With the cold air descending on much of the country now, you might think it’s time to put away the tongs under springtime. But here, in Kansas City, the home of the world’s greatest barbecue restaurants, we cook outside year round.
Dads generally rule the BBQ kingdom – and grilling is all about the experience. We sit outdoors, maybe sip on a beer, chat with a dinner guest – we don’t want to make countless trips to the kitchen. And most of us don’t have a deluxe outdoor kitchen. When I make the trip to the grill, I’m going to hang out and watch the temperature until my grilled masterpiece is done.
In order to limit my back-and-forth kitchen trips, and to avoid cross-contamination when dealing with raw meat, I’ve devised a foolproof procedure. I usually stack two heavy half-sheet pans – one for the raw, the other for the final cooked meat. They stack nicely, but they are heavy and — worse yet — I have to hand-wash both pans.
Tovolo has created a tray that promises to make your meat grilling or roasting experience less of a work out. The Clean Flip BBQ Tray is made from melamine and has a rather ingenious design. The two-piece tray literally hinges and slides in order to flip-over to a clean side where you confidently can serve your finished cooked meat. The bottom piece has a recessed area that collects any juices or leftover rub. The tray is also scratch- and shatter-proof, dishwasher-safe and BPA-free.
I found the tray lightweight and the handles on both sides were comfortable, although they sat a little low to the surface. This makes it a little tough for bigger hands to find purchase when lifting the tray, but leaving it hanging just off the edge of a flat surface easily resolves this shortcoming. The top sheet has ridges that keeps food up away from juices – and therefore from steaming. However, the tray is a good size at 18″ x 10.5″ and will hold four rib eye steaks with little room to spare. Best of all, the tray washes up nicely in the dishwasher. The two parts separate with no trouble and re-assemble easily.
If you’re concerned about food safety, the Trovolo Clean Flip Tray is pretty darn awesome, fills a niche, and is one handy kitchen gadget.
Disclosure: GeekDad received a sample of this product for review.
