This Weber Grill Basket Improved My Cooking Game

Unlike many of my peers, I’m not a strictly meat-and-potatoes guy. When I venture out for barbecue or a steak dinner, I’m usually more excited about the sides than the huge slab of meat in front of me. Salads, vegetables, soups, rice and pasta are all my wheelhouse—and I have the waistline to prove it.

I’ve also become a late-arriving enthusiast of the smoking and outdoor cooking craze. Staying true to my love of sides, I picked up a Weber Deluxe Grilling Basket and a boatload of shrimp and veggies to try my hand at some gourmet creations.

weber grill basket with shrimp and potatoes on a grill Family Handyman

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What is the Weber Deluxe Grilling Basket?

The Weber Deluxe Grilling Basket is a stainless steel container available in two sizes: 7.5-inch square or roughly 11-inch-by- 13-inch. Both baskets are a hair under 2.5 inches deep and can be used with gas, charcoal or pellet grills.

These baskets are ideal for grilling vegetables and small items like shrimp or steak tips. They feature handles that are simple to grasp with oven mitts and tongs. And they’re dishwasher safe, making cleanup a breeze.

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Weber Deluxe Grilling Basket Product Features

The Weber Deluxe Grilling Basket is superb. To ensure compatibility with all my grills—portable, pellet, and standard—I selected the smaller sized basket. It worked well with each.

I smoked everything from veggies to shrimp on the pellet grill using the grilling basket. On the 180-degree smoking setting, the pellet grill never got hot enough to burn anything.

After a quick ride through the dishwasher, the basket came out looking like new.

The basket handles are a pleasant addition that makes it easy to carry, but be warned—it gets blistering hot in a flash. Stirring the basket, especially when full, can be a challenge.

How We Tested It

I made three dishes with the Weber Deluxe Grill Basket. The first was a pico de gallo where I smoked the ingredients before dicing them in the food processor. Then I tried rosemary grilled potatoes and finally grilled Cajun shrimp. I paid close attention to how well I could maneuver the items in the basket, and whether it cleaned up easily.

I cooked the potatoes and shrimp on a standard propane grill at medium-high heat. Because of the marinade, the shrimp stuck to the basket’s stainless steel surface. That required a brief soak in hot water and a few minutes of hand scrubbing, but it still cleaned up nicely.

On the hot propane grill, the bottom layer of food stuck to the basket. This made it nearly impossible to flip the contents with a flick of the wrist. In most cases, I needed a spatula to mix up the ingredients, knocking a shrimp or veggie to its demise. In hindsight, I could have avoided this if I was more punctual with my stirring, or used more indirect heat or oil.

Pros

Durable stainless-steel construction
Affordable
Versatile
Easy-to-carry handles
Dishwasher safe
Available in two sizes
Works on charcoal, pellet or gas grills

Cons

Can be difficult to stir contents inside basket

Final Verdict

All the recipes I tried in the Weber Deluxe Grilling Basket worked out great. It’s an easy and affordable way to cook small and delicate foods without worrying about them sticking or falling through the grill grates. For the price point, durability and usefulness of the grill basket, we think it’s perfect for those who frequently grill food outside.

Where to Buy the Weber Deluxe Grilling Basket

Grill Basket via merchant

The Weber Deluxe Grilling Basket retails for just under $25 for the small size and just over $30 for the large. Both sizes of the Weber Deluxe Grilling Basket are available at Weber, The Home Depot and Lowe’s. Don’t waste another outdoor summer get-together peeling veggies or foil from your grill—this grill basket will make cooking a breeze and cleanup an afterthought!

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I Tried This Weber Grill Basket, and It Seriously Improved My Cooking Game

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