These grillin' machines can cook

Know which bells and whistles are important to you when choosing a brand

It's grilling season. Time to uncover the old propane or coal-fired cooking machine and show off in your "kiss the cook" apron.

But what if your old faithful grill finally conked out? What if - gasp - you don't own one?

With the Fourth of July weekend fast approaching, The Boston Globe tested four propane grills with various meats, fish, and veggies. We tested a full range of grills from the Brinkman Four Burner for $199 to the $999 Jenn-Air 720-0337. We also tested the Weber Genesis EP-310 at $849 and the new Char-Broil Red at $599.

All four grills performed admirably. They all cooked the food. They all got the job done with their own bells and whistles - or lack thereof. In fact, if we proved one thing in this test, it's that all you really need is gas and patience to make a good meal on a grill.

"A good cook can cook with a candle," said Rebecca Newell, executive chef at The Beehive in the South End. "I've never really been to a bad barbecue. If you turn on the grill, even hot dogs, it's great, it doesn't really matter. If you want to go high end, you can go high end. If you want to go with the basic minimum, that's fine."

The Weber Genesis was the best all-around grill we tested, but the biggest surprise was the Brinkman. At $199, we didn't expect much, but it stacked up well against the big guns, especially where it counted - slow cooking. We had some troubles with the otherwise impressive Char-Broil Red. It got too hot even on the lowest setting, which didn't allow us to slow cook ribs the way we wanted.

Rob Schwing, senior director of marketing for Char-Broil, said, "Infrared products by their nature tend to produce more smoke than a traditional grill does. There's nowhere for what might drip from the food product to go," whereas on a typical grill, that ends up on a grease tray beneath the burner, he said.

There was no discernible difference between grills in how the food tasted. The real differences you'll notice with the grills come in their construction. Grills that cost between $700 and $1,000 will often be stainless steel with fewer parts to assemble - making them more durable.

Another nagging problem - turning the grills on. We were longing for a simple red push button igniter instead of the Weber's electronic solution or some of the automatic igniters that lit when you turned the burner knobs. Representatives from most of the grill companies said the electronic solutions work better and are designed for their particular systems. But all the grills came with a slot for match lighting/igniting.

Newell said she wasn't even sure what brand of grill she has at home. For her, what a grill can do is less important than what she - or you, if you follow her instructions - can do with one.

While Newell didn't recommend a brand, she said one important characteristic people should look for when they buy a grill is size. If you have a big family or entertain often, you'll want to invest in a bigger grill with more features. But she added that a $200 grill could work just fine.

John Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com.