If you’re craving grilled meat but you have limited access to outdoor spaces, electric grills are the solution to your problem. They generate less smoke and are perfect for indoor use, but not every grill lives up to its promises. So, our expert backyard grillers have rounded up the best electric grills for every use, whether you’re cooking indoors, outdoors, or anywhere else.
Versatility is the name of the game with the George Foreman Indoor/Outdoor electric grill. With its removable stand, you can use this on your kitchen countertop or bring it out on the patio for outdoor cooking.
This grill has 240 square inches of cooking space, allowing you to cook up to 15 servings at a time. George Foreman packs an impressive feature set, including a cast aluminum lid, fat-reducing sloped grates, and a dishwasher-safe drip pan.
It also comes with 5 different heat settings, and it gets really hot for searing meat. Maintenance-wise, our team found it easy to clean up, thanks to the non-stick cooking plates.
Pros:
Cons:
In our quest to find the best electric grill, Weber didn’t disappoint with its Q2400 model. This grill offers 280 square inches of cooking space – more than what most electric grills come with.
The construction is very sturdy, and it’s heavier than others at 41 pounds. This is due to its cast aluminum lid and porcelain-coated cast-iron cooking grates. Still, its compact design makes it great for condos and anywhere you can’t use gas and charcoal grills.
During our tests, the Weber Q2400 heats up quickly. Cooking steak, fish, and vegetables was super easy, and the results were delicious too. Overall, it’s the best outdoor electric grill we’ve tried.
Pros:
Cons:
The little brother of the Q2400, the Weber Q1400 is a great alternative if you need a more budget-friendly option. This has a smaller cooking area at 189 square inches, which is still enough for a small crowd.
This model has a lot of similarities with the Q2400, as evident from the design alone. You have ergonomic side handles, porcelain-enameled cast iron grates, cast aluminum lid and body, and a drip pan.
We cooked steaks, chicken, and veggies on this electric grill, and the results were great. The infinite heat settings make it easy to control the temperature, and the grates put a nice sear on the food.
Pros:
Cons:
If you need something for indoor use, the Cuisinart is a versatile countertop model that has five cooking options. You can use it as a grill, panini press, griddle, full grill, or half grill/half griddle. So whether you want to whip up burgers or breakfast dishes, this is the best indoor grill you can buy.
Our experts were impressed at how easy the Cuisinart Griddler is to cook on this model. The temperature is adjustable up to 450 degrees, making it great for quick cooking. Plus, the LCD display and digital controls are pretty handy for switching functions and other adjustments.
Pros:
Cons:
If you want a portable griller, Elite Gourmet’s EMG-980B is a highly-recommended choice from our team. We like how even the heat distribution is, and that’s thanks to the circular grill plate and the heating element that reaches 450 degrees in temperature.
It’s also a pretty versatile grill with 5 different heating settings. During our tests, cooking was very simple and easy, whether we put sausages or vegetable side dishes on the plate. Plus, the included glass dome lid was pretty handy for keeping in the heat and avoiding oil splatters.
Overall, this grill ticks all the right boxes.
Pros:
Cons:
This Techwood Smokeless Grill is one of the best indoor grills you can find on the market. Its main selling point is the built-in fan system that draws off the smoke, similar to the exhaust hood that hangs above your kitchen stove.
Because it’s a smokeless grill, this model is best used indoors. So when it’s raining outside and you can’t have your BBQ party in the backyard, you can still grill those burgers and ribeyes in the kitchen. Even winter can’t stop you from whipping up a BBQ feast.
Other great features include the 200 square inch cooking surface, LED control panel, and built-in overheat protection.
Pros:
Cons:
Of course, our list wouldn’t be complete without Char-Broil. The Patio Bistro TRU-Infrared model provides all the powerful features that many Char-Broil grills come with.
For starters, it has a whopping 320 square inches of cooking surface – perfect for serving bigger crowds outdoors. Once you’re done grilling a couple of servings, you can use the 120-inch warming rack to keep your food nice and hot.
TRU-Infrared technology is an amazing feature from Char-Broil 20602108. It ensures even heat distribution and minimizes hot spots for great results. If you’ve been using a charcoal grill before shifting to electric, there’s a bit of a learning curve but it’s pretty easy to learn.
Pros:
Cons
Finding the best model out of hundreds of electric grillers is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But, the process can be much easier if you know what you’re after. So, our team of pro grillers have enumerated the factors you should look for when buying an electric grill.
The first thing you need to do is determine where you’ll do most of the grilling. If you have a backyard or access to an outdoor space, you probably want to look at various outdoor grills. If you have a tighter balcony, that will do as well. But if you do have a large area and you’re looking forward to hosting parties, then a bigger gas or charcoal grill would be suitable.
On the other hand, if you’re just going to cook food indoors, then look for electric grills that you can place on your countertop. These tabletop models will be smaller as well, so it’s more fitting for intimate gatherings with family or friends.
