Indoor Electric Grill Buying Advice

Like microwaves, ovens and cooktops, the electric grill has joined the ranks of popular cooking methods in American homes. Most often touted for their fat-reducing health benefits, electric grills are also easy to clean and make quick work out of mealtime prep. If you're considering purchasing an indoor electric grill, there are a few key things to keep in mind so you don't get burned by a bad buying decision.

Foreman Leads the Pack
Previously known as the Salton Snackmaster, the indoor electric grill revolution took off when Salton brought in former heavyweight champion George Foreman to stand behind its line of contact electric grills.

Although contact electric grills were designed with hot sandwiches in mind, Salton took the cooking method a step further by showing consumers how this space-saving gadget could be used for everyday cooking as well as hot sandwiches. Consumer response was strong and 57 million George Foreman grills were snapped up quickly.

Types of Electric Grills
The advantage of contact electric grills is their dual heating surfaces which eliminates the need to turn food in order to cook it on both sides. As a result, cooking time is halved although you do need to wait for the grill to heat to the desired temperature before you start cooking.

Some newer models now open flat, allowing you to cook up to four items simultaneously which saves you even more time if you tend to cook eggs and pancakes regularly. Contact grills almost always feature a traditional ridge design, but some feature molded, nonstick surfaces. The best among these offer removable surfaces for easy cleaning.

Open electric grills feature a single cooking surface that's mounted above a drip pan. Similar in style to charcoal grills, they're best used to cook meat and fish. If you're goal in purchasing an indoor electric grill is to bring your summertime outdoor cooking in, you'll get better results with an open electric grill than a contact model. Look for wide, tightly spaced ridges that help prevent food from falling into the drip pan.

Worried about smoke indoors? Add water to the drip pan. Then, when hot fat or juice hits the water, they'll cool because the drip pan isn't heated. What does this mean? Your indoor electric grill will actually give off less smoke than pan frying.  Some smoke will be inevitable, but if you want to reduce it further, choose lean cuts of meat and trim the fat before cooking.

Are Electric Grills Really Healthier?
One of the key selling points of electric grills is the promise of reduced fat content in grilled food. Whenever meats are cooked, some fat gets cooked out of them, and the fat needs a place to go.

Electric grills offer a key advantage over roasting or pan frying because they vent fat away from food. Contact electric grills either have holes to let the fat out or a slanted design that allows the fat to collect in a drip pan. Open electric grills collect fat in a drip pan beneath the grill surface. Compare this to pan cooking, where fat settles in the bottom of the pan and cooks back into the food. Hamburgers and steak tips are two kinds of food that can soak up that excess fat.

Since electric grills move the fat away from the food, there is a slightly lower fat content. Salton claims that its electric grills reduce fat by an additional four percent when compared to pan frying. That's not a huge number for those who need to watch their fat intake. While you'll get a small health benefit from electric grills, it's better to buy one for convenience and ease of cleaning.

Choosing an Electric Grill
When you're shopping for an electric grill, first decide how you'll use it. For sandwiches, breakfasts and occasional burgers, a contact grill is the best choice. If you like to grill fish and meat, choose an open electric grill.

The size of an electric grill is a factor if you're feeding a lot of people. Larger electric grills have more cooking surface area, although few electric grills are adequate for serving more than four people. You'll trade off electric grill compactness for more cooking surface, which is a consideration if countertop space is at a premium in your kitchen. To get the most electric grill in the smallest space, choose a contact electric grill that can open flat, which doubles the cooking area.

Many electric grills have adjustable thermostats that let you set the cooking temperature from 200 to 450 degrees. These thermostats are not as reliable as the ones found on ovens and microwaves, which frustrates many electric grill owners. Look for an electric grill that heats evenly and think of thermostats as a bonus.

Pay careful attention to the way an electric grill collects fat. Look for deep, sturdy drip pans that stay in place and keep fat well away from hot surfaces. Some electric grills include a second drip pan, which is useful if you're cooking burgers or steaks.

Additional Features to Consider
One of the best things about electric grills is that they're easier to clean than pans because you're not struggling to remove baked-on grease and fat. If that ease of use is important to you, look for an electric grill with nonstick cooking surfaces and drip pans. Electric grills with plastic drip pans can also be easy to clean, but make sure the pans are dishwasher safe if you don't want to wash by hand.

When it comes to open electric grills, you don't get that choice: you'll need to clean the ridges. Some contact electric grills, however, have removable cooking surfaces that you can pop in the dishwasher, so look for that feature if you don't want to take the extra time to hand wash.

Floating hinges allow contact electric grills to adjust to thicker cuts of meat and heftier sandwiches. Always check the quality of the hinges on these electric grills to make sure they offer good compression and won't wear out easily.

Bun warmers are a nice plus, but you've probably got a toaster or oven at home, so it's better to spend on an electric grill with more cooking surface and forego this convenience.