Grilling Challenge Week 3: Go wild, grill a salad

Also: Ice cream sandwiches and on-sale olive oil
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Welcome to the third week of our August Grilling Challenge. We’re getting a little wild today, throwing unexpected but delicious things on the grill (like a s’mores sandwich). Plus: a really great deal on our favorite olive oil.

Today’s grilling challenge: Grill beyond the expected

A grilled pizza is cut into rectangular portions and served with wine.
Kenji López-Alt’s grilled pizza. Tara Donne for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Anna Stockwell.

By Mia Leimkuhler and Sofia Sokolove

Hello there! Welcome back. Week one was all about fine-tuning those grilling basics; week two was all about throwing an excellent cookout. Now? We’re getting creative, because no one can subsist on grilled hot dogs alone.

This week’s challenge is to grill something you’ve never considered grilling before. Give corn the night off and throw some leafy greens on the grill. Make an actually grilled grilled cheese sandwich. And definitely try grilling your pizza (above), which New York Times Cooking columnist Kenji López-Alt says is one of the easiest ways (really!) to get restaurant-quality pizza at home.

We’ve also included some rigorously taste-tested essentials you’ll need for your grilling adventures—olive oil, canned tomatoes, and vanilla ice cream, plus the one tool our experts say is a must-have. Go ahead, live a little. (Besides, all of these recipes are free, so you may as well get to experimenting.)

Grill your sandwiches!

Article Image

Kate Sears for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Chris Lanier.

Braaibroodjie (Grilled Cheese and Chutney Sandwiches)

Recipe from Jan Braai

Adapted by Sheela Prakash

35 minutes

Makes 4 servings

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David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich on the Grill

By Ali Slagle

10 minutes, plus grill heating

Makes 4 servings

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Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Grilled S’mores Sandwiches

By Ali Slagle

10 minutes, plus grill heating

Makes 4 sandwiches

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Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylst: Laurie Ellen Pellicano.

Strawberry and Ice Cream Sandwiches

By Laurie Ellen Pellicano

15 minutes, plus time to heat grill, if using

Makes 4 to 6 sandwiches

Grill big green leafy vegetables!

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Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Grilled Romaine

By Sam Sifton

15 minutes

Makes 4 servings

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Joe Lingeman for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Grilled Cabbage With Paprika-Lime Butter

By Ali Slagle

45 minutes

Makes 4 servings

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Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Grilled Slaw With Ginger and Sesame

By Steven Raichlen

30 minutes

Makes 6 servings

Grill fruit!

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Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times

Grilled Peaches With Dukkah and Blueberries

By Ligaya Mishan

10 minutes

Makes 4 servings

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Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Grilled Figs With Pomegranate Molasses

By Martha Rose Shulman

15 to 30 minutes, depending on how many figs you grill at one time

Makes 6 servings

Still thinking about outdoor pizza? Consider a dedicated oven.

Two images with a border, one of a pizza on a wooden cutting board and one of a pizza coming out of the Ooni Koda 16 Gas Powered Pizza Oven.
Illustration: Dana Davis; Photo: Connie Park

A pizza oven is, by no means, essential. But it sure is fun to use. Wirecutter journalist Katie Quinn had a realization living in Italy years ago: Homemade dough is the first step to making a really great pizza. Equally as important: simple but high-quality ingredients, and the gorgeous brick oven that bakes the pizzas to perfection.

Back stateside in Brooklyn, Katie’s outdoor oven has helped her recreate some of that Italian magic. Plus, it frees up her grill for all those wild sides.

“The pizzas I made when I lived in Italy were the best I ever had. This outdoor oven transports me back”→

Your essentials for today

The Winco Heavyweight 16" Stainless Steel Utility Tongs pictured on a cream colored background.
Close-up of a Winco UT-16HT tongs holding a roasted chicken over the grates of a gas grill.

A great pair of tongs

They’ll give you the most control for manipulating all kinds of foods on the grill.

Several topped, melting vanilla ice cream scoops in waffle cones along with three pints of vanilla ice cream posed amongst scattered rainbow sprinkles.

Our favorite vanilla ice cream

To sandwich between those perfectly grilled buns (above). Perfection.

Four cans of tomatoes from different brands stacked side by side.

The best canned tomatoes

We assessed over 25 different cans to find the reddest, richest, and most tomato-y.

One last (on-sale!) thing: The best olive oil

A bottle of Graza Sizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Photo: Connie Park

After researching over 40 bottles of olive oil, consulting a trained olive oil taster, and taste-testing 15 options ourselves, Wirecutter’s experts have come away with the best extra-virgin olive oils—all available in your local grocery store.

Our panelists agreed that the Graza Sizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which smells like fresh living tomato plants, was the best all-purpose oil. It’s balanced, green, and peppery, and would pair nicely with any of today’s recipes (try it on those grilled peaches!).

A two-pack is currently 25 percent off—exclusively for y’all→

New recipes, easy dinner ideas and smart kitchen tips from Melissa Clark, Sam Sifton and our New York Times Cooking editors.

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New recipes, easy dinner ideas and smart kitchen tips from Melissa Clark, Sam Sifton and our New York Times Cooking editors.

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If grilling your ice cream sandwiches feels like one step too far, we aren’t judging. These are the best ones you can buy in stores. We’ll see you next week for our guide to autumn grilling.

You can reach the Wirecutter Newsletters team at newsletters@wirecutter.com. We can’t always respond, but we do love to hear from you.

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