If you want a grilled steak but don't have access to a good outdoor barbecue, you can consider using an indoor grill. These countertop barbecues can feature broad, open grates, similar to outdoor grills, or covers that press down on a burger or chicken breast, cooking both sides at the same time. The latter, sometimes known as contact grills, was popularized by the George Foreman Grill in the mid-1990s for healthy cooking and are ideal for preparing crunchy grilled cheese sandwiches diner-quality.
The best of both sorts will grill a burger and prepare summer-flavored meat. While you can create a delicious hamburger or sirloin with just a skillet and a stove, you'll appreciate the usefulness of an electric grill.
The Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe is the best electric grill we tested. It has a lot of functions and may be used as a contact grill, an open grill, or even a griddle. The George Foreman 4 Basic Plate Grill is a less powerful model that will do the job for a lot less money.
We chose highly rated products and used each one to toast bread, cook hamburgers, and press paninis to help you spend wisely. We then grilled chicken breasts and salmon fillets from the top performers to help us choose our favorites.
Here's how we ranked the top indoor grills we tested.
Our Top Indoor Grills
- Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe
- George Foreman 4-Serving Removable Plate Grill
Other Electric Indoor Grills
- Hamilton Beach Searing Grill with Lid Window
- All-Clad Electric Grill /w Autosense
- Breville – The Perfect Press
- Zojirushi Indoor Electric Grill
- Cuisinart Griddler Five
- Smoke-less Indoor Grill Collection by Philip Avance
- Black & Decker 3-in-1 Grill, Griddle and Waffle Maker
The Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe, despite its size and cost, provides a lot of cooking options for your money. The two sides of the grill open up to produce two separate surfaces for those occasions when you want to add more burgers you can grill at once from six to twelve. The plates are reversible, with one side having a grill pattern and the other having a flat surface. The Griddler Deluxe transforms into a griddle when both sides are open and the flat surface is in place, albeit there is a gap between the two parts that limit the number of pancakes you can cook at once. Overall, however, this is a really adaptable product.
Browning is quick and even with the Griddler. Foods that took longer to cook, such as paninis and chicken breasts, came out crispy and with gorgeous grill markings. Burgers were grilled to perfection using the high heat sear function.
This Cuisinart also has a lot of unique features. Different temperatures may be set for each plate, which is especially useful while it's in the open position. On one side, fry the bacon over medium heat while scrambling the eggs over low heat. The knobs flash red during preheating and turn green when the desired temperature is attained. You can change the distance occurring between the two plates using an inventive lever on the machine's side to avoid crushing your burgers and to press down on a grilled cheese sandwich without oozing all of the cheese out. The plates are especially simple to insert and remove, and they can be washed in the dishwasher. A drip tray glides into place in the grill's back.
Pros
- Quickly browns the food evenly
- Multiple special features
- Reversible grills; easy to handle
Cons
The contact grill was first to become renowned thanks to George Foreman (or whoever licensed his name). This low-cost black plastic device isn't especially attractive, but it's compact and provides a simple way to prepare a few burgers or grilled cheese sandwiches. Although it is labeled as a four-serving grill, it can only fit two 4-inch patties. While the paninis weren't as crusty as some of the more costly brands, the burgers, chicken, and fish were cooked to perfection with beautiful grill marks. Because this type simply has one heat setting, it's simple to use. It's an upgrade over the original Foreman grill, which required you to wipe down the grill plates for thorough cleaning in the dishwasher. A simple removable tray is there that catches the drippings falling from the slanted surface.
Pros
- Easy operability
- Easy cleaning
Cons
- Only cooks 2 burgers at a time (don't go on the name)
How Indoor Electric Grills Were Tested?
I've been reviewing kitchen appliances for almost 30 years. For the previous 7 years, I worked as a griller in New York City restaurants. Because I haven't lived in a house with a backyard in a long time, my best bet for burgers is an electric grill. As anyone who has read my previous reviews knows, I'm a sucker for anything crispy. I always order a grilled cheese sandwich if one is available on the menu.
We put nine grills to the test, including those with wide-open surfaces and others with lids that close and cook food on both sides at the same time. We toasted bread to test if the grill's heating pattern was consistent and then grilled hamburgers to see how long it took to become fully cooked, if it left distinct grill marks and how evenly it browned. We made a big ham, cheese, and tomato sandwich on sourdough bread in the closed grills, which are also known as contact grills or panini presses. At that point, we ruled out any products that we considered had significant flaws. We cooked chicken breasts and salmon fillets on the remaining five grills.
We assessed the convenience of use of each appliance while we grilled. We examined how simple it was to operate the controls, determine when the surfaces were preheated, and clean the various components, as well as whether there were any safety problems. We noted how much space they required on the countertop and in a cabinet because we know space is the priority for most of us.
Lines of Difference Between Open and Contact Grills
An open grill creates the impression that you're truly grilling. It has a large grate that rests over a drip pan, and you flip food over just like an outside barbecue. They can contain more food than a contact grill, but they take twice as long to cook. Plus, their larger grill surfaces and drip pans take up more space in the sink or dishwasher, requiring additional counter and storage space. Open grills did not produce significantly better outcomes than closed grills in our tests, and they cannot be utilized to manufacture a pressed sandwich. As a result, none of the open grills we examined were chosen as a top selection.
