Is this the perfect roasting basket? It's non-stick, easy to clean, and handles most grill and oven temperatures.

The Williams Sonoma High-Heat Nonstick Steel Grill Roaster has a long name, but is an excellent all-around grilling basket. I had been looking for several years for the right solution for my problem - how to cook vegetables and fish on a grill or smoker without them falling through the grates. The alternatives I looked at were either incredibly hard to clean wire baskets, had a handle that wouldn't fit inside the grill with lid closed, or could not take the high temperatures.

This basket is on the expensive side at about $50, but I was able to get it for $32 last Christmas by being on the Williams Sonoma mailing list and combining a store-wide coupon with a product sale. This basket is worth the full retail price, in my opinion, by being uniquely easy-to-clean while withstanding high grill temperatures:

• It has a high-heat, non-stick, PFOA-free surface. Here's what that means:

  • Non-stick - Nothing special there except easier cleaning

  • High-heat - Something special here. Means this won't degrade in typical grilling temperatures. Safe for temperatures up to 660 degrees Fahrenheit, which is enough for all but the most extreme grilling applications.

  • PFOA-free - Means it won't release Perfluorooctanoic acid particles under high heat, as do many older teflon coatings. These particles allegedly cause health risks, and are possibly carcinogenic (cancer-causing).

• Compact handles fit inside most grills.

• Size is large enough to handle large meals such as a roast or chicken, with room left over for vegetables.

• Easy to clean - Yes, this is redundant with my point about non-stick above. BUT, this is not just a wire mesh grill basket - rather, it is a flat surface with holes punched in it. That means you are cleaning primarily a flat surface when using a scrubber, as opposed to a nasty wire mesh with surfaces at all angles. This is very easy to clean - just use some soap, hot water and a scrub brush as you would do with a teflon-coated pan.

• Notes:

  • Don't put it in the dishwasher

  • Don't scratch it by using metal utensils.

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