Cheapish? Gas Grill...

[Ksandra]

So I've never been in a situation where it's viable to buy a grill. Most of my apts I've lived in didn't allow residents to have them (welcome to California fires), but had their own for use. However, the current place I'm at allows for gas grills on the porch. On top of that, the grills they provide are often nasty (people don't clean them, and it looks like maint people only do it once a week). As well as us living on the third floor etc. etc.


We figured we'd put the money my parents sent towards the grill which is $200 (no idea how decent a one you can get for that). I'd like to get a nice one, but keep it under the $200 as we seem to move from apt to apt and the next one we eventually go to may not even allow us to have one. And for the fact there's only two of us so don't need something insane.

Probably an easy answer, but again, never bought a grill in my life, so I have no idea what models/brands of gas ones cook well, last long, won't fall apart, etc. etc.

[SephYuyX]

Put that money towards buying a house so you dont have to keep moving?

200$ is minimum for a piece of metal that turns gas in to a flame type grill.
And really at that price.. it's hard to even pick a best, because theyre all pretty subpar.
Go to walmart/target/sears/lowes/homedepot/etc and just pick one, they will all be the same as they use gas, have a knob, and can cook stuff on.

If you want to spend 300 to 700, then you will have some differences.

[Kohan]

At this rate, I think we should have an "Apartment Advice Thread" here in General. Considering we've already had about a thousand of them with contents ranging from lease-related legal advice to appliance recommendations...

That aside, what kind of gas grill do you want? If you don't want a tremendous one with a side burner and all the bells and whistles, you can actually get nice compact grills for just a few bills.

If you want to browse Amazon's collection, go to "All Departments," then "Home, Garden & Tools," and finally, "Patio, Lawn & Garden." Alternatively, here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Grills-Fryers-...pf_rd_i=286168

If you get a big honkin' grill for your third floor department, I think you'll regret it later, as it will be a bitch to move around for cleaning, and you'll hate moving out with it. Buying something mobile yet reliable for your apartment will give you the option of grilling without taking up all your balcony space (assuming that's where you'll put it), and you can take advantage of Amazon's tax free Super Saver shipping options, making it easier on your wallet.

EDIT: As for the comment about saving for a house, it's a renter's world right now. Investing in a house is a waste of time until you actually know you might be able to sell it in the future.

[Callisto]

$200 is right about what you'll end up spending, it looks like the brand I was going to recommend has been discontinued(Sunbeam), your best bet is probably a uniflame or whatever it is that Walmart has. Also note that any grill that isn't a decent Weber or equivalent(looking more at $400 for those) will probably rust out after a couple of years.

[Ksandra]

Put that money towards buying a house so you dont have to keep moving?

we have money saved, and are still saving. But I'm going to college atm so that's being put on hold until I have a job. As well as my husband just recently switching jobs. They want you working two years at a company so it has to be put on hold atm.

Fair enough if under $200 doesn't make a difference. As I said, never bought before so wasn't sure. Big thing is reliability instead of anything fancy. Some reviews I've read of certain grills have issues where parts break and are hard to replace.

[Kerberoz]

Use real charcoal, or just save your money and use a broiler. Gas grills are shit.

[Kohan]

I'd personally suggest the Amazon route over the Walmart route simply because of the savings and convenience. May as well get it shipped right to your door for free.

Also, I didn't cite any brand names, but Weber makes fantastic grills, both in the cheapy and premium ranges. Do your research on any model before you buy it, but you usually cannot go wrong with Weber.

[Callisto]

Use a broiler, or use real charcoal. Gas grills are shit.

A whole lot of multi-story apartment buildings don't allow charcoal grills on the decks, kinda depends where you live.

[Ksandra]

Use real charcoal, or just save your money and use a broiler. Gas grills are shit.

I felt like making a bold comment 'cause I figured someone wouldn't actually read my post, but I guess I had too much expectations for some people on BG. They allow gas onry.

I'd personally suggest the Amazon route over the Walmart route simply because of the savings and convenience. May as well get it shipped right to your door for free.

