Choose your weapon...

One thing for sure..Outdoor grilling is just like any other hobby. You get what you need to get started, and after some time you just keep adding to what you have. I suggest what others have said, and to start inexpensive, until you are sure you know what you want and need.

For tongs, go to any restaurant supply store and buy a pair like Steven is holding above. If you don't have one nearby, search on Google. There are pleanty available on-line. The only other tool I use is a spatula. Look for one wherwe the metal runs the full length, with rivets to hold the handles on. You should have no need of a fork or lng knife,

PaulP

Many thanks for all your advice guys, I'll figure something out. I am hoping to get some stuff for Christmas, but in the mean time I picked up a cheap pair of tongs... unfortunately they dont close straight. Can't wait to get a real kit. I searched everywhere, but NOBODY carries BBQ utensils during the off-season... the Swiss are strange like that... nobody could believe that I was buying a grill in October... can't imagine what they thought when they saw me out there this weekend in my Russian hat grillin in the snow. Might have my parents bring me some stuff when they come out for a visit next month. In the mean time I have been using my hands quite a bit... they are starting to get seasoned along with my grill.

Grüss,
Jeff

ThrRoff wrote:

Some years ago my good wife bought me a fancy grilling utensil set from Williams Samoma. I mean fancy with big long handles on all the things. Heck, the knife looks like a small spear. The tongs were so strong it took two hands to close them. All came with a fancy apron with big pockets. When we remodeled our kitchen a couple of years ago, I put them all in a box, and haven’t been able to find them since. Good riddance. I now have a cheap tongs about 15 inches long that I use for about everything. I bought a big wide spatula to help to take cooked things off of the grill, and I have an old faithful hunting knife I use to nick meats to check for doneness. I get on a yearly basis it seems a cheap pair of leather gloves from the garden store to grab hot logs in the smoker, and I made a coal poker out of ½ inch steel pipe with an elbow and short piece for a handle. That is about it.

Well I can tell you the tongs I have from there don't have that problem. I rather think the spring is just right and like that it has 3 positions and the length. Besides the tongs, I only use the spatula and on occasion the basting brush. I also have a WIlliams-Sonoma suede mitt I like that I use for bringing in the hot cast iron fajita pan and using the 'gardening pitch fork' to rake the coals out.

Can't think of a much better time to buy anything than during the off-season. As long as the selection includes what you are looking for, that's the time to buy, in my opinion. Makes all the sense in the world to me.

I agree with you pete, and I am very anxious to buy now as I intend to grill through the winter. I have been advised against ebay, but I have seen the same kits on ebay selling for half the price as the BBQ specialty stores... any thoughts on that? I am leaning towards the williams - sonoma kit at the moment based on Airfoils post... plus they look like high quality stuff...

Thanks again for all the input.

Jeff