If you insist on using an open grill, we recommend the Hamilton Beach Searing Grill with Lid Window, which can cook six hamburgers at once. Burgers, chicken, and fish all came out with deep grill marks similar to those found on an outside barbecue. The lid does not press down on the food; rather, it aids in the retention of warmth, which helps to speed up the cooking process while also containing smoke and cooking aromas. The grill grate and drip pan may be washed in the dishwasher, and the lid can be removed for handwashing.
Pros
- Looks like cooking outdoor
- Quick food preparation
- Odor and smell do appear
Cons
Consider the All-Clad Electric Grill with Autosense if you're seeking f status symbol for your countertop and are willing to pay the top price for it. It grilled chicken and salmon to perfection, as well as made crunchy, gooey paninis. Its claim to eminence, however, is that it has preprogrammed settings that automatically choose the time and temperature for six different types of food; the grill then alerts you with an illuminated bar and beeps as your food goes through five different cooking levels, from rare to well done. If you're using the presets with the frozen food, there's also a frozen button to use. By hitting the Custom Temp button, you can choose your own time and temperature. However, as you might guess, all of these particular settings, which are meant to make life easier, might really make things more complicated.
The All-Clad has only grill plates, can't be used as an open grill, and only holds four burgers, making it less adaptable than the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe, which costs $100 more. Still, its cooking performance is excellent, and it is a well-built gadget. The plates can be removed and washed in the dishwasher, along with the drip pan. There is also a recipe booklet included.
Pros
- Automated temperature & cooking time
- Superb performance
Cons
- Not suitable as an open grill
- Small surface for cooking
- Expensive
The Breville the Perfect Press is tiny, attractive, and simple to use because of the lack of temperature control settings. Although it's designed for panini, it's also capable of holding three burgers or chicken breasts. The plates have a flat surface that prevents grill markings and cannot be removed for cleaning. If you're a clean freak, the fact that you can't rinse them under running water may be a deal-breaker, but they wipe clean easily, and removing and reinstalling the plates is one less thing to worry about. But my main beef is with Breville's "crush control" feature, which is designed to keep you from pushing down too hard on sandwiches but couldn't adjust to properly rest on a thick panini, resulting in uneven browning of the paninis I produced.
Pros
- Simple operability
- Easy to handle and store
Cons
- Paninis don't turn brown easily
While you'll get gorgeous results from this best indoor electric grill for steaks, in the end, you'll need to flip things and be patient. Cooking six burgers took 10 minutes, while grilling fish took 20 minutes in our tests. That may not seem like a longer period, but it's more than twice as long as most closed grills require. We didn't notice any burning when grilling because it didn't have a lid. The Zojirushi model is huge, and it will take up a lot of room on the counter, in the dishwasher, and in a cabinet or closet if you store it between uses.
Pros
- Astonishing cooking results
Cons
- Takes much space
- Takes long time to cook
The Cuisinart Griddle Five, like the Griddler Deluxe, is attractive and flexible. It, too, has both grill and griddle surfaces and may be utilized in an open or closed configuration. It's a little smaller than the Deluxe, and it can only accommodate four patties closed or eight when open. When it came to chicken and salmon, we thought it to be particularly good, with a bronzed appearance.
This grill features an LCD screen with temperature control options, LED bars to indicate preheating progress, and an accurate timer that can count down or up. However, because the display's capabilities are controlled by turning and pressing a knob, there are a lot of possibilities, which might be confusing. The drip pan slips into the grill, but it requires some trial and error to find out where it should go.
The fact that the sides of the handle get fairly hot at higher temperatures and longer cooking times prevents us from endorsing this model entirely. It wasn't hot enough to burn us, but it was enough to make us nervous.
Pros
- Plates are removable
- Lid is foldable
- Cleaning is easy
Cons
- Can't be lied flat
- Can't give continuous heat
This item is well-made and cooks evenly. It's also big, heavy, and expensive, and it only cooks six burgers at a time. It didn't smoke, as stated, but neither did the open Zojirushi. It just has two settings: hot and warm, making it simple to use but also giving the impression that you're not getting much for your money. Although a recipe book is included, the usage and care guide is lacking in information. The drip pan and grate can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
Pros
- Evenly cooked grill
- Easy to use
Cons
Cooking plates of the Black and Decker 3-in-1 Grill Griddle and Waffle Maker can be switched from flat to waffle mode, making it feel like you're getting two appliances in one. It browns burgers well and grills cheese sandwiches well, but we didn't try it with poultry or fish because the small handle is too hot to touch after cooking. You don't get a drip pan with the Black and Decker, so you'll have to put a tiny bowl underneath the drip spout in one corner to avoid a messy surface. It's not a very good idea to wash your dishes in the dishwasher. On the plus side, Black and Decker hardware can be purchased practically anywhere, so if you prefer to buy in local stores over online retailers, you should be able to find one without too much difficulty.
Verified
Rate your recent experience *