The best grill tool sets for 2023

A solid grill tool set can drastically improve the experience that comes with outdoor cooking. You don’t need a ton of tools, but you want a few solid utensils that will last longer than a single season. It’s not just about durability, either. Quality tools give you the precision and reliability to make every barbecue successful. Have you ever dropped a burger due to a sub-standard turner? Or worse, lost a steak due to wimpy tongs? The best grill tool sets will stop that kind of barbecue catastrophe from ruining your cookout. 

• Best overall: Weber Precision 3-Piece Grilling Tool Set
• Best budget: XO Good Grips Grilling Tools, Tongs, and Turner Set
• Best for flat tops: Blackstone 1542 Flat-top Griddle Professional Grade Accessory Tool Kit
• Best wood handles: Cuisinart CGS-1100 with Ash Wood Handles
• Best multitool: Traeger BBQ Multi-tool

How we chose the best grilling tool sets

Here at PopSci, we can appreciate fancy cooking gadgets, but you don’t need the most elaborate kit for grilling. You don’t need the fanciest tools to get great results. We’ve emphasized durable, affordable tools made from high-quality materials for our picks. What good is a fancy turner if it only lasts one summer of flipping burgers? Most of our picks include the basic tools necessary for solid grilling, including a turner, tongs, and a brush. Some grill tool sets have more, but we don’t like having a lot of extra tools hanging around that we won’t use. I have been reviewing grills and grilling accessories for more than a decade. In that time, I have expensed a shameful amount of meat to various companies and interviewed some big names in the barbecue industry. 

The best grill tool sets: Reviews & Recommendations

As with barbecue itself, tastes and needs differ from person to person, so check out every option for grilling tool kits before making your decision. Note: Some people call turners “spatulas,” but the terms aren’t exactly interchangeable. Most people will know what you mean if you say spatula, but the technical term is “turner.”

Best overall: Weber Precision 3-Piece Grilling Tool Set

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Specs

• Tools included: Turner, tongs, and basting brush
• Carrying case? No
• Handle material: Silicone

Pros

• No unnecessary tools
• Sturdy stainless steel construction
• Steel loops for hanging tools
• Handle shape makes them easy to hold
• Locking tongs are easy to secure

Cons

• Slightly heavy

Barbecue is about the essentials done well, which this kit includes. Each stainless steel tool is 18 inches long, which makes them long enough to keep your hand off the heat without making things feel precarious. The tongs include a clever twist-activated locking mechanism that you can activate with one hand, unlike other latch-based systems. Silicone handles make these tools dishwasher safe, so they’re easy to clean. Sturdy metal loops allow the tools to hang easily during storage. They handle easy, feel sturdy, and come with a two-year warranty. It’s everything you need for basic barbecuing. 

Best budget: XO Good Grips Grilling Tools, Tongs, and Turner Set

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Specs

• Tools included: Turner and tongs
• Carrying case? No
• Handle material: Silicone

Pros

• Very sturdy
• Dishwasher safe
• Sturdy loops for hanging
• Long tools for lots of reach
• Built-in bottle opener

Cons

• Tong locking mechanism can be finicky

If you only grill occasionally and want something very simple, this set from OXO fits the bill nicely. The set includes a 16.5-inch turner and an 18.7-inch pair of tongs. The turner has a beveled edge and a thin profile, making it easy to slide under food resting on the grill. The corners are also relatively narrow, so it’s easy to get between the spaces in the grill grates. These tools are dishwasher safe, which makes them easy to clean no matter how often you use them. The scalloped edges on the ends of the tongs are great for gripping almost anything with surprising precision.

Best for flat-tops: Blackstone 1542 Flat-top Griddle Professional Grade Accessory Tool Kit

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Specs

• Tools included: Two spatulas, scraper, two squirt bottles
• Carrying case? No
• Handle material: Poly

Pros

• Thin, sturdy spatulas for flipping and chopping
• Tough chopper/scraper for cheesesteaks and other foods
• Refillable bottles
• Cookbook with solid recipes

Cons

• Would benefit from a burger smasher

Flat-top grills are different from their open-fire counterparts. Grills like the popular Blackstone products offer a flat surface with uniform heat like in a commercial kitchen that turns out smash burgers, pancakes, and some of the best breakfast you’ll have at home. This tool kit has a pair of turners/spatulas with durable poly handles. They can flip, chop, rearrange, and perform just about any other flat-top cooking task you have. The chopper/scraper can mince meat for chopped cheese and cheesesteak sandwiches. Plus, it can help clean the cooking surface once you’re done. A pair of squirt bottles work for oil or other sauces. 