Knowing where you’ll be placing your grill helps you decide on the design. Do you want a freestanding grill like the Char-Broil Patio Bistro? Or do you need something for your countertop like the Techwood Smokeless Grill? Perhaps you need a bit of both, something like the George Foreman with its removable stand.
Choosing the size matters as well. Now, most electric grills are compact, averaging around 200 square inches of cooking surface. If you want more than that, say 500 or 600 square inches, you would need gas grills or charcoal grills because they’re much larger in size. These produce a lot of smoke, however.
Various materials are used in electric grills, but the most common ones include stainless steel, aluminum, and cast iron.
Stainless steel is the most durable material choice, although it’s commonly used in larger gas models. Still, some grills like the Cuisinart Electric Griddler use stainless steel. This material is very resilient, providing solid protection against impact damage.
Aluminum is more common in electric grill exteriors, and they’re very durable too. It also heats quickly and evenly, so they’re great for searing food.
The grates, on the other hand, are often made of enamel, cast iron, or porcelain. These are all dishwasher-safe materials, making cleanup fast and easy.
There’s a basic principle behind wattage. The higher the number of watts on your electric grill, the more powerful it will be. Our pro grillers say that you need to look for electric grills that have at least 1,000 watts, or else you won’t get those delicious sear lines.
Then again, that’s not to say a thousand watts is absolutely necessary. If you’re only grilling food for two people, you wouldn’t need that much power anyway.
Different electric grills may have different means for controlling the temperatures. It may be a knob or a push-button mechanism. Additionally, some grills may have five different settings as well, allowing users to increase temperatures incrementally.
It’s also important to know that most electric grills can only reach temperatures from 105 to 500 degrees. They don’t get as hot as gas or charcoal models.
Do you need a small or a large cooking area? This usually depends on how many servings you need to grill at the same time.
Mostly, electric grills only have 200 square inches of cooking area on average. This is usually enough for approximately 10 burgers. But, if you’re planning to have large BBQ parties [1] in your backyard, even the best electric grills may not cut it.
But if you’re just cooking for a few people, then you wouldn’t have a problem with this amount of grilling space.
As mentioned, you should also determine whether you’re using your grill indoors or outdoors. Some models on our list are only meant for indoor use, like those that have functions to reduce smoke. Indoor grills are also meant to be placed on your countertop.
On the other hand, grills for outdoor use usually have a stand. If they don’t include a stand, you may have the option to buy one separately. These grills are often used on patios, decks, or tight balconies in condos where you’re not allowed to cook on a gas grill.
Generally, since you’re using electricity, flare-ups won’t happen like they do in charcoal grills.
Nevertheless, you should also observe some safety rules when using your grill. Always check the power source requirement before plugging it in, as it might be different from your power outlet. And when cooking food indoors, avoid placing paper and other flammable materials near the grill to prevent fires.
When it comes to price, some electric grills are budget-friendly while others are on the expensive side. However, it’s always best to look at the features instead of the price so you would always get the value you’re looking for.
We also strongly recommend that you buy a grill with a warranty included. It should come with a 1-year warranty at least, so you could always request for a return, repair, or replacement at no extra cost.
Whatever food you can cook on a typical charcoal or gas grill, you can also cook on an electric one. This includes pork chops, fish fillet, chicken, hamburgers, steaks, hot dogs, and grilled veggies.
First, turn off the grill and unplug it from the power outlet. Make sure you wait at least 10 minutes to let it cool. For indoor grills with removable grates, remove them from the grill and wash them in the sink with soapy water. If it’s safe for the dishwasher, you can opt for that too.
For grills with cast iron grates, scrape them off with a wire brush to remove food residue. Wash with soap and water, then dry everything before returning it to the grill.
The highest-rated electric grill is the George Foreman GGR50B. It features a removable stand, sloped grates, a spacious grilling surface, and five different temperature settings for accurate cooking controls. It’s easy to use and easy to clean, and its feature set provides great value for the price.
Yes, electric grills are worth it. Since they use electricity instead of charcoal, they don’t cause charring or produce carcinogens that are detrimental to our health. They’re also eco-friendlier because they don’t use gas fuels. In short, they’re good for your health and the environment as well.
Yes, food tastes good on an electric grill. It almost tastes the same as the food you cook on a gas grill. If you want added smokiness, you can use smoke chips to improve the flavor.
After hours of testing, our pro grillers have declared the George Foreman GGR50B as our top choice among the best electric grills in 2021. It’s equipped with an impressive feature set, including the removable stand, a spacious cooking area, fat-reducing sloped grates, drip pan, and 5 different heating settings. It delivers an amazing performance both indoors and outdoors, making it one of the most versatile electric grillers out there.
Find more of your options with our roundups below:
Comments will be approved before showing up.
