The healthiest method to cook outside is on an electric grill. They don’t produce carcinogens, and they don’t require environmentally damaging non-renewable gas fuels. If you’re concerned about your health, an electric grill may be a better alternative than a charcoal or gas grill. So, What are electric grills, their features, and the cooking ways of the types of grills are the points discussed in the article.
An electric element provides a consistent heat source for grilling equipment. The meal is placed on the grill’s grate, which is above an electric element, and a drip pan is placed on the bottom of the unit to catch any excess fat or fluids that drip from the food while it cooks. When the juices drip on the flavored ceramic briquets in the drip pan, they add an added layer of flavor.
Another electric barbecue feature is solid grill grates with deep grooves for collecting fat and fluids. The grate is angled slightly towards a drip pan, into which the drippings from the grooves will flow. This thick grate protects the heating element. Electric grills come in various sizes and styles, including indoor, outdoor, tabletop, and stand-alone types.
What Are Electric Grills?
An electric grill is a type of grill that uses electricity as a heat source. Electricity heats up the element of the grill and cooks the food above it. The main source of heat is electricity provides a quick and easy way for enjoying the taste of the grill that we achieve from outdoor grills. There is no mess in using an electric grill just plug the grill into the socket and place the food above it.
The grill grates are placed just above the heating elements and the drip pan is underneath the element. This setup of the grill gives a smoky flavor to the food if placed some flavored briquettes within the drip pan. The drip pan is detachable doesn’t have to worry if the juices flow from the food to the drip pan.
Features of Electric Grills
You can achieve an excellent grilling experience and flavor by using an electric barbecue instead of a charcoal or gas grill. Continue reading to discover what to think about while using an electric grill.
1. Energy Source of the Grill
An electric grill’s power source is, of course, electricity. The benefit of this is that you won’t have to deal with bags of charcoal every time you want to use the grill. You won’t have to bother about propane tanks or ensuring that the barbecue has enough gas. You’ll need to utilize your electric grill near a power outlet. To heat the grill, you’ll need access to a socket, either indoors or outdoors. Many grills come with long cords, allowing you to plug them in while keeping them at a safe distance.
2. Size of the Grill
The size of an electric grill is one of its best features. They are more compact and smaller than charcoal or gas barbecues. Consider how much space you’ll need when shopping for an electric grill. Many electric grills have small grilling surfaces, making them ideal for cooking in a small group of tiny rooms. You can acquire an electric grill and use it for one or two people without feeling like it’s excessive.
3. Space Required for the Grill
The compactness of an electric grill is a tremendous advantage. They are often smaller than other classic grills. They differ in size from grill to grill. Think about where you’d like to utilize your grill and how much space you have. This will assist you in selecting the best electric grill for your needs.
4. User-Friendly Grill
The ease of usage of an electric grill is a central selling point and one worth considering. There is no need to set up charcoal every time you wish to use it. Wait for it to get hot before lighting it. Then it’s a matter of keeping the temperature stable. There are no propane tanks to connect, so you won’t have to worry about running out of gas in the middle of a meal.
With an electric grill, all you have to do is plug it in and start cooking. It contains grilling grates so that you may enjoy the benefits of a grill without the hassles of charcoal or gas.
5. Heating of the Grill
Concerning electric grills, one thing to remember is that their temperature may peak and not reach the same extremes as a gas grill. When you’re going to cook on an electric grill, it’s a good idea to connect it before you start preparing your food. You should turn this grill on and let it warm up before using it, just as you would any other grill.
Before putting any meat on the grill, make sure it’s nice and hot. As you open the grill and add what you’re grilling, it will cool slightly. If the grill is nice and hot, it will assist you in getting to the right temperature faster and easier.
6. Temperature Indicator of the Grill
When buying an electric grill, a temperature indicator is a helpful feature to look for. It will inform you of the temperature of your grill and when it is ready to start grilling. This feature isn’t available on all-electric grills, so look for it if you can. This is a built-in feature on some electric grills, whereas it is an add-on feature on others. Some will have a light that indicates that the grill is hot, but not to what degree.
Pros Of Electric Grills
- It’s simple to use.
- Heats up faster than the other options.
- Grills of this sort are safer than those of different varieties.
- They come with various countertop alternatives, making them an excellent choice for those who live in an apartment.
Cons Of Electric Grills
- There is no taste of authentic barbeque.
- Cooking for a huge party could be difficult because they are usually small.
- They don’t reach the high temperatures required to sear the meat; however, grills with sear markings on the lid can achieve this.
How To Obtain Original Grill Flavor From Electric Grill?
Some argue that an electric barbecue does not provide a charcoal or gas grill with authentic grill flavor. This may be one of the electric grill’s drawbacks. However, many people believe that the electric grill produces the same tasty results as conventional grilling methods.
To get that more classic and authentic grill taste, one recommendation is to add smoked wood chips or pellets to the electric grill. Even if you only have a little electric grill, you can accomplish this. To begin, soak the wood chips in water for 30 minutes. Then wrap them in foil and poke holes in it to let the smoke out. The wood chips are kept in their place. The smoke flavor is produced when the grill heats up, giving taste to anything you’re cooking.
How to Cook on Electric Grill
There is nothing like buying some pellets, charcoal or filling gas in a gas tank before going for a grilling session. Sometimes the weather outside is not friendly and one wants to have a steak. Here comes the magic of the electric grill. You just need the food or the meat to make the stakes that you enjoyed in the summer in your garden with the sun kissing your face.
