Entertaining expert Ina Garten is known for putting delicious meals together with stunning efficiency. So her response to a fan who asked whether she prefers gas or charcoal grills, may come as a surprise. “I prefer a charcoal grill because I like the flavor, but if you prefer the ease of turning on a gas grill, that’s perfectly fine, too!” she said.
Many of Garten’s recipes are cooked on outside grills, and while gas grills can be quick and easy to light — a convenience that is attractive to many home chefs — charcoal is known for delivering a bit more depth of flavor. The list of pros and cons of cooking on gas and charcoal grills is long, however, so it is understandable that chefs would have their own preferences when it comes to lighting up the grill. Understandably, not every home cook wants to deal with the kind of temperature fluctuations that a charcoal grill can present, so the consistency of a gas grill can help even amateur cooks feel a bit more confident when elected as the designated grill master at a summer barbecue.
Setting yourself up to become a grill master
Should you heed Garten’s preferences and opt to use a charcoal grill at your next cookout, know that different kinds of charcoal yield different tastes in your food, and that a two-zone grilling method can help ensure various food items evenly cook during a backyard barbecue. If the hassle of getting a charcoal grill to light seems like too much work or you’re simply in a hurry to get cooking, using a charcoal seasoning mix to flavor pieces of meat for a gas grill can be a handy shortcut to flavor. And that way there’s no hassle of having to coax flames to life.
At the end of the day, either kind of grill will produce grilled proteins and vegetables that are delicious and flavorful, so choose the option that works best given the size of your dinner party and the access you have to a grill. So whether you’re firing up the grill for perfect steaks or grilling something more unexpected, or simply getting some smoky flavor into some corn cobs, light up the flames and get cooking. And if you’re cooking a whole chicken on the grates, Ina Garten has a spatchcocking tip for you to follow.
