Grill Maestro

Char-Broil sent me their “Basket Case Tool Set” a few months ago and only recently did I get a chance to try it out. The course of the day was a few salmon steaks I picked up from Costco and using a basket is really the only way to cook salmon (unless you go the route of a cedar plank) because the salmon gets too flaky. If it gets too flaky, it breaks apart and you lose it all between the grates - very sad.

Anyway, the salmon turned out great and the basket worked out well so I have nothing but positive things to say about it. Honestly, it’s not that surprising because a basket is a basket is a basket but this one has a few features I really enjoyed. First off, the handles come off from the basket with a simple squeeze. This is handy because you can put the basket on the grill, remove the handles, then close the cover. I’ve seen baskets without this feature and it’s a real pain. Secondly, the basket has hooks that lock it shut. The locks make it easy to flip the basket over. Lastly, the non-stick surface worked out great for salmon, which is notoriously sticky. I didn’t leave it to chance and put on some spray but the steaks slid off easily.

The tools that came with it, a fork, a spatula, and tongs, weren’t all that impressive. The fork and spatula were fine, they served their purpose, but the tongs weren’t good at all. Because the tools had to slide into the basket through slits, the “teeth” (I don’t know the correct term) of the tongs were too narrow. This puts too much “pressure per inch” and fish doesn’t particularly like pressure when its finished cooking. I suppose with steaks and chicken it wouldn’t be an issue but those tongs hit the scrap heap as I used another pair I had. The handles on the tools are also just rubber wrapping metal, not particularly comfortable to hold.

Overall, the basket is useful, the tools are average, and the whole set would make a good package. If it were me, I’d dump the tools and charge less for the whole package.