Basting Pots

Basting food while grilling can be messy; a pot that holds the sauce promises to make it easier. We tried out four, all sold in sets with silicone basting brushes and priced from $11.15 to $21.95, by holding the pots while slathering barbecue sauce on chicken and olive oil on vegetables. Two pots were made of cast iron and two of stainless steel. The material proved critical: Cast iron can sit right on the grill grates, whereas stainless steel models are not heatproof. A pot that can rest on the grate is closer to the food and heats the sauce so that it can be served tableside, while a stainless steel pot is no better than a bowl if you can’t set it on the grates. One cast-iron pot had a sharp, short handle that was painful to hold. Our winner had a comfy handle, a stable shape that won’t tip, and handy pouring spouts. While its brush was slightly shorter than we liked, it slathered sauce evenly and cleaned up quickly. (Plus, our favorite long­er grill basting brush, from Elizabeth Karmel’s Grill Friends, also fit the pot just fine.)