Best wood handles: Cuisinart CGS-1100 with Ash Wood Handles

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Specs

• Tools included: Fork, tongs, turner, and brush
• Carrying case? No
• Handle material: Ash wood

Pros

• Handles look great and are easy to hold
• Silicone brush head is removable for easy cleaning
• Turner has a serrated edge for basic cutting
• Long tools good for reaching without singing arm hair

Cons

• Strings loops instead of metal for hanging
• Not the longest

While silicone handles are very practical, they don’t always match everyone’s aesthetic. This set of four tools comes with sturdy ash wood handles firmly attached to the stainless steel cores. The set includes a two-pronged fork, a basting brush, tongs, and a turner. They all measure 16 inches in length, except for the turner, which is 16.5 inches long. That’s not as long as some other options on this list, but it’s a small difference. 

The ash wood handles add a very nice balance, and they feel great in the hand. They’re relatively easy to clean even though they can’t go in the dishwasher. The loops work for hanging the tools, but we prefer the metal loops found on some other options.

Best multitool: Traeger BBQ Multi-tool

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Specs

• Tools included: Turner, hook, brush, wine opener, bottle opener
• Carrying case? No
• Handle material: Wood

Pros

• Keeps all the tools together
• Sturdy tools
• Brush is removable for cleaning
• Take up less space than other kits

Cons

• Not as easy to use as individual tools
• Not dishwasher safe
• Hook isn’t as easy to use as tongs

Is this a little bit of a novelty? Yes. But this barbecue multitool is surprisingly handy if you want an easy-to-tote option. The burly wood handle conceals tools like a Swiss Army knife. The spatula and basting brush are both very solid. Since you can’t fit a set of tongs into a multitool, Traeger opted for a curved meat hook that easily picks up steaks and other solid cuts of meat. It’s not as precise as tongs, but it does the job. In addition to the barbecue tools, you also get a corkscrew and a bottle opener because barbecue tastes better with both of those beverages. The only downside for its portability comes from the hook, which has a sharp point on it and can poke or scrape things if you’re not careful. 

Things to consider when shopping for the best grill tool sets

Tool selection

This is the most important part of the equation. If you’re buying a kit, you want everything you need and nothing you don’t. Basic sets include a turner, tongs, and maybe a brush. Sometimes a fork or hook can come in handy. Sets that throw in a lot of extras, like cheap skewers or corn holders, tend to try and overcome a lack of quality with quantity. 

Handle material

Silicone or wood handles will treat you well. You don’t want plastic. It’s not heat-resistant and will melt if you leave it too close to the fire. Wood handles are generally solid, buy they’re not all created equal. Look for a set that tells you what kind of wood you’re getting (like ash) because otherwise it might be junk.

Can it go in the dishwasher?

Wood-handle models look nice and perform well, but they typically don’t fare well in the dishwasher. Silicone handles with full-stainless tools typically make cleaning much easier. Also, if you have a brush in your set, a removable head can make it much simpler to maintain.

Does it have a metal grill brush?

Metal grill brushes can leave stray bristles on your grill that can stick to your meat and end up in your mouth. That’s very bad news. 

FAQs

Final thoughts regarding the best grill tool sets

• Best overall: Weber Precision 3-Piece Grilling Tool Set
• Best budget: XO Good Grips Grilling Tools, Tongs, and Turner Set
• Best for flat-tops: Blackstone 1542 Flat-top Griddle Professional Grade Accessory Tool Kit
• Best wood handles: Cuisinart CGS-1100 with Ash Wood Handles
• Best multitool: Traeger BBQ Multi-tool

You’re spending money on quality meats, meat alternatives, and other ingredients, so it’s worth investing in a solid set of grilling tools. You don’t need every bell and whistle, just well-made basics that will perform every time and last for years. 

Why trust us

Popular Science started writing about technology more than 150 years ago. There was no such thing as “gadget writing” when we published our first issue in 1872, but if there was, our mission to demystify the world of innovation for everyday readers means we would have been all over it. Here in the present, PopSci is fully committed to helping readers navigate the increasingly intimidating array of devices on the market right now.

Our writers and editors have combined decades of experience covering and reviewing consumer electronics. We each have our own obsessive specialties—from high-end audio to video games to cameras and beyond—but when we’re reviewing devices outside of our immediate wheelhouses, we do our best to seek out trustworthy voices and opinions to help guide people to the very best recommendations. We know we don’t know everything, but we’re excited to live through the analysis paralysis that internet shopping can spur so readers don’t have to.