Get a great gas grill

Your grill works hard for you - turning out everything from burgers and dogs to fish and veggies to feed your friends and family. So when it's time to pick a new one, what should you consider?

Consumer Reports runs grills through a gamut of tests: How long does it take to heat up? Is the surface heat consistent? CR's indirect heating test reveals whether a grill will do a good job with fish or slow-cooked meats. And to be safe, a grill should be stable. So Consumer Reports tests for structural integrity by torquing and stressing grills on a special machine.

Before you buy, you should think about what size grill you need. If you are choosing between a small and medium-sized grill, CR suggest that you go for the midsize model. It will obviously hold more food but you also tend to see more features on those grills too.

CR suggests considering these three midsize grills, depending on your budget:

• The Weber Genesis II is the leader of the mid-size pack. It got top marks for temperature performance, has good temperature range and is as sturdy as they come.
• The Char-Broil Signature, available at Lowe's, is excellent for cooking large cuts of meat that need to slow-cook and has a top-rated surface temperature.
• The Nexgrill, available at Home Depot, heats up quickly and evenly -- outperforming some grills costing three times as much. It is also a Consumer Reports Best Buy.

Consumer Reports recently surveyed gas grill owners and most said they got five or more years out of their grill.