Fire Sense Notebook Foldable BBQ Grill

A barbecue that folds to one inch flat earns its notebook name. The Fire Sense Notebook Grill opens to 13 inches high, then folds down into its own carrying case. That is the appeal here: a charcoal grill you can take to a picnic without committing a cupboard to it afterward.

The black, high-heat-resistant painted steel body holds a 17.34-by-11.82-inch cooking surface, with folding cooking grates and 3.5mm cooking bars. If you camp or tailgate now and then, want a real charcoal barbecue, and don’t have much room to store one, this fits the bill. The folding trick solves the bulky-grill problem, not every part of the outing. At eight pounds, it is portable, not weightless.

This is strictly an outdoor grill, so leave the kitchen-counter experiments alone. For someone whose barbecue plans involve a picnic spot rather than a permanent patio setup, the slim shape is a useful bit of design, not just a party trick.