The indoor one will give you the same taste as you enjoyed with the other types, or with the open type electric grill. We can discuss the procedure of grilling on both types of electric grills. Before starting you make the food ready for grilling. In the case of indoor grilling remove the extra fat from the meat as it makes extra smoke that causes smoke in the kitchen or sometimes might be the cause of grease fire.
Types of Electric Grills
There are many types of electric grills available but generally, there are two main types:
- Open or Outdoor Electric Grill
- Contact or Indoor Electric Grill
Open or Outdoor Electric Grill
An open or outdoor electric grill is like other types of grill but the heating element is electricity.
- Set up the grill on a flat surface.
- Open the lid and spray with cooking oil if the grill grates are not ceramic ones.
- Preheat the grill. If you don’t know the temperature for grilling set the nob to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, other grills are mostly set for cooking while outdoor grilling.
- place the food on the grill and flip it from time to time.
- When done with grilling allow it to cook down, remove the gates and clean it.
Contact or Indoor Electric Grill
Contact grill is like a griddle but the main difference is it has grates that give the taste and sear marks to the food just like other normal grills.
- Set the contact grill on a flat top surface.
- Clean it because most of the time dust sits on the grilling grates.
- Close the plates and let them heat for some time.
- Open the plates and place the food in the middle of the below plate and close the grill with the above plate.
- If you know the time of grilling let it be undisturbed for that time if you don’t make it check timely.
- When the food is cooked, remove it with tongs and clean the grill completely for the next use.
How to Use an Electric Grill?
The electric grill uses electricity for grilling but before going for this option one has the complete knowledge of its requirements. There are two main types of electric grills. indoor electric grill and outdoor electric grill (there is another type of electric grill called an electric smoker). The indoor is also called a contact grill has also had two options. the first is the tabletop model, and the second is the model on the stand.
With the constant heat supply from the grill, it grills or cooks the food evenly all over the grill making nice sear marks that everyone wants from any type of grill. The grill grates are placed above the electric heating element and the drip pan is placed at the bottom of the electric element to collect the fats and juices that come to form the food mostly from the meat. The juices or fat are best for adding extra flavor to the grilling food, when they dripped the food onto the hot element it vaporizes and cover the food with a flavored taste, and hold the extra juice from dripping.
How to Light an Electric Grill?
- Electric grills run entirely on electricity and require a power source to operate. As a result, the grill will begin to heat up as soon as you turn on the switch. To turn on or off the machine, some electric grills have additional control over the grill itself.
- You will be able to alter the temperature of the heat with the help of a temperature dial, depending on the grill you own. One of the reasons some people prefer an electric barbecue to a regular grill is this.
- Most electric grills have a safety feature that will turn off the grill if it detects overheating, keeping you safe from any accidents.
- It’s easy to start an electric BBQ. You don’t need any fuel or lights; simply put the barbeque into a wall outlet, set the controller to ‘high,’ and leave it to heat for 25 minutes with the lid closed. It won’t be long before the barbeque reaches the ideal cooking temperature.
Taste of Food Cooked on Electric Grill
The flavor is the thing that most people go for when having a plan for outdoor dining. The same chicken is cooked in a restaurant and at home but the taste and flavor are totally different. The reason behind the flavor is the recipe and the instrument used for cooking the food.
The electric grill has its own benefits and flavor completely different from charcoal, gas, or pellet grill. This is because that type of grill adds an extra flavor to the food. But we can’t deny one of its great benefits that it is used both for indoor and outdoor grilling. The other is the taste that comes when the juice that flows from the food covers the food after dripping over the electric element of the electric grill.
If one wants the traditional flavor of grilled food and has no other option then one must go for some best types of marinades. Marinades and tenderizers have their own specific taste that enhances the flavor of the food. The smoky flavor is added to the food by using some good wood chips that will give the smoky flavor to the food.
Can I Use an Electric Grill Inside?
We can use an electric grill but not all of its types. As discussed earlier there are two types of electric grills. We can’t use the open type of indoor grilling as it is most like the other types of grills that make smoke and sometimes catch grease fire while cooking.
Using a grill mat under an electric grill is advisable for secure grilling. The contact one is used for indoor grilling as long as it is smokeless. Due to its compactness, portability, and ease of usage, we can use it anywhere, either indoors as well as outdoors. The grill mat provides an added layer of protection and prevents any potential mess or damage while ensuring a safe and enjoyable grilling experience.
The main thing while cooking indoors is to keep proper attention from starting till the end as no one knows when a mishap happens. Always keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and one must know how to use it, as many have this in their kitchens and don’t know how to use it. It will be better if you use an electric grill on a mat that will protect the underneath table or the floor.
Conclusion
It is a type of grill that is used for both indoor and outdoor grilling with ease of usage and is completely safe to use. There is nothing like dumping with fuel either charcoal, a pellet, or gas. just switch the plug in the socket and are ready to go.
Many of us get goosebumps when we hear about cooking over electricity. There are many misconceptions about electric grills, but it’s not the case. Learning how to grill over the electric grill is easy but operating it safely can be a challenge for some of us. An electric grill is so much easier if you know how to make a sandwich in a sandwich maker. It is like heating, oiling, placing the food (anything you like to grill), and knowing the exact time for its cooking.
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