The Kitchen Tool That Can Double As A Grill Basket In A Pinch

On the one hand, grilling is pretty straightforward. Meat or veggies suspended just over a hot coal or gas fire make for a delicious meal. But the more you get into it, the more tools and cooking techniques you want to acquire. It's a pretty quick rabbit hole from scanning over a beginner's guide to grilling to seeking out specialty tools like grilling baskets or trays. Perfect for fish, sausages, or chopped veggies, they prevent smaller slices and fragile foods from slipping through the grill grates. At the same time, you still get the benefits of fire smoke and lovely grill marks (which a baking sheet or pan will hinder), along with more even cooking. No more fajita veggies plummeting to a fiery doom.

If you've been meaning to pick up a grill basket, or the one you own requires a serious cleaning, you may already have a fix sitting in your kitchen. Head to the cupboard with the baking sheets, and dig out a metal cooling rack. That's right; the same tool used to cool cookies by allowing air to circulate around them can double as a grill basket. Heads up that you may only get away with this a couple of times before the rack won't be clean enough to cool those snickerdoodles without affecting their flavor, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

There are a lot of tips for grilling better vegetables, but the grill basket or rack is number one, for all the reasons we mentioned above. The same holds true for fish, seafood, or diced meats. Whether you use an actual basket, a flat rack, or one of those nifty sandwich-like baskets that hold your food while you flip it, they serve the same basic function.

This is why a wire cooling rack will work in a pinch. Angle the rack so it sits flat on the grill (the little feet will sit between the grill's own grates), give it a brush of oil, and set your veggies, fish, or whatever on top. You may need to hold it in place (carefully) while flipping your food.

Don't use a plastic-coated cooling rack because it will melt everywhere and ruin everything (trust us). Instead, go for stainless steel, avoiding other coated (non-stick) racks if you can, which may burn over direct flames or get scratched. Try to find one with small spaces between spokes or one that has spokes in a grid pattern. Turn food carefully to avoid rolling or pushing it off into the fire. Finally, remember that cleaning may become a challenge after a couple of uses, as grease and food particles stain the rack. When it's time to clean, many of the same techniques you use to clean a grill or gas stove grates will work here.