11 Essential Grilling Tools for Your First-Ever Cookout

A must have: a quality grill brush to keep those grates clean, your grill working optimally, and your food tasting the best it can. (Nobody wants bits of last week’s cheeseburgers on this week’s lamb skewers.) Always scrub your grates when they’re first heated, and then again after the last pieces of food have come off the grill.

Gloves—not mittens—provide optimal dexterity and safety when you inevitably need to move a still-hot grill from one place to another, or remove grates to reup hot coals. You can grasp, move, and maneuver with ease, making burns and accidents one less thing to sweat over.

Sturdy, all-metal dishwasher-safe tongs that are easy to wield are non-negotiable. From flipping meat to adjusting coals to grabbing hot trays or wire racks, durable tongs are a griller’s best friend. Pro tip: Keep at least two on hand to prevent cross-contamination between cooked and uncooked meat.

This is the year you stop cutting into still-cooking chicken to see if it’s done. An easy-to-read digital thermometer saves you from any nervous food safety guesswork, and from the scourge of undercooked (or overcooked) meat. The Thermoworks ThermoPop is durable and exact, and gives you an accurate reading in just a few seconds.

Heavy duty spatulas have their place, but a lightweight fish spatula is our grilling go-to. It boasts a sharp, thin edge that makes it easier to get under food without leaving any tasty charred bits behind.

These sturdy multipurpose racks are great for resting large cuts of meat, but can also be placed on the grill and heated to create a safe cooking surface for smaller items (sliced veggies, rings of squid) that otherwise might slip through the grates. They’re lightweight enough to be easily moved around with tongs and are dishwasher-safe, which makes cleanup a breeze.

Whether you’re working with delicate pieces of fish or ungainly things like a whole spatchcocked chicken, a fish basket makes it easier and way more efficient to flip everything over in one go and ensure even cooking.

A mini mop with cotton fiber sops up way more liquid than a silicone brush, making basting easier and more effective. Reusable and dishwasher safe, a long, 18-inch handle keeps your hands safe from the heat.

For kabobs and grilled vegetables, flat, stainless steel skewers are worlds better than the bamboo alternative. They’re reusable, keep individual pieces of food stable, and conduct heat more efficiently. Bonus: There’s no need to soak them ahead of time. (Be honest, you always forget, anyway.)