Which is the best oil on the grills

[john noble]

Hello all.

Now in my third happy week of KK ownership. Up here in the rainy pacific northwest, am now very glad I installed an awning above my bbq workspace.

But my question is about oils. When starting a cook, I wipe the grill with a paper towel soaked in Canola oil. This used to be called rapeseed oil. Just the seed from a tall grass. Very cheap. Neutral taste. It's the oil used in Pam.

I like wiping down the grill before cooking. It makes it a bit cleaner, and seems to help prevent food from sticking.

And after the quick wipedown, I use the crumpled paper towel as my fire starter. The oil makes the paper "wick" and makes for a long burn under the charcoal. I know many of us on this listserve start the fire this way.

But is canola the best for wiping down the grill before a cook? I know every oil reacts differently to different temperatures. And some may burn off, and some are more likely to go rancid. Some may add flavour, some might not.

Anyway. Looking forward to your comments about the best oil for this purpose.

[Firemonkey]

Re: Which is the best oil on the grills

I wipe the grates just before putting the food on, rather than when I light the fire. If I did it when I lit the fire, especially if I am doing a higher temp cook, the oil will mostly burn off by the time I am ready to cook. Also, the few times that I used a paper towel and tossed it in the fire, it came back to haunt me in the form of fine, floaty, ash. So now I just keep a half a dishtowel folded and rolled into a shape that resembles a giant scallop. I tie it with butcher twine after rolling it up, and keep it in a small rubbermaid container in the fridge, with a half inch of oil in the bottom. I use this rag to wipe the grates, and then store it back in the fridge for next time.

As far as which oil? I use whatever happens to be closest in reach when the container needs filled. Usually it's light olive oil, but I don't think it matters, since the grates are going to be either dry when I am done cooking (all oil burned off) or covered in drippings from the cook. Either way, what I wiped it with is long gone.