Article 54 - Australia

1. I knew how to barbecue. So why did Sunday feel like work?

After 22 years of Sunday barbecuing, steak wasn't the problem. It was asparagus slipping through, zucchini sticking and prawns needing attention one by one. I was proud of the meal, but tired of fighting the small stuff. I'd done it that way for years, so I brushed it off.

2. It wasn't a few lost prawns. It was another meal I missed.

One lost prawn didn't seem worth fixing. But every rescue meant one more turn, one more batch. Dinner started without me. The food was a small loss. Eating my own meal cold was the part that mattered. Calling it normal hadn't made it any less frustrating.

3. Foil saved the food, not the dinner I wanted.

Foil kept the vegetables together, but I opened the packet to pale, steamed food instead of browned edges and smoky flavour. I hadn't fired up the barbecue just to steam my sides. I wanted prawns and vegetables I was as happy to serve as the steak.

4. I needed the right tool, not another trick.

When my wife brought home the BRYN Rolling Grill Basket, I stopped blaming my technique. Steak cooked just fine on the barbecue. Loose prawns and asparagus needed something different. The enclosed mesh held the small food while heat and smoke reached it. Same foods I loved. Less fuss over every piece.

5. A roll replaced all those little interruptions.

I loaded the prawns and vegetables, set the basket beside the meat and rolled it every few minutes. The batch turned together. I could focus on cooking dinner, not rescuing it. I still watched the heat, while the open mesh let the food brown and pick up smoky flavour.

6. Hot food. Everyone at the table. Me included.

Steak, smoky prawns and browned vegetables on my plate. Everyone still at the table. I took my first bite while the food was hot, not while they were finishing theirs. No carrying out another batch as my dinner cooled. I got to enjoy the food and the conversation, too.

7. The easier cook didn't leave me with another job.

After dinner, I let the basket cool and twisted off the wooden handle. The steel basket went in the dishwasher. The handle stayed out. Durable 304 stainless steel and a lifetime guarantee made it worth keeping. The small frustrations had mattered. I'd just gotten used to putting up with them.