Selecting an Indoor Grill

If you live in an apartment where you are unable to grill outside, or you just want a simple and quick way to grill meats, vegetables and fish, then you might want to think about purchasing an indoor grill. Ever since the George Foreman indoor grill became popular over ten years ago, indoor grills of diverse kinds have become a necessary kitchen appliance in many houses. Following is some information to help you buy the perfect indoor grill for your barbecue needs.

There are two main kinds of indoor grills. The first is called a "contact grill," as it grills by laying the lid on the food. The food is grilled from the top and bottom at the same time. The George Foreman grill is of this sort. This kind of grill can also function as a sandwich press. There are many indoor grills of this sort, as they are the most popular.

The next sort of indoor grill is an open grill that sits on a bin and catches drippings from the meat. Often these open types of grills have a separate lid for steaming vegetables. This sort of grill is usually larger than the contact grills so you can cook more food on the surface. Although both kinds of grills come in a variety of sizes, they will probably all fit on your counter.

Both kinds of grills will have a variety of features depending on price and model. Some grills will cook at only one heat, while others will have a variety of heat settings.

Price

Indoor grills are relatively low-cost. The most basic grills can start at about $20, with the most costly just over $100. The less expensive grills are better for grilling lighter fare, such as meals for one, while many mid-priced grills have good features and makes terrific grilled steaks. You can view the diverse grills and prices on online review websites.

Design

The design of indoor grills is relatively the same among different manufacturers. Some grills could be rectangular and others more circular or oval. Open grills are usually rectangular. One of the benefits of grilling indoors is that the grills are simple to use and the majority can be stored easily in kitchen cabinets. Go online to see a full line of grill designs that suit your kitchen.

There are so many manufacturers of indoor grills, and indoor grills within brands, that you should review the ratings of the diverse grills. Online review sites make this simple to do, as the sites give an overall score to every item, and then you can read the individual user reviews that make up that score.

Technical Specifications

Contact grills, which have both sides of the grill attached on one side, allow for grilling both sides at once. The more expensive contact grills (at near $100) allow the grill sides to be fully open when you need to cook a large quantity of food, thereby doubling as an open grill. The majority of contact grills have stick free surfaces that are easy to clean. Heating on many decent contact grills can reach to 425 degrees F.

A more expensive open face grill will have power up to 1500 watts, featuring a stainless steel shell. Some mid-priced to expensive grills have clear glass lids that can be used as needed to keep in heat. The grates of an open grill have the heating element inside the grates. High quality grills will feature a heat control to allow for either quick searing or slower grilling.

Where to Shop

Indoor grills are so popular today that the majority appliance stores will feature a line of indoor grill. However, the internet is a great place to investigate all of the indoor grills, designs and prices, from the lowest priced to the top quality grills.