17 Best Grill Mats in 2019 to Make You Grillmaster of Your Block
What is a Grill Mat?
A grill mat is a thin, flat sheet made from heavy duty polytetrafluoroethylene (also called PTFE for short). These are fabrics that are non stick, reusable and withstand high temperatures. Grill mats, as with all non-stick products, use PTFE fabric as it provides a reliable, safe, non-stick solution for all cookware, provided all the laid down instructions for utilization are followed. One of the most important guidelines states that you must use your grilling mat only at grilling temperatures below 500 degrees Fahrenheit, as set by the FDA regulation.
Grill mats are designed to rapidly absorb and distribute heat across its thin surface. This technique quickly creates an even, perfect cooking surface in terms of surface area heat distribution, giving you better grill results on medium heat and thus, maximizing the flavor in your food. Grill mats have become very popular amongst vegetarians and vegans as well, as it simplifies the process of grilling vegetables in any form or shape.
Why Use a Grill Mat?
Grill mats are very essential as one of the must haves for any modern, state-of-the-art kitchen. Below are six reasons why grill mats should be part of your cookware.
- Convenience:
Grill mats are convenient, as they save you a lot of time & effort in cleaning (as long as you use the right quality grill cleaning products).
- Clean and sanitary:
Grill mats aid in making post-meal clean ups and tidying a whole lot easier. Being made out of non-stick material, grill mats save you the stress of having to scrub off annoying debris or messes.
- Versatility:
Grill mats can be used to cook just about anything from pancakes and scrambled eggs to bacon, beef, and more. This makes grill mats great for camping trips and outdoor cooking.
- Safe:
FDA regulations state that standard grilling should happen between 300 and 400°F whilst staying under the 500°F mark. Sticking to this, there would be no need to worry about the grill mats melting or disintegrating.
- Reusable and washable:
Grill mats can be easily wiped down with a soapy sponge and reused over and over for all grilling needs.
- Healthy & Flavorful:
Grill mats are made and coated with a non-stick surface which can reduce the amount of oils, fats or grease needed when cooking, and this makes it a healthy choice. Notwithstanding, grill mats ensure the sauces and natural fluids from your meat will be sustained, keeping all the delicious flavor and taste intact.
How to Clean your Grill Mats
Grill mats are designed to make post-meal cooking cleanup easier, but there are certain ways to clean your barbeque grill mat in order to ensure its longevity and continuous use without accidentally damaging or wearing it out.
- After purchasing your grill mat, remove it from its box and wash thoroughly with warm water and soap in order to remove any residue or debris leftover from the manufacturing, coating, and packing process (also as a second option you can place the grill mat on the top rack of your dishwasher).
- When washing grill mats manually using your hands, be sure not to use any abrasive, powdered cleaners or harsh scratch pads. This will damage the PTFE coating and easily wear out the non-stick coated surface.
- Make use of a soft washcloth or pad to clean off any persistent residue on the grill mat’s surface.
- If you leave your grill mat alone without washing immediately or have been grilling food that is rather messy, it is advisable to soak the grill mat for as long as needed in warm soapy water and then gently scrub it clean with a soft scrub, pad or wipe.
- Never use metal utensils as a means of peeling off sticky messes on your barbeque grill mat. You can always utilize the soaking in warm water approach.
What Makes a Great Grill Mat?
The best grill mats are chemical free, made of high quality non-harmful materials, and also capable of enhancing food flavoring while grilling. Grill mats today work with a wide variety of grills including electric, charcoal and gas in order to give you an amazing grilling experience.
Choosing the best grill mat goes way beyond just picking a flexible black rectangle with non-stick coating. There are some hotspots to lookout for and big differences to be aware of.
To pick the best grill mat, it should be noted that they differ from each other based on:
- Thickness
- Size
- Amount of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) used
These three factors matter a lot in terms of longevity, durability, ease of use, cleaning and heat distribution. The factors listed above were the determinant factors in the brands listed below. With that being said, let’s dive in.
