which is plenty of time to get a fire going. They don't emit a smell while burning and are great value for money for 40 in a pack.

A game changer for those who love BBQ vegetables or if you want to avoid small items of food from falling between the BBQ grill bars. This is the answer to all your prayers! Not only does this stop small food from falling between the grill bars, but it also lessens the time-consuming job of cleaning the BBQ grill.

Made of stainless steel, this topper is easy to clean. The skewers are shaped with flat edges, which are perfect for ensuring your meat doesn't move when flipped over. Easily done, make sure you use good oven mitts for picking these up to ensure you don't burn yourself.

If you think you know how to BBQ, wait until you read this book! It is filled with basic tips and advice on how to BBQ, how to smoke and slow-roast on a BBQ using different types of food. The recipes also cover many meals, from breakfast to dinner, to inspire you.

I recommend this for beginners and also for those with BBQ experience, who are looking to improve their BBQ skills and get the most out of their BBQ. A great book containing recipes for meat-eaters and vegetarians that will make your mouth water. It is the perfect book for all your BBQ needs!

As a lover of barbequed fish, grilling fish is a must at any BBQ! This fish grill makes flipping fish easier and cleaning easier, too. Measuring at 55 x 28 cm, the grill is large enough to fit multiple fish and at a great price, too! 

Not only can you grill fish in this, but you can also use this to BBQ meat and vegetables. Made with steel, I recommend removing debris and residue soon after usage to make cleaning easier. A gentle handwash with a sponge only will suffice for this product.

Have you ever seen a more beautifully designed burger press that combines materials to reduce plastic usage in kitchen tools? 

Not only does this tool make it easier and faster to create perfectly shaped burgers, but while you make those beautiful patties, you'll be happy to know that 50% of this product is made out of wheat fibre, and the other 50% stainless steel. Since the handle is made of composite materials, it provides you with better grip control.

A dishwasher safe product, it's the perfect burger press if you're on a mission, like me, to reduce plastic in your environment without skimping on good functional design. On the downside, they are slightly more expensive than their burger press counterparts, and I also wish they came in different colours.

A brilliant tool for ease of cleaning, this requires very little muscle strength to use because of the metal bristle head. Measuring at 18 inches, the length of the handle makes it ideal to use from a bit of distance, while the bbq is still hot. 

The bristle head is wide with 3 rows of bristles and the handle is made with plastic for easy grip and control. Cleaning it is easy. Just soak it in some hot water with soap.