[Petrochemicals (OP)]

I have noticed over the years that all grill grates seen on barbecues or kitchen grills are made from chrome plated carbon steel that gradually degrades and the material underneath pits.  I assume that this is to stop deformation when hot, as stainless steel or titanium I suppose even though resilient may gradually deform and you would end up with a curvy grill. What material could possibly be substituted?

[Bored chemist]

What is the best metal to make a barbecue grill grate from?

grills are made from chrome plated carbon steel

Are you saying the manufacturers are fools?

[vhfpmr]

What is the best metal to make a barbecue grill grate from?

grills are made from chrome plated carbon steel

Are you saying the manufacturers are fools?

Best isn't necessarily the same as best value or most economically viable.

[Bored chemist]

OK, for the sake of discussion, let's imagine I manufacture a bbq grill from tantalum.
Who would buy it? I'm guessing at practically nobody.

Wouldn't that be because people thought that steel was better?
Do you accept that the price is an important aspect of people's choice?

[alancalverd]

Ah, but if you said it contained 0.001% organic free range tantalum and reduced carbon, and was approved by some "celebrity",  it would fly off the shelf.

[paul cotter]

Alan you forgot the "green" adjective, ie green tantalum. BC I accept your bet on tantalum and raise you iridium(or maybe rhenium but I don't know it's corrosion properties)

[Petrochemicals (OP)]

Alan you forgot the "green" adjective, ie green tantalum. BC I accept your bet on tantalum and raise you iridium(or maybe rhenium but I don't know it's corrosion properties)

Iridium is brittle, tungsten is poisonous, tungsten carbide may be acceptable,but is it food safe?

[alancalverd]

Try osmium. The stench of the oxide will warn (or kill) you when the grill has overheated, but it will promote the Maillard reaction  and thus brown your meat at a lower temperature, saving the planet, etc.

[vhfpmr]

Do you accept that the price is an important aspect of people's choice?

Of course I do, that's why I drew a distinction between 'best' and 'best value'. Which magazine are good at this lark, their 'Best Buys' are usually the best at any price.

Only the customer knows what 'best' means, and in this case, the customer hasn't specified how much more he's prepared to pay, and for how much longer product lifetime. The manufacturer's idea of 'best' is that which maximises profit, which won't usually be what's hard wearing.

[Bored chemist]

Only the customer knows what 'best' means

So... the manufacturer chose a material at random?

[alancalverd]

For what it's worth, professional chefs use stainless steel barbecues. Easy to clean and apparently robust enough to feed a few hundred people every day. But what do they know? 

[Petrochemicals (OP)]

For what it's worth, professional chefs use stainless steel barbecues. Easy to clean and apparently robust enough to feed a few hundred people every day. But what do they know? 

Just been for a look, appears cast iron is the material of the grill plate.

[alancalverd]

Should work OK. It's used for domestic stoves and gas cookers, after all. I can't see why anyone would chrome plate something that is going to get covered in grease and carbon every time it is used.

[paul cotter]

I agree with Alan, if one can't afford a solid platinum grill go for stainless.

[Petrochemicals (OP)]

As I said earlier, they seem to be cast iron on the bbqs Alan refers to. Stainless must refer to either slow deformation at temperatures or alloy migration.

I agree with Alan, if one can't afford a solid platinum grill go for stainless.

[alancalverd]

For what it's worth, professional chefs use stainless steel barbecues. Easy to clean and apparently robust enough to feed a few hundred people every day. But what do they know? 

Just been for a look, appears cast iron is the material of the grill plate.

Try "Nisbets" - professional catering equipment suppliers that I use. Plenty of stainless steel barbecues.

However we may be at cross purposes over the words "grill plate". Do you mean a flat griddle plate rather than a grid?These are often added on top of the grid and are useful for cooking fish and other stuff that can fall through a grid, and they are usually cast iron because you want a heavy lump that won't slide over the grill bars and gives you an even heat distribution.

[Petrochemicals (OP)]

For what it's worth, professional chefs use stainless steel barbecues. Easy to clean and apparently robust enough to feed a few hundred people every day. But what do they know? 

Just been for a look, appears cast iron is the material of the grill plate.

Try "Nisbets" - professional catering equipment suppliers that I use. Plenty of stainless steel barbecues.

However we may be at cross purposes over the words "grill plate". Do you mean a flat griddle plate rather than a grid?These are often added on top of the grid and are useful for cooking fish and other stuff that can fall through a grid, and they are usually cast iron because you want a heavy lump that won't slide over the grill bars and gives you an even heat distribution.

As in the thread title, a grate.