17 Best Grill Mats in 2019
Click to Purchase the Grillaholics Grill Mat
1. Grillaholics Grill Mat
The best grill mat on the market today is undoubtedly the Grillaholics grill mat. It is a must have cooking accessory as it is extremely thin but does not melt or burn any food grilled on it. This grill mat is thin enough to leave grill marks and flavor intact, yet thick enough to provide ultimate heat resistance and durability. With the Lifetime Replacement Guarantee, 2 mats is all you’ll ever need.
This cooking mat works with any kind of barbecue grill – Weber, Charbroil, Big Green Egg, smoker, charcoal, propane, gas, or electric. The Grillaholics grill mat gives you the opportunity to grill like a top chef and unleash your inner grilling skills, as it is one of the best grill mats to meet your various grilling needs. These grill toppers are made from premium heat resistant PTFE-Fiberglass coating and contain no PFOA, silicone, or other harmful chemicals.
The features of the Grillaholics Grill Mat include:
- It is made up of heat resistant and high quality PTFE fiberglass
- It does not contain harmful chemicals
- It is built for peak temperatures around 500 degrees
- Due to its non-stick features, it does not flare up when used for grilling
- It is completely PFOA free
- It is dishwasher safe and 100% nonstick
- Grillaholics grill mat is reversible, reusable (up to 1000 times per side), and boasts easy clean up
2. Copper Chef Grill and Bake Mats
This incredible copper chef nonstick grill & bake mat makes outdoor grilling faster, easier and stress-free.
It prevents charring and flare-ups with the grill mat’s state of the art construction, which distributes heat evenly over the entire surface, ensuring BBQ meals are perfectly cooked every single time. In addition, your grill stays clean while grilling and sautéing even the smallest, chopped veggies.
This grill mat also ensures that sauces and marinades stay on your food and never drain down through the grill gaps, giving you those gorgeous, appetizing grill marks everyone loves. When you’re done, just lift off. The Copper Chef grill & bake mat is reusable and reversible. Just wipe it off, pop it into the dishwasher and its ready to use again.
Features of the Copper Chef Grill and Bake Mats:
- Copper Chef’s grill mats comes in a set of 2
- Heat Resistant up to 500°
- Chef-grade nonstick coating
- Cuts easily to fit any size or shape
- Reversible and reusable
3. Yoshi Copper Grill Mats
Yoshi Copper Grill and Bake Mats provide you with the taste of fresh grilled food without the mess of post-grilling everyone detests. With the Yoshi copper grill & bake mats, all you need do is simply lay the mat down on the grill’s grate so nothing falls through the cracks.
With this grill mat you can saute meat with sauces which stay on and out of the flames, grill flaky fish that is easy to flip with perfect grill marks, and prepare burgers that won’t crumble. You can also make toasted buns that don’t burn and use it to grill veggies like onions, peppers, and mushrooms without having them fall through the grate.
The features of this grill mat include:
- Dishwasher safe
- Grill mat measures 15.75″ x 13″
- Built for a maximum temperature of 500 degrees
4. Kona BBQ Grill Mat
One of the best grill mats on the market today is undoubtedly the Kona BBQ Grill Mat. It is a must have cooking accessory as it is extremely thin but does not melt or burn any food during grilling.
The features of this grill mat include:
- Made of heavy duty material making it easier to withstand higher temperature
- Comes with a 7 year manufacturer warranty
- Built to reach a temperature peak of 600 degrees
- Easy to use and clean
- Extremely thin for even heat distribution on the surface
5. Miracle Grill Mat
Miracle Grill Mat is ideal for camping outdoors or just for an at home grill. The Miracle grill mat is a revolutionary non-stick surface which gives you an off the grill flavor, a tender and tasty juicy meal, and virtually no clean up!
The features of this grill mat include:
- Absolutely no pre-heating
- Special surface allows food to simply slide off
- No flare ups
- Reusable and easy to clean
- 100% non-stick
6. Grill Magic Grill Mat, Set of 3, Heavy Duty BBQ Grill Mats
The features of this Grill Mat include:
- Prevents food from being wasted by falling in between the grates and making a mess of your grill
- Reduces the need to scrub your grill
- Cook anything with no oil, butter or anything else needed, giving you a healthier meal
- Non-stick, easy to clean, & reusable
- Dishwasher safe
7. Aoocan Grill Mat
The Aoocan grill mat is FDA approved with easy clean up. The features of the Aoocan grill mat include:
- Suitable for a variety of grills including infrared and charcoal
- Can reach 300 – 500 degrees peak temperature
- Can be used to bake a vast range of food items including pancakes, bacon, shrimp, etc.
