With summer finally in sight, it's time for many people to get the barbecue out of the shed or to prepare the outdoor kitchen for use. A good time to check whether the barbecue grill is still fresh. This will most likely be the case in the Netherlands:the Dutch are very careful with their barbecue. They clean their barbecue as soon as possible after use. Half even indicate that they do this immediately after use, another third the day after. Most do this with just a simple soapy water. This makes us the cleanest compared to other Western European countries, the English are the least careful with their barbecue. This is apparent from research into barbecue habits in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France and England by manufacturer of specialist cleaning products HG.
We barbecue quite a bit in the Netherlands:4 out of 10 people light the barbecue more than five times a year. Although the Germans take the cake here:almost 70% of Germans with a barbecue use it more than five times a year. Remarkable, because only 25% of Germans indicate that they have a barbecue, compared to 46% of the Dutch. In France, almost 70% even have a barbecue in the garden.
Barbecuing has now become an art The fact that the Dutch are so economical with their barbecue is probably due to its popularity. Besides the fact that 40% barbecue more than five times, about half do so 2 to 4 times a year. More and more advanced barbecues are therefore being sold. And of course, a little grill master also puts more luxurious meat on it. Jord Althuizen, world champion in barbecue and founder of Smokey Goodness, confirms this:"Fortunately, the Dutch do much more with their barbecue these days than just grill sausages and shaslicks, think of lots of vegetables, beautiful large pieces of meat that are slowly cooked and complete meals on the grill. schedule. I am therefore happy to see that the Dutch are taking good care of their barbecue, because a clean barbecue is not only safer, but also better for the taste and quality.” Half of the Dutch indicate that they only use soapy water with all-purpose cleaner or detergent. And although this does get the barbecue clean, it is often quite a job to really get the barbecue cleaned properly.
Differences with other countries
The research was conducted in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, England and France. The Dutch are the cleanest, followed by Belgium, Germany and France. The English are the least clean, almost a third wait with cleaning until they start using the barbecue again or only clean it once a year or even never. In England, on the other hand, specialist cleaning agents or a special brush are used much more often than in other countries; almost 60% compared to less than 50% in the other countries.
It is also striking that especially the Germans and English do not see much harm in a dirty barbecue. More than 40% of Germans think it is not bad for your health to prepare food on a dirty barbecue. In England, almost half think that the quality of the food does not deteriorate on a dirty barbecue. In the other countries people are much more aware of this. Here too, the Dutch are most aware of the risks, which can cause the Dutch's urge to clean. Bregtje van Aalten, Marketing Director of HG, explains:“8 out of 10 Dutch people know that barbecuing on a dirty barbecue is not healthy and also affects the quality of the meat. However, we are not acting on this yet. But you won't get there with just a little soap and water. It is better to use a special cleaning agent for a barbecue, which will clean it faster and safer.”
