What is a Kebab Basket?

A kebab basket is a grilling tool which is designed to hold shish kebabs while they are prepared on the grill. In addition to preventing the kebabs from falling through, a kebab basket can also hold delicate or fragile ingredients which might otherwise slip from kebab skewers. For anyone who wants to make a habit of grilling kebabs, a kebab basket can be an extremely useful acquisition. These baskets are also small enough to take along on camping trips for grilling over an open fire.

The design of a kebab basket is created to allow people to secure kebabs into a wire basket which snaps or clips shut. In some cases, the basket may be roughly square, designed to hold multiple kebabs. In other instances, a kebab basket may be broken up into compartments, keeping kebabs separate and ensuring even heating. To use the basket, cooks open it up, insert the skewered kebabs, and place the kebab basket directly onto the grill or hold it over an open fire or coals.

In some cases, a kebab basket may be designed with feet so that it can be placed directly onto a plate or table, allowing cooks to serve kebabs from the basket. This facilitates draining from the kebabs, minimizing greasy or oily tastes which can sometimes accumulate when grilling foods sit in a dish or bowl. For cooks who don't want a specialized kebab basket, many kitchen stores sell grilling baskets of various shapes and sizes which can be used for an assortment of foods from kebab for fish fillets.

In the case of fragile ingredients like tomatoes, a kebab basket ensures that these ingredients cook through without slipping onto the coals. On grills with wide slats, the basket also prevents the unfortunate experience of losing a kebab as it falls through the slats and onto the coals beneath. The basket can also clear space on the grill by consolidating foods. Grilling baskets also make it easier to handle grilled foods, since the whole basket can simply be flipped to expose the other side of the kebabs to heat.

When looking for a grilling basket of any sort, look for a sturdily constructed basket with a handle which will stay cool so that it can be easily gripped. Watch out for nooks and crannies, which can accumulate food and grease, making the grilling basket difficult to clean. In an ideal world, you should be able to run your grilling basket through the dishwasher or soak it to remove food residue.