- Made up of high quality materials with PTFE fiberglass coating
- PFOA free material
8. EZ-BBQ Grill Mat
The EZ BBQ Grill Mat comes in a set of 3 BBQ grill mats.
The features of this grill mat includes:
- Made of heavy duty material, making it easier to withstand higher temperature
- Comes with a 7 year manufacturer warranty
- Built to reach a temperature peak of 500 degrees
- Easy to use and clean
9. LauKingdom BBQ Grill Mats
The LauKingdom BBQ Grill Mats are 100% non-stick and offer tastier and healthier food without all that oil or butter.
The LauKingdom Grill Mat features:
- High quality PFOA free material, which provides a great grilling experience
- FDA approved and dishwasher safe
- Money back guarantee.
- Reusable and built for a 500 degree peak temperature
10. Kebley Set of BBQ Grill Mats
The Kebley Set of 2-15.75 x 23.5 inch BBQ Grill Mats has the following features:
- Non Stick & high quality safe material that’s 100% PFOA Free
- All materials used in its production is certified as safe by the FDA
- Easy to clean and reuse
- Easy to store by laying flat or rolled up after use
- 12-month warranty
- Heat resistant up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
- Multipurpose as it works with most barbecue grills, including the CharBroil Weber, Porcelain, Charcoal and even Infrared Grills.
11. Kona XL Grill Mat
This non-stick mat comes with premium features that allows its user to cut it into their desired size, enabling it to be used as a flat top for burgers and sandwiches. This mat measures 25″ x 17″.
The Kona XL Grill Mat is four times thicker than a Yoshi mat and twice as large as the Miracle grill mat. The awesome features of this mat include:
- 7 year product warranty
- 600 degree peak temperature without burning or melting
- Large size won’t allow food to fall through the grill gaps
- Can be cut to suit grilling needs.
Despite the features above, there are some cons to the Kona XL Grill Mat:
- The grill mat cannot be placed directly over charcoal
- The mat has to be laid on grill grates 7 inches from burners
12. Kitchen + Home BBQ Grill Mats
The features of the Kitchen+Home BBQ grill mat that make it one of the best in the market today include:
- Made of high grade material which does not emit bad odor, smoke or chemicals when grilling
- Reusable and durable
- The Kitchen+Home grilling mat is around 15.75” × 13” in measurement and a set of two is included in every purchase
- This grill mat is made up of FDA approved BPA and PFOA free materials
- It is a multipurpose grill mat that is suitable for all BBQ grilling needs
- High grade pads that reduce the need for butter or oil when grilling, therefore offering a healthy grilling experience
13. Chef Caron Non Stick BBQ Grill Mats
Chef Caron’s BBQ Grill Mats are available in many sizes with an extra length of 13×27 inches. The features of this grill mat include:
- They have the lowest COF of any grill mat on the market
- This grill mat is convenient for use with almost any type of grill
- Its peak temperature during use is 500 degrees
- There is no greasy mess that comes with its use
- Convenient for use as a microwave liner, drip catcher, baking sheet etc.
