If you like grilling kabobs these are great skewers for you. Basically, there are two main types of skewers available in the market. Metal and Wooden. Wooden ones can be made of bamboo or other wood types and often are round shape. The problem with wood skewers is that they can get burnt if the grill is quite hot so you have to soak the skewers in water before use. Also, because they are round, it's difficult to "flip" the skewer so that you can evenly grill the kabobs or whatever else you are grilling.
The metal skewers generally available in market are round. You don't have to soak them in water but they still have problem with flipping the skewer for even cooking. Flat metal skewers are perhaps the best. They are not burnt by heat and you can flip the skewer easily for even cooking. The only thing you have to be careful about is that metal gets hot after being on grill, so hand gloves are a must with these.
I bought weber flat flat skewers before I bought these. The weber ones are not as wide and perhaps not as sturdy as these. These skewers are also available in 5/8 inch and 7/8 inch widths besides the 3/8 inch width. I bought all three width skewers from amazon but I think for most purposes 3/8 inch size is best.
I am giving these four stars because when I hand washed them I could bend the skewer while washing and I think they could be made sturdier.
For the price, I think I got an excellent product.
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I bought several different sized sets of these skewers so I could try them all, including the widest so I could cook ground beef.
These stainless steel jems are simply the best........ The quality and workmanship is excellent. Unlike water soaked bamboo skewers that will burn up, you can cook your kabobs on very hot fires and get that crusty exterior that makes em taste great. These skewers are flat and can be turned with tongs or even pliers. The meat and veggies will not spin. They are dish washer safe.
I shortened several of the skewers by 2" making them the perfect length to fit in a Large Big Green Egg. Left at full length they are fine for a 22" Webber.
I also used a file to sharpen the points to make the food literally glide on the skewers. (Take care when using the skewers if you sharpen them)
I'd give these a 6 out of 5 if I could.
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These skewers are great they make cooking kebabs easier and hence more enjoyable to me. They really are flat so they don't rotate. By hand these are easy to clean and I haven't had any rust problems (I don't own a dishwasher). I don't own a grill either so I make all of my kebabs under a gas broiler. I make a *lot* of kebabs (from Indian to Vietnamese to BBQ, see images for an example) and I went through soaking bamboo skewers like lots of other people. I also wasted money on those metal skewers with the "B B Q" on the ends (available on Amazon). They're terrible (I reviewed those as well). Finally I bought all 3 sizes of the Steven Raichlen skewers together with a mandoline slicer and got the cheapest one free by the 4-for-3 promotion. At first I found it a little difficult to get the skewers through certain types of meat, and I poked myself a few times (nothing serious). I decided to sharpen the ends of the skewers myself. I have to be more careful now, but ultimately I think it's safer since the skewers just glide through the meat and I don't have to force them and they don't slip (similar to why sharp knives are safer than dull ones). I uploaded an image of a sharpened versus nonsharpened skewer end.
Kebabs are a great food in my opinion -delicious yet easy, fast and fairly inexpensive (depending on the meat you choose, of course!). It usually takes me about 30 minutes to get a marinade together and prepare the meat, then I let them sit in the fridge for a day or so. Cooking kebabs under the broiler is quick and easy, cleanup is a snap, and a citrus splash, some dipping sauce (either a chutney or the rest of the marinade cooked down to a paste) and a simple side dish (from homemade potato salad to a green salad to other, various veggie kebabs) complete the meal. Wash it down with a homemade ginger kombucha and finish with an espresso for dessert. I am an avid cook and have bought lots of equipment and cookbooks on Amazon. Eventually I will review all of them, especially the cookbooks, so you can see which kebab recipes I like for whatever it's worth.
Honest reviews on Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Signature Stainless Steel Grilling
The actual skewer is wonderful to use, keeping the meat and veggies from moving around. However, after putting them in the dishwasher to clean they came out with rust on them, so are they actually stainless steel. I recommend hand washing.
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Just what you need for Turkish style kebabs and vegetables that would otherwise be hard to handle on the grill. The flat design means no rolling around and the food is held better than with the cheap round skewers. However, you need barbecue gloves to handle these safely.
