Gas BBQ grills using propane are a step removed from cooking over a wood or charcoal fire. Plenty of serious barbecuers regard this is a form of heresy. Despite this, and the higher initial cost over that of a charcoal grill, there are plenty of reasons to go get a gas grill.
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Gas grills make cooking on the go an easy and safe process that most people are happy to have when they are camping or having a barbeque in the park. Gas grills are also very common in the back yard as families spend evenings and weekends on their patios barbequing and enjoying relaxing together. There are also very large gas grills that can be mounted on trucks or on wagons for catering or mobile meals. Commercial kitchens use these gas grills for their fast and even heat that allows the chef more control over the food preparation. In backyards, commercial kitchens, catering wagons or other places, gas grills have proven to be a reliable form of heat.
Gas Grill Reviews
You can also buy small gas grills that will only cook two small steaks or one large one at a time. They are handy for campers because these gas grills allow instant heat for cooking instead of waiting for your campfire to be hot enough. If you are having trouble with your fire you could go hungry for a long time without another option. These small gas grills can travel easily and prepare food quickly for hungry campers. If you like a hot cup of coffee in the morning you will be glad you have some fast heat to make it on.
It is important to always buy gas grills that have a safety inspection label. Any time you use gas and flames together you must make sure the highest safety standards have been met to avoid tragic results. Approved gas grills will be clearly marked and you will have no worries about the quality of the product you are buying. Our merchants carry only approved gas grills models.
Gas BBQ Grills vs Charcoal Grills
Here is a summary of considerations if you’re weighing up which type of barbecue grill to go for.
- A Gas BBQ lights and is ready to go instantly, unlike a charcoal grill which will take 30 minutes plus before it is ready.
- A gas grill will cost a lot more to buy than the equivalent sized charcoal version by the same manufacturer.
- Charcoal cost at least ten times more than gas to cook the same amount of food.
- Because they are “clean burning”, gas grills don’t flavor the food in that special smoky way that charcoal does. But with some foods, like burgers, you can’t tell the difference.
- Something else worth noting is that gas grills contain parts – regulators, burners, pipes, manifolds, etc that need maintenance and replacement.
- Whatever manufacturer you choose, spare parts will be available – but this requires extra cost and extra effort to deal with.
Gas Grills Provide Clean, Even Heat
Gas grills provide clean even heat that is preferred by many cooks and chefs for the control it allows them. These gas grills allow you to instantly change the temperature you are cooking at by adjusting the knob. The heat will change as soon as you make this change on gas grills. On electric ranges, the change is gradual and may take several minutes. This means the stove determines the rate of cooking and not the cook. Grills that are gas-fuelled give the controls back to the chef. This can be very important for many types of cooking whether you need a slow gentle heat or a fast searing one.
This is one reason that you will find gas grills in so many commercial kitchens. They require much more expensive venting when used indoors but the control these grills offer to people that cook for a living is well worth the investment. They are afforded much more variety and success when they cook on this equipment. Many diners would never trade a grilled steak for one fried in a pan. It creates a flavor difference that is far preferred and grilled steak is the drawing card for many popular restaurants.
Homeowners can have their own indoor gas grills or they can have back yard barbeque grills. They also like the sped and clean heat that they have for cooking. It makes cooking dinner very easy at the end of a long day and will even reduce the number of pots you have to wash up. You don’t need a frying pan to grill a nice steak and you will be able to cook everyone’s meat at the same time on your back yard grill.
Propane Gas vs Natural Gas
Fuel is the most common liquid propane gas in a portable bottle. Natural gas grills are produced, but these obviously require a connection to a mainline supply.
Here is a summary of the differences between the two:
- Propane gas is supplied at around twice the pressure of natural gas and produces the same BTU/hr for half the volume of fuel.
- In other words, liquid propane gas effectively produces twice the amount of heat energy of natural gas.
- A propane gas BBQ grill is portable – the gas is self-contained in a bottle – a natural gas BBQ needs a pipe connected to your local supply and therefore portability is limited to the length of the hose.
- Natural gas BBQs have one major advantage, however – you’ll never run out of gas! This is the deciding factor to some buyers.
- You cannot just attach an LP gas BBQ to a natural gas supply, or vice versa – the internal components are different due to the varying properties and supply requirements of the two gases.
- It is possible to convert one type to the other though – many manufacturers produce a kit with the necessary parts.
- Both fuels are burned relatively cleanly and are considered environmentally friendly.
Natural Gas Grills
Gas grills are a good choice for fast clean heat and natural gas grills have a place in the market. If you want to learn about natural gas grills you should visit the web pages we offer here and see a selection of the products. You will see that natural gas grills come in many different sizes and for different purposes. You can get indoor ones that work well especially in commercial kitchens because they produce a fast even heat. Indoors they need to be vented very well or they will be a safety hazard. This is not something to be overlooked because the fumes can be very harmful to people.
Natural gas grills are also very popular for outdoor grills. Gas has replaced wood and charcoal as a fuel source for barbeques because it is clean and very efficient. A barbeque that is gas-fueled does not need to be prepared for as long as other sources. Charcoal takes quite a while before it will produce the heat you need to cook. Gas will produce the heat needed as soon as it is ignited. There is no waste ashes either or grill clean up after you are done cooking. This makes the whole barbequing process much easier and practical after a busy day at work.
When you are buying natural gas grills you should always be sure that you purchase safety approved equipment. The gas used in any form can be dangerous and the risk should not be taken lightly. Buy safely and you will never have a problem. You will find small labels identifying the products that do pass safety standards.
Components and Operation of a Gas BBQ Grill
The majority of gas grills follow the cart design: the grill unit itself is attached to a wheeled frame that holds the fuel tank (if using propane). The wheeled frame may also support side tables to put waiting or cooked food, etc on.
The gas bottle is connected by a hose to the regulators, which control the amount of heat in a predictable way, unlike charcoal.
They are easy to light and have a piezoelectric starter or igniter that produces a high voltage spark to light the gas, usually the first time.
Another component that is likely to be present is a means of distributing heat more evenly. This could be lava rocks – which are arranged in a specific way on a grate above the burners.
Ceramic briquettes do the same job but cost more, however, they do last longer.