FlameDisk – Fast, Easy and Clean Grilling Heat
Can grilling ever be green, Eco friendly or recyclable? Yes to all with theFlame Disk® from Sologear, the ethanol fuel disk that works as good as charcoal (in my opinion) but has none of the mess or environmental issues charcoal produces. My friends over at Sologear sent me a few samples of their FlameDisk® and when a “Made in the USA” product happens to come my way, I am always ready to give it a test or two.
FlameDisk is one of those unique ideas that make sense but you really wouldn't think it will work for you. Really, we are programed to use charcoal or gas because that's what everyone uses, right? It's our mind set and we just don't change, ever. Just like new food; looks good, smells good, sounds good, but you just want your burger, please. My first gut reaction when I was asked to check the FlameDisk out was: Looks good, sounds good but I really like my charcoal.
After saying OK I'll give them a try, three showed up at my door with their sales brochure along with it. Nicely done I might add. they looked good, they seem like they would work, but would they work as good as charcoal?
Setting them aside I started to peruse the brochure for some hint that these were as good as charcoal. Two details jumped out at me from the start:
Safety
- No excessive flaring like lighter fluid
- 99% less carbon monoxide vs charcoal
- no lingering coals
Environmentally Friendly
- Renewable bio-fuel
- No petroleum/fossil fuel components
- use of recyclable materials
- Extremely clean burning – 90% fewer pollutants than charcoal and lighter fluid
I really liked the idea that the FlameDisk are safer and more environmentally friendly than charcoal!
So the brochure sold me on the features and benefits, time for the test. I had to know three things:
- Heat – can it really cook my dinner?
- Taste – does it create a grilled/BBQ taste that we all know?
- Safe – Lighting up, flare-ups and disposal, is it safe to use?
Right on the front of the package it states: “Faster, Easier and Cleaner than Charcoal!”
Time to test it out!
My grill of choice was the Weber Performer 22 1/2″ kettle. Not the little Weber they show on the brochure but a full size kettle barbecue. After removing the protective cover from the FlameDisk (a bit of firm pulling did the job). I placed the FlameDisk in the center of the kettle creating a feeling of “This little FlameDisk isn't going to cook my meal!”. Really, the FlameDisk measure about 9″ in diameter and was lost in the bottom of my Weber kettle. (Note, FlameDisk recommends using two FlameDisks for this size kettle). I like to make it work (insert evil grin here).
Time to light the fire and lighting was instantaneous, I mean now! If it took a full minute for those flame to kick into high gear I would be even more impressed. I had a cooking ready fire in near seconds! So half of question #1 was answered, yes! But can it produce enough heat?
With charcoal I always use the 3 second test for “Is it ready to use yet?”. If you can hold your hand over the coals for three seconds then it's time to start cooking. About 3 minutes after lighting the FlameDisk my grill was ready to go!! Nice … All phases of question one have been passed, plenty of heat and half of question #3 was passed with flying colors! No waiting, no explosions, no accidents, just simple and safe.
Now, how does the FlameDisk compare to charcoal while grilling? I won't bore you with the blow by blow details of cooking my Gorgonzola Turkey Burgers here but they hit the grill a sizzling and cooked to perfection with that single FlameDisk as it's heat source. With the one FlameDisk I was able to cook four good sized burgers and still had heat to toast the buns. Truthfully I am sure I had another 20 minutes of cooking left in that disk.
No flare ups! No chemical smells! No accidents!
And …
Yes it tasted like grilled burgers! Those guys at Sologear nailed it! It passed all three of my areas of concern with flying colors!
Oh, wait! Disposal … after it cooled off, I recycled it. Very nice!
How to wrap this up?
Well, these are great! I like them and I am not being paid to say that. They did send me three FlameDisks for free so there's your full disclosure. These are light weight (12oz) so you could easily take a dozen with you camping and never have to worry about wet charcoal again. No more stinky charcoal fluid – you can through that stuff out (safely). I would be totally comfortable having my boys use these under adult supervision of course. And last but not least, I will use them again.
They are the perfect size for a small grill and you can double them up for a larger grill! Did I mention that they are made in the U.S.A. !!!
You can contact FlameDisk by going to www.FlameDisk.com or calling them at 888-786-0612
Thanks for the write up on the FlameDisk. I went to their website and found they should be offered at Home Depot. I’m going to buy a set of three and test them using a Volcano II. I think the channeled heat might work well. It will be interesting to see what 40 minutes of flame will do in a Volcano II.
Let me know how that works Ranes! I am trying it next on a Campfire-In-A-Can to see how the works also. If you want to do a write up I post it, good info.