Our gourmet experience as total beginners with 3COINS’ Mini BBQ Stove

If you can’t grill with your friends, you can always grill with yourself.

Japan is arguably one of the most accommodating nations when it comes to experiencing life solo, whether it’s shabu shabu or revolving sushi. Many likely feel grateful for these nifty inventions, especially during times when it’s not very feasible to meet with your friends and family as a group.

That’s why our Japanese-language reporter Kaoru Satsuki was excited to hear about 3COINS’ hot summer item of 2021, the Mini BBQ Stove. The personal grill, which costs just 1,320 yen (US$12.04), was sold out on 3COINS’ online store as of May 7, but Kaoru was lucky enough to find one in stock at a physical 3COINS store.

▼ Let the grilling fun begin.

The grill consists of three parts: a ventilated container to keep the grilling tinder off the ground, a tray to put your tinder in, and a wire grill to put on the top. As a total beginner to grilling on her own, Kaoru was grateful for the simple and compact setup.

Along with some wood charcoal for the Mini BBQ Stove, Kaoru used an ignition agent to get the fire started easily. Once the fire was properly started, she waited five minutes for everything to get nice and toasty (or grill-y).

▼ With the right supplies, getting started is easy.

“All I have to do now is put meat on the wire grill, right?” our novice griller thought. Well, she was right and wrong, and she’d like to share with you both her successes and her failures.

▼ Here’s what she prepped for her solo indulgence.

Kaoru prepared some green onion and chicken yakitori, sausages and green peppers, some King trumpet mushrooms, and marinated meat. For dessert, she skewered a couple of marshmallows.

▼ And just like that, she put a bit of everything on the grill (except the marshmallows, of course).

▼ After a few minutes of careful grilling, she had her first plateful ready. Time to eat!

Whether it was meat or veggies, Kaoru thought everything was delicious! And the best part was that she could have as much as she liked, when she liked. That’s the real thrill of solo grilling.

▼ She thought it was even more special that she could do it from the comfort of her own garden.

But as Kaoru was enjoying her meal and preparing for the next batch, she started to wonder, “Wait, did I use enough charcoal?” As a beginner, she wasn’t sure what to do in the event that she had, indeed, not used enough charcoal.

▼ A little too late for that, we guess.

She began to regret that she hadn’t Googled “correct amount of charcoal for grilling”, and she realized that if she stopped grilling to actually research it on Google, her precious food would burn. If she stopped grilling entirely and the charcoal burnt out, then she would have wasted her food.

▼ The only option left was: grill and eat as fast as she can.

Fortunately, her natural eating speed was just enough to keep up with the amount of food she grilled. But unfortunately, the stress she felt at trying to grill all of her food before the charcoal went out defeated the whole purpose of solo grilling: to have fun.

▼ The marshmallows at the end of her personal feast made up for it, though!

What Kaoru took away from this experience as a beginner griller is that grilling is much more than just lighting a fire, and it doesn’t have to feel like a lonely experience unless you let it become one. Just remember to Google how much charcoal you need, and maybe you’ll have a slightly more relaxing experience than she did. And don’t forget the mochi!

Photos ©SoraNews24
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