...this grill!Yup! We have a grill (a.k.a Helmut) that's not even two years old, and I'm already thinking of buying another one.
...gotta have one for the balcony AND the rooftop, right?
Mrs. TBF and I, instead of blogging like we should have been, did a bunch of things over this past holiday (May Day) weekend. One of those things was going to our friendly, neighborhood Wyss garden center to buy some plants. While we were there, I pointed out to Mrs. TBF the Weber grill that had received (on previous solo visits) some gentle caresses, whispers of sweet nothings, and perhaps a dry hump or two from yours truly. She looked it over, and gave me the thumbs up!
Then, we saw the Weber Summit S-650!
Let me tell ya, it's a thing of beauty; burners galore (including a side burner), a spit fork rotisserie with motor, a wood chip smoker box, etc., etc. I was practically weeping. However, cooler heads prevailed and we decided to get the lesser model...which was still really, REALLY nice (and half the price!). We didn't order it there and then, but I figured I'd just go back and order one (the Swiss pretty much never carry any inventory!) after the holiday.
That's the problem: I had time to think about it.
I decided over the past couple of days that I would go back to Wyss and order...the bigger model. That's right, I convinced myself that we needed a total of 72,000 BTUs per hour. Sure, Mrs. TBF and I agreed on the lesser model, but...it's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission, right?
No need to ask for forgiveness...
I decided to do a quick internet check, and I found out that I could buy this grill from Abt Electronics in Chicago for about $1,775 (incl. tax) with free Chicagoland delivery. The price here? CHF 3850! That comes out to about $3,150!
I just can't do it! I can't justify the 75% surcharge.
Want it? Yup! Need it? Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-... Nope!
I'll just wait for when/if the day ever comes that we move back to America, and then I'll buy a top-of-the-line grill. In the meantime, we'll just make do with Helmut and the old charcoal grill.
The Summit S-650 would be a waste here in Switzerland anyway since the meat (except for pork) is waaaaaaaayyyy better in America...
:-(
14 comments:
Ya gotta get the one with the deep fryer on the side. ;-)
I'd say the chicken is better here as well. Chicken was tasting a bit fishy when I left the US. Here it's really good, especially when I get it from the local Metzgeri.
I agree with Greg on the chicken (and with youon the pork)... I'd also add the veal to the list. Actually, I thought you loved your good ol' charcoal grill.
Greg - I agree with you that the chicken is good here; I just wish that the chickens were a bit bigger (and not so expensive!). I mostly buy chicken in France at Géant, but I occasionally buy it at Coop too. One of these days I'm going to do a side by side blind taste test between regular chicken and free-range chicken in order to see if free-range really tastes better or if it's all a bunch of hype...I'm not convinced.
However, I can't really make a comparison to American chicken because it's been a long time since I've eaten chicken in America; perhaps years.
CS - Same thing with veal...
We didn't really eat veal when we were in America (so I can't make a comparison) because we were caught up in all that "don't eat veal because the calves are treated with cruelty" thing. However, when we moved to Switzerland, we wised up and realized that even if the calves are sleeping in the farmer's bed and fed Swiss chocolates every night...they're still slaughtered (killed!) before the meat reaches our plates. Yes, veal in Switzerland is good...VERY good!
BTW...I DO love my old charcoal Weber grill. Mrs. TBF just used it the other day to roast some peppers (while Dr. Andy and I drank beer and watched...); they TOO died a violent death before reaching our plates.
Oh man, I could talk BBQs and grilling meat all day. I tried convincing Eva we need a grill with built in iPod dock and speakers I saw recently but for some reason we couldn't agree! There's nothing like the smell of grilled meat, with a cold beer and the sunshine. Heaven!
Poor Swede, he just got his dream grill 4 months before our move. The new house has a built-in grill which isn't as nice. We had to sell the dream grill to the new owners. :(
Kraut - Get rid of the built-in grill and re-buy the "dream grill"....only, a new bigger and better dream grill!
mmmm, deep fried turkey.
Do you have any idea how to get HBO (specifically the boxing match this weekend) in Europe?
You've touched a nerve, my friend.
A Weber Summit is too much grill and upcharge? Well, then...a Weber Genesis Silver A or B (or whatever is the 2007 equivalent) will fill the niche. It doesn't look at chic, but it still cooks like a Weber...and that's all that matters.
Yeah...it's nice to drive a BMW 700-series, but a 300-series can do the job just as well.
Sal (owner of a Weber Genesis Silver A...bought it in Spain at double the US retail price, and worth every penny of it)
I agree with CDN-CH that the veal here in CH is pretty good. What surprised me last summer while I was hiking was when I saw a veal and its mother up high in the Alps. He seemed pretty happy up there, so now I don't feel as bad when I have veal here. And, if he wasn't eventually going to be eaten, he wouldn't have the chance to have lived anyways...
Now if you combine the good veal and the pork (Bundner Rohschenken) to make Saltimbocca, You get the best of both. I usually cook it up in the frying pan, but it would probably go on the grill as well. I'll post the recipe for it on my cooking blog in a few days.
Face it. Everything is bigger, better and more accessible here.
We're the leaders of the free freakin' world ok?
That baby sells for EUR 2,999 in Germany. That's CHF 4896 or $4074! Sheesh. Makes a charcoal grill sound pretty darn good.
LOL - yes that's quite pricey...
Costco...
I know the one which my dad loved was $699 USD and I thought that was enough money! It even had the rotisserie...
We are considering buying one but we are actually thinking of buying something camping compatible since it's something we will do in the future more...
we like the smaller/lighter concept when it comes grills so they are portable.
Just so you all know...I actually approve of buying the Weber Summit. I made the mistake of seeing it in person.
Christina - Kudos to you for revealing the German price, which justifies the Swiss price for me!!
TBF and I love our food and we love to entertain. The side burner and the direction of the grill burners is the biggest sell for me. We have no idea still of if/when we will move back to the US, so I say we should enjoy life and buy the Summit!!! Will see what TBF wants to do as he almost always gets what he wants.
ET and I are thinking of buying a grill for our apartment balcony this summer. But obviously, that huge Weber Summit wouldn't quite fit, hehe. We'd have to stand in the living room to flip the meat.
Gladly, Weber has lots of selection. I really like the Q-120, it's perfect for smaller spaces.
http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/grill/2007/q/Q120.aspx
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