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All the grilling gear and gadgets that you'll actually use and none of the fluff.

Senior Editor / Home and Kitchen

I live in Brooklyn where I write about food subscriptions, cooking, kitchen gadgets and commerce. Anything with sesame is my all-time favorite food this week.

There's no shortage of grill tools, gadgets and accessories being peddled this time of year, but not all of them are worth their weight in barbecue sauce. There is, however, a tier of essential grilling tools and accessories that every cook or pitmaster should have at the ready. And I'm not just talking about a spatula and tongs, although you'll definitely want a good set of those. 

Fish and vegetable grillers, for instance, would be wise to stock a sturdy basket to keep food from a fiery death, while BBQ pitmasters and those who tackle bigger cuts of meat will make good use of a reliable thermometer to nail internal temps or a marinade injector to reach peak flavor.

There is an endless supply of products to sift through, so I hauled in a heaping pile of grilling gear, tools, utensils and other accessories to see what's really worth your money. Some grill products on the list are updated or innovated versions of classics, while others are altogether new. Everything I chose here struck me as well-made and each one delivered on its intended function.

Finding the perfect grill -- be it gas , charcoal or a portable model  -- is likely the most important grilling purchase you'll make. But if your BBQ gear has gotten crusty, rusty or outdated, these are the best grill tools and gadgets to buy for summer. 

Read more: Best Meat Delivery Services for 2022: Porter Road, Rastelli's, ButcherBox

I'm sort of surprised it took me this long to come across grill tools with built-in flashlights because it almost makes too much sense. That's especially true if your grill space doesn't have great lighting and you like to cook outdoors well into the evening.

I got my hands on this two-piece set of spatula and tongs. Both are sturdy and the light is plenty bright to illuminate your burgers, dogs, chicken and fish. No more guessing about when food is done, people.

If you don't need extra light via your grill tools, then I say go for something sturdy that'll last you many seasons. You can definitely find cheaper grilling tools out there, but Weber's three-piece set is worth the extra few bucks and was my personal favorite.

What I liked most about these -- especially the tongs and spatula -- is the length. If you work with a full-size grill, you know that stubby kitchen tools just don't quite get where you need them unless you put your forearm at serious burn risk. Each Weber tool in this small yet mighty set has a comfy handle and hook with which to hang 'em. Plus, the spatula has a sharp edge that you can use to slice and dice while you're working. If you don't leave these sturdy grilling compadres out in the rain, they'll definitely last you a good long time.

ThermoWorks' Thermapen is about as accurate as meat thermometers get, and for certain types of BBQ or when cooking expensive steaks, that's rather important. Take this temp taker anywhere you flip meat: your deck grill, a campsite, even your Sunday tailgate party. Its portability makes it stupidly simple to accurately measure the internal temperature of your meat, wherever. There are plenty of knockoffs and cheaper versions of the Thermapen, but if you're serious about your internal meat temps, it's worth the extra coin. 

I also tested several WiFi-enabled smart thermometers, including the Yummly and Meater. I liked them both and they get points for accuracy as well as for providing loads of information, such as temperature tracking and some useful grilling tips. But you have to do all your temp reading from a smartphone, which proved either annoying or convenient depending on my mood.

You know that moment, when the grilling is finished and you look around at all the sauce bottles, spices and utensils and say, "What the heck just happened here?" A grill caddy will make it all go away with one breezy trip back to the kitchen. I didn't know how badly I needed one of these until I got one, and this lightweight Cuisinart caddy with a built-in paper towel rack is my pick.

Lights don't come standard on most grills and there's a good chance your grill is positioned somewhere without great direct lighting. If that's the case, a flexible lamp that attaches to the frame will make those late-evening and nighttime barbecue sessions far more enjoyable. The BBQ Dragon double light gives off plenty of glow but it's not so large that it'll get in your way. The two-headed approach means you can get bright light on both the grill surface and whatever is waiting beside it to go on next.

With a grilling basket, you can easily and quickly grill your veggies and give them that smoky, slightly charred taste and perfect texture without the hassle of having to pick one piece up at a time. If you don't want to spring for this basket, you can always place a piece of chicken wire mesh on top of your grill so you can easily char foods that normally might fall through, like cherry tomatoes and other smaller vegetables or pieces of meat.

Grill mats are another option, but they can get real nasty real fast. Also, they don't let the flames hit the food directly so you're less likely to get a nice char.

For grilling fish without it falling to bits and down into your grill, you can also use grill mats or a basket. I like the basket because it lets the flames hit the filet and gives you that sultry summer char. Definitely go nonstick, as in this budget-friendly number for BBQ Guys. It opens and closes without much fuss and holds food securely over the flames. These are also great to bring along to a camping trip so you can cook right over an open fire. 

Note: You can use these for veggies but some will inevitably sneak through the cracks, so I prefer something like the above model.

If you don't want to bother with a fish grilling basket, at least saddle yourself with a proper spatula for fish. It'll help more than you might think and you can use it for anything, not just fish. This excellent and sturdy $8 spatula has a razor-sharp front edge to get right under those salmon and tuna filets without shredding them to bits.

I'm not sure this one needs much explanation. So simple, yet somehow I didn't think of it myself.

A wooden grill scraper may take just a little more muscle, but it also has some distinct advantages over its wire counterparts. It will go a little easier on your cast-iron or porcelain grates. It'll also customize itself to the grooves of your grill over time, and the scraper itself won't collect as much gunk as a wire brush. Plus, this one with a long handle to get some good leverage is just $8.

For a minimalist, this connectable and magnetic grill tool set boasts some very smart design. The two pieces act as fork and spatula but then connect to form a set of tongs. All three are on the small side but for a space-saving grill tool and utensil set, it doesn't get better than this.

Wood chips are an easy way to add substantial flavor to any grilled food, and work equally well on gas and charcoal grills. To use them you will need a box to hold the wood so they don't catch fire, but it's simple: Just place the box on top of the heat source -- on the gas burner or directly on the charcoal -- and they should start smoking and flavoring your food with whatever type of chips you've chosen. Weber's version is a good size for most grills and it's got a nice sturdy build.

If you're mostly a strip steak and burger griller you may not need a meat injector, but if you attempt the occasional rib roast, pork shoulder, brisket or thick steaks, this is the best way to get flavor all the way up in there. Use your favorite marinade or sauce and pump that good stuff in with this sturdy model that includes three different needles.

For charcoal grilling, a chimney becomes a must-have for your grill after you use it even once -- especially for us impatient folks. It keeps the charcoal all together tightly to help the briquettes get hot both quickly and evenly before you spread them around. It's a simple device, but Weber's is well-designed with a comfortable handle.

You may be used to using a comb like this on your hair, but it doubles as a genius cooking alternative for serving kebabs. This "grill comb" combats the annoyance of reaching the middle of a skewer, either with your hand or your teeth. It makes removing your meat a cinch and ensures that everything evenly cooks up to the right temperature, too.

When using this type of skewer, you'll need to be a little more gentle moving it around the grill since items can fall off, especially when softened from cooking. That said, it's worth it for a much faster and easier skewering experience.

There are lots of fancy at-home pizza ovens on the market these days (I tried the Gozney Roccbox earlier in the spring and loved it) but they ain't cheap. What's more affordable is a classic pizza stone, and it too will make crispy and delicious 'za. Just lay this puppy on a hot grill top for 20 to 30 minutes so it heats up and then slide a pie on top (with some cornmeal so it doesn't stick). You'll definitely need a pizza peel to do this successfully, but this $40 pizza bundle from Cuisinart includes one and a wheel to slice the pizza up with afterward.