Buyer’s guide
BARBECUES
’Tis the season for cooking outdoors, and there
are plenty of reasons to get fired up about the
latest barbecues. Georgia Madden grills the
experts to reveal what you need to know.M
ove over, steaks and snags, because
today’s barbecues are sizzling
with possibilities, including slow-
cooked roasts and pizza and even, as
maverick chef Heston Blumenthal suggests,
savoury ice-cream (the ‘custard’ for which
is prepared by placing a tray of milk beneath
a roast, in case you’re interested).Barbecue technology has come a long way,
opening the lid on a new world of outdoor
cooking. Today you can buy models that
offer everything from precision temperature
control to teppanyaki plates and smoker
boxes. Rotisseries have simplified spit-
roasting and, thanks to barbecue pizza
stones, you won’t need to order in.“These sorts of features not only help
you achieve better cooking results; they
make your barbecue more versatile and
useful,” says Colin Jones, product expert at
Appliances Online.
And, it’s now also easier than ever to fit
a barbecue to your outdoor space. You can
purchase a compact or tabletop model, > Styling by Ashley Pratt. Photograph by John Paul Urizar/bauersyndication.com.au.