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See why.Skewers
We got grilling with six different sets to find the best of the bunch.
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What You Need To Know
We’ve been burned by skewers before. Bamboo and wood scorches; super-thin double prongs are flimsy; smooth, rounded prongs let food spin in place when you’re trying to flip it. Still, manufacturer innovations promise improvement, so we gathered six sets ($6.85 to $29.95), including our previous no-frills favorite, and threaded them with chicken-vegetable kebabs; scallops; and kofte, a kebab of ground meat and herbs. Metal was best, but solid tab handles on one set retained heat, so serving was a burn risk; loop handles on our two favorite models dispersed heat quickly. One model’s “heat-resistant” plastic slider melted. Double-pronged skewers splayed out awkwardly, so threading them through food was a struggle. Their thickness also tore tender scallops. Curved rods occupied too much grill real estate, tangled easily, and only let us turn food 180 degrees. We’ll stick with our former champ: Not only does it have the smartest design, but it’s also the cheapest.
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
The only set to ace every task, these thin, flat stainless steel spears supported thick kebabs, threaded delicate scallops without tearing them, and turned easily. Plus, their looped handles cooled quickly.
Recommended with reservations
- Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
With large loop handles and wide, flat prongs, these looked like jumbo versions of our winner and made turning food particularly easy. Unfortunately, their broad surface also came at a cost: It tore scallops when we used two at a time (a single skewer didn’t prevent scallops from spinning on the axis).
- Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
The major downfall of these simply designed, thick, flat prongs was their handles—solid steel tabs that retained heat for many minutes. Testers had to wait for the handles to cool to remove food without burning their fingers, which meant that the food cooled considerably before it could be eaten.
- Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1.5 stars out of 3.
These sturdy, hefty, and pricey rods were the better of the two double-pronged skewers we tested, but the prongs still splayed out or pinched in as we tried to thread them through food. Their solid metal handles also retained heat longer than any other model.
Not Recommended
- Durability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 0.5 stars out of 3.
Prioritizing style over substance, these skewers are designed to match the curve of a plate for presentation. As a result, they hogged grill space, were prone to tangling, limited our turning options, and were nearly impossible to double skewer. Their nonstick coating also scratched.
- Durability: 0.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1.5 stars out of 3.
These double prongs come fitted with a plastic sliding guide to push cooked food off—which promptly melted from the grill’s heat and fused to the rest of the handle. Worse, the prongs were flimsy and splayed out when we threaded them through food.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
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