I recently bought a new Weber grill and proudly posted about it here and talked about it on our Cast of Dads podcast. This week I had another opportunity to talk about my new pride-and-joy — with a reporter from a national business magazine. He interviewed me for a summer feature story on investing in new grills in shaky economies. (I’ll share the link when the story comes out.)
I explained that my family made a sizable investment in this grill. That required delaying other big household investments, like painting and redecorating the third-floor of our home. (I do most of the cooking, so I won the battle of priority with Laura.)
Our interview surfaced the significance and benefits of investing in a nice grill:
- I grill three to four times a week from April through November, and once a week during the winter.
- The kitchen has long been one of the centers of family life. With a grill, you can move that family hub outdoors to enjoy the nice weather.
- Being outside forces you to interact with neighbors who also happen to be grilling.
- Grilling often creates a nice aroma in the backyard.
- We grill heavily on the weekends, which results in a nice supply of tasty, healthy and easy-to-prep leftovers for weekday lunches.
- A nice grill, and usage of it, is a luxurious experience, which makes it easier to give up dining out during recessions (and good economic times as well).
- A grill is a great centerpiece for entertaining at home, whether it be a dinner party with friends, or a stay-at-home date with your significant other.
- My grill helped inspire my new blog series on quick-and-healthy family meals at home, like this.
I also offered a few buying tips:
- Choose a grill with simple, high quality construction. A high BTU output (12,000+) is more important than features like multiple side burners, ovens, refrigerators, rotisseries, etc. Fewer mechanical pieces means less to clean, less to maintain and less to repair. That all adds up to more grilling pleasure. Moreover, there is no connection between a grill’s exotic features and the quality of the food that comes off it.
- All appliances will need replacement parts at some point, so choose a manufacturer that will be around for a long time, and sell affordable parts. (My gave up on my last grill because the manufacturer got out of the grill business, and after-market parts were either unavailable or extremely expensive.)
- Go with stainless steel if you can. It’s easier to clean, holds up better, and is a nicer fixture on your deck.
Considering our love for grilling, I consider it more valuable than our car.
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