Summer Grilling Accessories Guide: Tools to Make Backyard Cooking Easier

The OXO Good Grips Silicone Basting Brush is a dependable workhorse for saucing ribs, glazing whole chickens, or oiling a grill pan. Its silicone bristles tolerate high heat and won’t absorb odors the way natural-bristle brushes can, which makes it a sensible pick for frequent saucing and sticky marinades. This brush suits cooks who want an easy-to-clean tool that won’t shed and who prefer a broad head for even coverage. One consideration: silicone heads don’t hold as much sauce as densely packed natural bristles, so you may need to re-dip more often on longer cooks.

Grill Floss’s Premium Grill Scraper is designed for round-grate grills and removes baked-on residue without metal bristles. It’s a good option for people who want a thorough scrape that cleans both top and bottom of grate bars without lifting them, which is helpful for built-in and heavy-duty grills. The scraper is especially suited to owners of circular or rounded grate bars where a traditional brush can miss crevices. Note that scrapers require more elbow grease than a powered brush for deeply caked-on carbon, so plan to allow extra time for deep cleaning sessions.

Winco’s 16-inch coiled-spring utility tongs are commercial-style tools built for heavy use in both home and professional settings. Their sturdiness and length make them ideal for flipping larger cuts and keeping hands back from flare-ups, which appeals to serious grillers and hosts. These tongs work best for people who prioritize durability over lightweight convenience and need a tool that won’t bend under larger roasts. The trade-off is that they can feel heavier than consumer tongs and lack locking mechanisms some home cooks prefer for compact storage.

Mercer Culinary’s Hell’s Handle Large Fish Turner is built for delicate jobs like flipping whole fish or thin filets without tearing. Its wide, thin blade slides smoothly under fragile proteins while the heat-resistant handle design reduces burn risk during prolonged use. This turner is best for cooks who grill seafood or delicate fish and want a professional-grade tool that preserves presentation. It may be overbuilt for casual burger-flippers and feels more specialized than a general-purpose spatula.

The Grillaholics Vegetable Grill Basket is an extra-large stainless-steel basket that keeps chopped vegetables and small items from falling through the grates while allowing even charring. It’s ideal for households that regularly grill mixed veg, shrimp, or cubed proteins and want to cook them directly over heat without constant skewer management. The heavy-duty construction stands up to repeated high-heat use and the handles make it easier to move the basket on and off the grill. Because it’s large, it can take up significant cooking surface area — that’s great for batch cooking but limits room for direct-sear items at the same time.

The Great Scrape 20-inch shovel is a long-handled wood grill scraper that uses leverage to remove stubborn, baked-on grease and carbon. Its extended length keeps you at a safer distance from heat, and the wooden handle gives a tactile, durable feel for heavy-duty cleaning sessions. This is a sensible buy for people who prefer simple, mechanical cleaning without wires or small replaceable parts. However, its single-purpose design means it’s less useful for light, frequent maintenance — it excels at periodic deep cleans rather than quick post-cook touch-ups.

The Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter is a classic solution for getting charcoal glowing quickly and evenly without lighter fluid. Its aluminized-steel construction and large capacity work well for weekend cooks who light full chimney loads and want consistent coals for searing. This is the right tool if you’re using lump charcoal or briquettes and want a reliable, no-odor method to reach cooking temperature in minutes. Remember that chimneys require stable placement and should be handled with heat-resistant gloves; they’re not a direct replacement for gas ignition when you need instant, adjustable flame control.

Grill Rescue’s replaceable scraper head system offers a bristle-free cleaning approach with durable scraping blades that fit many handle styles. It’s useful for people who own cast-iron or stainless-steel grates and want to avoid wire-bristle hazards while still achieving a close scrape. The replaceable heads extend the life of the tool and make it easy to refresh the cleaning edge after wear. A potential downside: some users find that replacement heads add recurring cost compared with a single solid scraper, and compatibility across brands can vary.

The ThermoWorks DOT is a simple alarm thermometer designed for set-and-forget cooking, signaling when food reaches your target temperature. It’s ideal for busy hosts who want to step away from the grill without risking over- or undercooking poultry, pork, or large roasts. The DOT’s clear alarm function makes it approachable for grillers who don’t want the complexity of probe-wire management or smartphone apps. On the flip side, it’s a single-purpose device — if you want multi-zone monitoring or continuous app-based logging, you may prefer a more feature-rich system.