An electric grill is a convenient and multifunctional kitchen appliance. With its help you can cook steaks, sandwiches, and reheat yesterday's pie. The variety of these kitchen gadgets is impressive.
Principle of operation
The operating principle of such kitchen equipment is to heat the upper and lower surfaces. The platforms, inside of which heating elements are installed, are heated. They are capable of heating up to a temperature of + 230-270 degrees.
Meat, fish or vegetables are placed between the heating elements, and the device is closed. Thanks to this, the dish cooks evenly. In appearance, the finished products will be similar to fried ones, but in terms of dietary properties they will be similar to those that are steamed.
What are there
There are many types of electric grills. They are:
- Open, closed and universal. Open electric grills have a working surface directly above the heating element. Models have a grid on which food is placed. When cooking, you need to turn them over yourself. Closed electric grills are similar to a press and have a hinged lid. This makes it possible to cook food in the same way as in a classic oven. With the help of universal grills, you can choose the most suitable cooking method and cook either on closed or open models to choose from.
- Contactless and contact.Non-contact ones have an open spiral, a grate where food is placed and a tray for draining fat. In contact models, products are placed directly on the work surface.
- Stationary and portable. The first are massive and large devices that require a large placement area. They need a constant connection to a 380 V network. As a rule, they are used in catering establishments. Portable models are more compact in size. They are actively used in everyday life at home. Such devices just need to be plugged into an outlet.
An electric grill is a common kitchen appliance. You can use it for more than just frying. There are many varieties, so you should choose according to your preferences.
Advantages and disadvantages of electric grills
An electric grill has a number of advantages, including:
- Food cooked on the grill turns out to be dietary. It contains a minimal amount of fat, since it flows into a special compartment. Only healthy ingredients remain in the food.
- Extensive possibilities, since with the help of an electric grill you can fry, bake, stew various foods. You can also heat and defrost food.
- When using an electric grill, there is no need to constantly adjust the process.
- The compact size of many grills allows them to be used even in small kitchens.
- No odors when cooking in closed grills. Unlike charcoal and gas grills, an electric grill does not emit odors and does not harm the environment.
- Affordable price. Many good models are fairly inexpensive.
Despite a number of advantages, there are also certain disadvantages of electric grills:
- Consumption of quite a large amount of electricity.
- You can cook a wide variety of dishes on an electric grill, but none of them are the usual everyday ones.
- Cleaning panels. The non-stick coating requires careful and delicate care after each use of the grill. If you don't clean it well enough, the coating quickly loses its functional qualities.
Many users use an electric grill and appreciate its benefits when cooking. Many people note the fact that food cooked on an electric grill has its own unique taste, which is difficult to replicate.
What to look for when choosing
When choosing an electric grill, you need to pay attention to the important characteristics of this device. There are a number of recommendations from experts who will help you choose a high-quality model for home use.
Work surface material
On sale you can find metal, ceramics and non-stick coatings. The last option is the most convenient, accessible and widespread. Non-stick panels are easier to clean and will last longer. Ceramics will be much more expensive, and at the same time not so practical.
Housing material
Models with heat-resistant plastic are much cheaper than those made of stainless steel. Moreover, both options will have almost the same service life and equal maintenance rules.
Power
Before buying an electric grill, you first need to decide on the power. It plays an important role in the speed of food preparation and energy consumption.The higher the power of the device, the faster the food will cook. But at the same time, electricity consumption is higher.
Electric grills with a power of up to 2000 W are suitable for home use. 1500 W will be sufficient to cook a delicious steak in a short time. Many powerful grills are not always used to their full capacity. But at the same time they consume a lot of energy.
Control type
The control can be mechanical or electronic. Models with mechanical handles are easier to operate, they are also more reliable and cost less. But sophisticated electronic grills provide convenient and varied additional functions.
Additional functions
Additional functions of an electric grill make cooking easier, but are not considered a prerequisite for purchasing a particular model. Modern electric grills offer a variety of functions, including a timer, automatic program selection, precise temperature control, and others.
- Switch on and heating sensor. The function is reflected on the device when it is connected to the network. The red light comes on. The heat function helps you determine when the grill surface is hot enough to place food on the panels.
- Temperature regulator. A function that allows you to independently set the desired temperature. Smooth temperature control prevents food from overcooking or burning.
- On/off button. A useful feature for those who want the electric grill to be always plugged in, but not always work. With an on/off button, the grill only turns on when you press it.
- Removable tray. A useful feature, thanks to which the drip tray with drained fat can be separated from the grill and washed separately.
- Adjustable height of legs and lid. Adjustable lid allows you to adjust to the thickness of the product. This will allow the dish to cook evenly. Adjusting the height of the legs helps to tailor the grill to each user personally.
- Non-stick coating. This coating guarantees protection against burning and sticking of food. The non-stick coating allows you to cook food without using oil. Panels can have different surfaces: corrugated and smooth. Smooth surfaces are easier to clean than corrugated ones.
- Overheat protection. The function will protect the device during voltage surges and automatically turn off the grill when the maximum temperature is reached.
- Removable panel. Removable panels are easy to clean. They are dishwasher safe, making them even easier to clean. Embossed panels are more difficult to clean than smooth ones.
- Delayed start. The function is used to turn on the grill independently and prepare a dish without human intervention.
- Sensors for product weight, pressure, temperature. Additional temperature, weight and pressure sensors can be useful for different applications. Basically this is an overpayment of money.
- Wire retract function. Helps you remove the wire yourself into the storage compartment.
Accessories
Among all the accessories, the most popular ones may be:
- grill panels;
- baking tray;
- culinary thermometer.
It is convenient to have several identical replacement panels. This way you can quickly prepare different dishes without mixing the flavors. Before purchasing, be sure to check the device model so that the panels fit exactly.
The grill pan can be placed between the two grill covers. Thus, the grill turns into an oven.With a universal pan you can prepare dessert, fluffy omelet, healthy vegetables, and much more.
For true cooks, a culinary thermometer will come in handy. Using a long probe, you can easily determine the temperature inside the meat. Thanks to this, you can fry the steak to the desired degree. Thermometers come with a large screen and are highly accurate.
You need to select accessories for an electric grill personally. Many models of electric grills already include such accessories. You need to pay attention to the components when buying a grill.
The process of cooking using an electric grill has been greatly simplified. Using the grill, dishes are obtained with an appetizing crust and are healthy. The user can choose the best electric grill based on his preferences. The rating presents a large number of good models for every taste.
