Best gas grills

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Peter Crawford is all fired up, for grilling season! "Barbecue is so appealing, great char, great flavor and again that smokiness is just so essential. You can't replicate that in a kitchen."

Are you looking to add more sizzle to your grilling style? Consumer Reports put well over a hundred gas grills through the paces. In one test, therma-couples measure surface temperature, to see if a grill has hot or cold spots --which translates into how evenly two burgers cook on different parts of the same grill. Tester Dan DiClerico explained, "Some weren't so hot, but we did find plenty of good options --particularly among medium-sized grills, which are the most popular. They typically hold about two dozen burgers."

The $600 Weber Spirit, available at hardware stores, is the top-rated mid-sized grill. But Weber is getting a run for its money from Kenmore. The Kenmore Elite from Sears offers solid construction, an LED control panel, built-in lights, a side-burner, and impressive cooking performance, for $950.

Consumer Reports also recommends the $370 Better Homes and Gardens grill, from Walmart. "You do get a lot of features for the money. It's got the stainless steel grates, it comes with the rotisserie and there's this sliding tank tray, which makes it a lot easier to change the gas," DiClerico points out. Plus, it has the side burner and it's an excellent performer in several cooking tests. Which means you're off to a good start, even if you're on a budget.

The one thing Consumer Reports cautions about with the Better Homes and Garden grill is the burner warranty, which is only five years. Burners are the most often replaced grill part, and can be an indicator of how long you can expect a grill to last. The Kenmore elite, on the other hand, has a generous 15-year burner warranty.

You can get more free grill-buying advice here.