Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | How to: Tell When Your Grill Is Hot Without A Thermometer

How to: Tell When Your Grill Is Hot Without A Thermometer

Most newer gas grills come equipped with an internal thermometer so you can keep an eye on the temperature.

But if your grill doesn't have one, it's not too hard to tell when your grill is hot enough to get cookin'!

Here's how...

Hold your hand about five inches above the grill and count how many seconds you can hold it there comfortably.

5-6 seconds: Your grill is at about 250-degrees, which is equal to low heat.

3-4 seconds: Your grill is at about 350-degrees, which is equal to medium heat.

1 second: Your grill is between 450-degrees and 500-degrees, which is equal to high heat.

Most grilling is done over high heat, where you'll get a nice sear on the outside of your meats and veggies. So when you can only hold your hand above the grill for a brief second, you're good to go!

Anyone else have good tips for knowing when the grill is hot?

Related: Old-Fashioned Juicy Burgers

(Image: Flickr member (nutmeg) licensed under Creative Commons)

Comments (1)

?? Don't different people's pain tolerances vary widely? Like, really really widely? My grill does not have a thermometer but I'm highly skeptical about this.

posted by mjoe on July 2nd 2008 at 11:40am
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