SHOPTALK : Time to Get Fired Up and Buy a Barbecue : There’s a big range in prices and styles. Gas-burning models are friendlier to the environment than charcoal burners.

Women love it when men cook. To me, there’s nothing sexier than a guy wearing oven mitts and holding a pair of barbecue tongs. In anticipation of a hot summer ahead, we checked the local shops for an outdoor grill that would set up any man as Chief Chef and Keeper of the Flame.

We found a wide and daunting selection of barbecues on the market. To simplify things, we’ll narrow it down to two main categories; charcoal-fired barbecues and gas-fired outdoor grills. Between these two types are myriad shapes and prices.

Barbecue purists prefer charcoal-fired grills. They basically think using gas is cheating. (A macho bunch!) They might also argue that the taste of food prepared on a charcoal grill is superior to food prepared on a gas grill.

Gas grill enthusiasts know they can do anything a charcoal chef can do. Adding wood chips or mesquite can flavor the gas barbecue just as well as the charcoal grill. Gas grills can heat up in minutes as opposed to the 20 to 30 minutes the average char-grill takes. Best of all, gas grills are less polluting to the environment and there are no ashes to clean up after the cookout.

If you decide on a charcoal grill, check out the Weber Kettle. One of the most popular grills on the market, they are nicely designed, made to last, and come in a wide range of sizes. A “Smokey Joe Grill” by Weber is $29.99 at Target. It’s perfect for an apartment or condo balcony and portable for picnics at the park. (The same grill is $25.95 at Home Depot.)

A family will most likely need a larger model. The 22 1/2-inch Weber Kettle at Target was $69.99, while at Home Depot it cost $72.80. You can avoid using the charcoal lighter fluid if you purchase an electrical starter with 24-inch cord for $9.97 at Home Depot. Or try the more popular fire chimney or “cannister-style starter, also available at Home Depot for $8.99. These cannisters are faster than electrical starters. By stacking briquets inside the cannister on top of kindling you are ready to cook in less than 10 minutes. Buy two if you are expecting a large crowd.

We also saw bags of mesquite and hickory briquets and chips at The Home Depot priced from $2.59 to $6.97.

Our chef is an environmentalist, so we are opting for the gas grill. The ones we saw, ranged in price from a low of $90 way up to many hundreds of dollars. A really good grill can be had for around $400, an adequate grill can be had for much less. These lower priced gas grills do very well for the occasional burger and steak. However, if you want to see your chef cook more frequently--like every night from May to November--go for a better model.

At Target we found grills by Thermos starting at $89.77 on up to $199.77. Barbecues come unassembled and they can be a nightmare to put together. Some stores will assemble the grills for you for a fee. Unfortunately, Target does not offer this service.

Happily, Home Depot’s assembly charges were quite reasonable. Their best seller, “Char Broil Deluxe 7000,” goes for $144 or $164 assembled. Our pick is the Weber “Genesis.” We could save $20 and buy it unassembled, but we prefer to save our relationship. Our chef is not as handy with power tools as he is with power food.