Electric grills: What to consider?

Electric grills are a great alternative for those who are looking to grill but have space constraints or are unable to have a gas or charcoal grill. Using a heat coil to heat up the cooking grates, there’s no fire, combustion or flame hence it’s often seen as a safer choice. There’s no smoke produced unless oils and juices drip from the meats being grilled onto the heating coil.

Power Source #

While you don’t have to worry about having charcoal or a gas cylinder on standby, you’ll need a power source nearby to plug the grill into. For certain models of electric grills, it’s preferable to plug directly into a wall plug than use an extension cable as advised by the manufacturer.

Heat #

As electric grills tend to not reach peak heat as a charcoal or gas grill would, it’s best to preheat before you start to prep the food for grilling. Allow the grates to heat up adequately before placing any meat on it.

Temperature Gauge #

One feature your electric grill should have is a temperature gauge which is useful to know what temperature you’re cooking at.

Not all electric grills come with this feature, so you want to look for it if possible. Some electric grills have this as a built-in feature, while others have it as an add-on feature.

Some will feature an indicator light that tells you the grill is ready for grilling, but not what temperature it has reached.