If you don’t have much time and just want to find out what the best grill mat is, then I recommend the Twisted Chef grill mat.
There’s nothing quite like the taste of food that’s been cooked on a grill. That said, cleaning up after grilling food is always a giant pain. Not only will the best grill mats make clean-up a breeze, they’ll also prevent food from falling into the flames and eliminate the flare-ups that happen when fats and oils drip onto coals. I’ve rounded up some of the grill mat reviews for you here.
What to Look For in a Grill Mat?
Grill mats come in a range of materials though they all have a few things in common. All grill mats are ultimately coated with PTFE. It’s a non-stick coating similar to what you find on non-stick pans in your indoor kitchen. This material is great because it allows food to slide off easily and reduces the amount of oil you might need while cooking.
When you start a grill, these nonstick barbecue mats will allow you to cook a marinade without causing a flare-up, cook small foods without letting them fall through the grates, and in short even cooking on all of your favorite foods. The best nonstick barbecue grill mats will evenly cook your food while still giving you the grill mark you love.
Materials
Copper is the newest trend in grill mats and there’s a reason for that. Copper is great at conducting heat so the idea is that it will evenly and quickly transfer the heat from the grill to your food. This is the way copper mats work; however, they aren’t the only ones that can do this. Silicone grill mats that have been coated in PFTE also conduct heat in a similar way. Both copper and silicone grilling mats will leave grill marks on your food while cooking them evenly.
Ultimately it doesn’t matter what material you choose for your grilling mat as long as you understand that you will need to lower your grilling temperature and make sure that you’re using the right utensils with it.
Heating Temperatures
While a barbecue grill mat will work with any barbecue setup and any barbecue grill, it does work best when used at a lower temperature. Many people wonder, “Are grill mats safe to use?” The answer to this question is yes, as long as they are used correctly. Most mats should be used between 325 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit (between 160°C and 175°C). You want to be especially careful to avoid temperatures above 500°F / 260°C.
When PFTE is heated to temperatures above 500°F / 260°C, it can be broken down. The FDA has approved it as safe and non-toxic as long as it’s kept at temperatures lower than that. For the most part, this works well when grilling, since these lower temperatures will also reduce the risk of scorching a sauce or burning the outside of the meat without cooking the inside.
Thickness
In addition to the material, the other big distinguishing feature is often the thickness of the mat. A good quality matt should be at least 2 millimeters thick. It should have a double coating of the TFP nonstick surface to ensure that you’ll get a lot of uses out of it. The mats that have a thinner coating are often only used five or six times before their scratched and ready to be thrown away.
These mats can be a great choice if you’re looking for short-term use while on a camping trip, but if you want a long-lasting mat that you can use hundreds of times, you want to find something with a much thicker coating. You’ll also want to find a matt that has a thicker core, as well. This will help the heat to distribute more evenly among the food because it gives time to the heat to disperse evenly across the mat.
Utensils
While most grill masters are excited to pull out their metal utensils when they man the grill you want to switch that up if you’re using a grill mat. if you wonder how to use grill mats, keep in mind that their nonstick surface can be scratched and damaged with metal utensils. For this reason, you want a good pair of silicone tipped tongs and a great rubber or silicone spatula to go with it. You’ll need to use the two tools together to stir your food and flip your meat.
Overall this does create a sensation more like cooking indoors but on your grill, in the sense that you want to treat your food the same way you would if you were cooking it on a nonstick skillet on your range instead of on the rack of your grill. For some grill masters, this can be a big downside to grill mats since they don’t get the same feeling as when they cook with metal tools on their grill.
On the other hand, a good bbq grill mat will give you the freedom to toss small vegetables together and cook shrimps without any of it sliding down between the grates. For many grill masters, this makes enough of a difference to make it completely worth adding the grill mat to their grilling repertoire.
Barbeque Grill Mats Review
Kona BBQ Grill Mat
This mat is known for its claim to work at temperatures as high as 600°F / 315°C. Unfortunately, the United States Food and Drug Administration is concerned about grill mat health risks any time they heated above as 600°F / 315°C. For this reason, no BBQ grilling mat should be used at that high of heat.
Temperature safety concerns aside, this is a good quality mat that has a nice thickness to it. It is one of the more durable options available, though it is tougher to clean than some other choices.
Pros:
- Very durable
- A thick mat that allows for even cooking
Cons:
- Can be tough to clean
YRYM HT Copper Grill Mat and Bake Mat
Since this mat is made of copper, it is very quick to heat up on your BBQ grill. It will still give you the grill marks that you love. They are a thinner version of a grill mat, so they won’t last as long as some other choices, but since they are sold in packs of 5, this isn’t terrible.
Pros:
- Heats up quickly
- Distributes heat well
Cons:
- Thinner than some other options
Twisted Chef BBQ Grill Mats
Twisted Chef makes one of the top grill mats available on the market. It’s appropriately thick so it’s very durable and can be used over and over again. It also has two layers of the PFT coating that remains non-stick throughout multiple uses. So as long as you take care of these mats, they will last you a very long time.
These cooking sheets for grill are double-sided and can be easily cut down to suit the size and shape of your grill. That makes them ideal for most grill situations, whether you are looking for small, medium or large grill mats. Their affordability makes some convenient enough to not get too upset if you do need to replace one, but you won’t have to often. They can go in your dishwasher, though it’s better to wash them by hand.
Pros:
- Great thickness
- Easy to clean
- A heavy layer of non-stick coating
- Affordable
Cons:
- Will slide on the grill until you are used to using it
RENOOK Grill Mat
The Renook barbecue grill mat is our thinnest choice listed here. It’s a great option for those who want to be able to see those searing grill marks on their food despite using a mat. Because it’s thinner, it does transfer the heat more quickly, so it won’t even heat out as much.
Because these mats are thinner and transfer heat very quickly without distributing it, they are only good up to 400°F / 200°C. This is different from the 500°F / 260°C that many other mats can withstand. For most grill masters, this is not a concern as the ideal temperature to use a grill mat is actually between 325°F / 160°C and 375°F / 175°C.
Pros:
- Leaves great grill marks
- Dishwasher safe
Cons:
- Very thin
- Will need to be replaced frequently
Kitchen + Home – BBQ Grill Mats
The Kitchen + Home set of grilling mats is a middle ground option. It’s affordable, but not the cheapest option. It is thin enough to easily show clear grill marks, but not thick enough to be the most durable choice. This mat is a great choice for those who want to try grill mats for the first time without committing to them.
Pros:
- Moderate thickness shows grill marks
- Affordable
Cons:
- Smaller size than some options
Conclusion
For those who really want to see those grill marks, a copper mat can be the way to go. On the other hand, if you’re one who wants to work on cooking at a lower temperature because you use a lot of marinades, I highly recommend the Twisted Chef line of grill mats.
The best BBQ grilling mats will make clean up easy, safe your food from falling into the fire, and protect against flare-ups by putting a barrier between your drippings and your flames. They are an easy and convenient way to take the hassle out of grilling.