- This grill mat is made out of FDA approved high quality material that can be reused and also comes with double sided features
The cons for this mat:
- It is important to note that the Chef Caron BBQ Grill Mat is not safe for dishwashers
14. Lee’s Garden and Grill BBQ Grill Mat
Lee’s Garden and Grill BBQ Grill Mat is composed of a thicker base and works with a variety of grills including charcoal, electric and gas grills. It also delivers an intense and clean grilling experience. Some of it’s features include:
- Unmatched durability in correlation with other brands
- Convenient size which measures 16×13 for covering the grill surface
- It is made of a PFOA free, high quality material that peaks at a temperature of 500 degrees
- These grill mats offer grilling and baking without drips or spills
- Allows you to grill veggies, seafood, and meats with amazing results
15. OscenLife BBQ Grill Mats
This grill mat is the perfect treat for grillaholics and barbeque lovers, as it provides a tidy and friendly feel. It’s features include:
- Perfect grill marks after every grill
- Built for use on electric grills, in microwave ovens, and in smokers
- The grill mats are thin, measuring around .25mm
- Reusable with multi usage features
- FDA approved and easy to clean
16. SMAID Grill Mat
The SMAID Grill Mat was built with just the right amount of thickness. Its features include:
- The SMAID mat is durable and provides ultimate heat resistance
- Provides high quality materials that are PFOA free, with non stick fiberglass
- It comes along with a lifetime money back guarantee
- Ability to bake or grill without oil or butter
17. Grillaholics BBQ Mesh Grill Mat
This brand new Grillaholics grill mat gives you the opportunity to grill like a top chef and unleash your inner grill pro skills, as it is one of the best grill mats to meet your various grilling needs. Designed with pit masters in mind, Grillaholics Grill Mat Mesh allows more air circulation for your food to give it that extra smoky flavor. It’s also dishwasher safe. When you’re done grilling, grab some tongs, fold the mat over on itself and shake off extra grease. Then bring it inside, rinse it off with some hot water, and throw it on the top rack of your dishwasher. This is grilling and clean-up made SIMPLE.
The features of the Grillaholics mesh grill mat include:
- Made up of heat resistant and high quality PTFE fiberglass
- Does not contain harmful chemicals
- Built for peak temperatures around 500 degrees
- Due to it’s non stick features, it does not flare up when used for grilling
- It is PFOA free
- Dishwasher safe and 100% nonstick
- Reversible, reusable (over 1000 times per side), and easy to clean
NONSTICK BBQ GRILL MAT REVIEW
Over the years there has been a debate over the safety of Teflon cookware, specifically the polytetrafluoroethylene (or PTFE) coatings that are applied to nonstick pans. The PTFE fabric is widely used to make and coat BBQ grill mats and baking mats.
The question now is whether there is such a thing as safe nonstick cookware in the market today. This is why we’re taking a closer look into this below.
What is PFOA?
A lot of argument revolves around a chemical formulation called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). PFOA is not an ingredient in cooking pans or the BBQ grill mats but rather, it is a catalyst used in making all fluoropolymers, such as PTFE. This is the primary formulation used in most of the non-stick kitchen tools and cookware currently available on the market today.
Nonstick BBQ Grill Mat Review in terms of Overheating
By acknowledging the fact that overheating cookware in general produces toxic fumes (and this includes those made from aluminum, cast iron, silicone, ceramic and also pans with a PTFE coating) we can begin the conversation. The concept of safe nonstick cookware has more to do with practice and use, than with the specific materials the pans are made from. On that note, the best nonstick pans are the ones used with the most care, and following the directions, limits and restrictions.
How to Be Safe
If you’re purchasing non-stick, coated kitchen products, operating and utilizing them within the 500 degree limit is taking the first and best step in improving the safety factors. As long as nonstick coated pans are used correctly, safety is guaranteed.
In Summary
Grilling the right way with the proper wares and cooking accessories sets the mood for summer from the aroma, to the atmosphere and feel. With that in mind, there is nothing far worse than having your burgers and hot dogs fall through the gaps of your grill or become too burnt to eat.
The best way to go about solving this is using the right BBQ grill mat in order to avoid any grilling mishap. Anytime you are having a barbecue, it is advisable to utilize the best quality barbecue grill mat in order to keep food from adhering and sticking to the grill or falling in between the grill gaps. Most grill mats come in various forms based on size, material, and quality, giving you a wide variety to pick from.
Choosing the best grill mats that are chemical free and made with high quality materials will enhance the flavor in your food while grilling. These mats, as reviewed above, are also very easy to clean, non-stick, and reusable. Grilling mats can also be used with a wide variety of grills- Gas, Electric, Charcoal, etc.
The best grill mats have FDA approval, offer complete hygiene, and do not alter the taste of your food. Therefore, picking the best quality grill mat ought to be a top priority especially when it comes down to its quality and material. Now, get grillin’!