Also, I didn't cite any brand names, but Weber makes fantastic grills, both in the cheapy and premium ranges. Do your research on any model before you buy it, but you usually cannot go wrong with Weber.

kk thanks, ya that's a start, I know zero about brand names for grills.

(also ya about your apt comment, I felt bad making yet another thread, but felt weird bumping the black friday thread over it.)

[archibaldcrane]

My gf has this one (or one extremely similar): http://www.amazon.com/Weber-386002-P...b_title_garden

and the standing cart to go with it (another $50 or so). Works very well, big enough cooking surface for a couple steaks and some veggies, plenty of room for two people's worth of food, lightweight and easy to move. The gas canisters do run out fairly quickly though (every 5 full meals or so?) so make sure you have some on hand, they aren't expensive.

[SephYuyX]

Amazon is fine, as long as youre not the type that needs to see it in person.
What I usually do is find something good on Amazon, and find it local (if it's a big ticket item, and I want to touch it).

Charcol is nice to cook with, but can be a lot more troublesome if youre looking for quicker cooking.
Go charcol if youre looking to cook some serious meat and such.

Going the foreman-grill type route isnt a bad idea either for apartments. You can get some bigger versions, and do fine if youre just cooking for yourself and or another.
IE: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-GR-4...5120858&sr=8-2

[Kaisha]

Going the foreman-grill type route isnt a bad idea either for apartments. You can get some bigger versions, and do fine if youre just cooking for yourself and or another.
IE: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-GR-4...5120858&sr=8-2

Foreman grill is the route I went for college, been using it ever since for quick cooking of meals that I can't be arsed to wait on the oven for. They can be a pain in the arse to clean at times though, especially on meats where the outer layer burns easily (hey there chicken breasts!).


Great for grease-free cooking of bacon if that's your thing.

[Kerberoz]

See the "or"?

Broiler can do anything a gas grill can do, with less hassle.

[Ksandra]

My gf has this one (or one extremely similar): http://www.amazon.com/Weber-386002-P...b_title_garden

and the standing cart to go with it (another $50 or so). Works very well, big enough cooking surface for a couple steaks and some veggies, plenty of room for two people's worth of food, lightweight and easy to move. The gas canisters do run out fairly quickly though (every 5 full meals or so?) so make sure you have some on hand, they aren't expensive.

This actually looks great, thanks!


@ the foreman grill thingie. We actually have one already, but the porch doesn't have an outlet and our kitchen counter is kinda small. plus while charcoal > gas, I've found gas > electric.

[Callisto]

Foreman grills are an affront against meat.

[Pirian]

Craigslist to find good stuff if you aren't in a hurry. I also suggest getting charcoal because it is just so much better. I grew up with a gas grill, and while the convenience is very nice, man, since I got a charcoal grill, I don't think I'll ever go back. The taste is just so much superior.

Back when I lived in an apartment, we would use the public charcoal grill over a gas because it was just so much better

[Sup3rB4d]

Ok, to clarify she can't get charcoal.

I know this thread is about advice for a grill, but honestly I'm going to have to suggest you save your 200 bucks. I know you SAID gas > electric, but do you honestly think the difference is worth the money? IMO gas and electric pretty much taste the same while charcoal is a completely different flavor experience and the whole reason people tend to grill in the first place.

[Ksandra]

foreman grills also suck the living life out of steaks. They're great for burgers but atrocious for steaks. I didn't mention that before, but ya I hate making steaks on the foreman.

[Purrrfect]

Wait until they come back in season at home depot, get the ~$80-90 advertised one. If you might be moving again soon and can't keep it, you don't want to be out a few hundred dollars. We got this cheapie last summer, for 2 it works just dandy. When you got kids or you're cooking for a lot more then you can start looking at spending more than a couple hundred.

[Kohan]

Lastly, if you haven't ordered yet and will be using Amazon, be sure to explore all of the available sellers. Sometimes, buying from the one with the lowest price will result in the highest bill, due to tax and shipping; checking out all of your options may help.