Skewers are delicious and easy to make, but good ones can be pricey, and you want ones that are easy to work with. Not any old bamboo stick will do. Here’s what to keep in mind when buying skewers for your next cookout.
If you don’t grill much, disposable wood or bamboo are fine. If you grill often in warm weather, investing in a set of metal skewers will pay off in the long run. Skip the ones that have fancy handles. Plastic or wooden handles might get destroyed by the heat of the grill and metal handles will retain too much heat which could burn you. Avoid skewers that have food pushers, too. They’re meant to make removing food easier, but end up taking up room on the skewer and aren’t necessary when you can just use tongs or your fingers. Flexible blades will actually make cooking more difficult since they’re harder to turn evenly.
Go for skewers that have a flat blade so you spend less time rotating your kebabs. Pay attention to handle shape too, a thin loop is best since it retains less heat and is easier to grab and turn on the grill, or hold while you eat. Lastly, look for skewers that are easy to slide food off of, since that’s what you or your guests may struggle with the most.
