Electric Grill Brands and Links

Updated November 2011

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In this report

Introduction
Contact Grills{1 mention}{1 mention}{3 mentions}{7 mentions}{2 mentions}{3 mentions}{2 mentions}{1 mention}{5 mentions}
Open Grills and Griddles{1 mention}{7 mentions}{4 mentions}{4 mentions}{2 mentions}{1 mention}
Useful Links
Our Sources

Contact grills double as sandwich makers

Enjoy panini sandwiches? You may not need a sandwich maker or contact grill. Some experts say you can get the same effect by toasting a sandwich in a skillet, then pressing it from the top with a second skillet. You won't get grill lines and you'll have to flip the sandwich, but you do still get the same pressed effect. Editors at Cook's Illustrated magazine say a heavy skillet is just as good as an electric grill for cooking burgers and fish. Need another kind of grill? Check out our reports on charcoal grills and gas grills for more traditional grilling.

Is indoor grilling a healthier way to cook?

Some electric grill makers say their cooking process naturally makes fatty foods healthier because their slanted reservoirs direct greasy drippings away from food. About.com's Derrick Riches addresses this issue in his review of 10 indoor grills. Salton (which makes George Foreman grills) says their electric grill can reduce fat by 4 percent over pan-frying. Riches puts that claim in context: "Say we pan-fried a hamburger patty that was 20 percent fat. If pan-frying reduced the fat by 50 percent then the Foreman Grill would reduce the fat by 52 percent or 4 percent more. Not a big change."

An article in the newsletter Environmental Nutrition also discusses claims of fat savings. Although no testing is performed, the editors theorize that there's little difference from pan-frying. (You can read the article by signing up for a free trial.) Based on what we found, an electric grill doesn't drastically reduce a user's fat intake.

An article on MedicineNet.com cites studies that indicate outdoor grills may be a health risk -- researchers say the product may coat food in cancer-causing compounds called carcinogens -- and indoor grills may minimize or eliminate this risk. The article, "Indoor Grilling: Tips and Recipes," briefly discusses this topic -- as well as various indoor grill models and cooking recipes.

Other helpful sources:

The Food Network's Bobby Flay offers expert video tutorials on indoor grilling.

The editors of Easy Home Cooking magazine provide grilling tips on TLC.com, including some basic rules for using indoor grills.

Recipes, tips, and advice on indoor grilling can be found on TheKitchn.com, which focuses on the perks of indoor grilling for apartment-dwellers.

IndoorGrillsRecipes.com offers a wealth of information on indoor grilling, including tips articles and buying advice.

A number of indoor grill recipes are available on About.com. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation).

About.com's guide to busy cooks offers tips and hints on indoor grilling.

The book "Raichlen's Indoor! Grilling" doesn't rate electric grills, but author Steven Raichlen does provide an excellent introduction to indoor grilling. Numerous recipes are also provided. This book is available in bookstores and online.

The countertop grill buying guide at ConsumerGuide.com is an excellent primer when shopping for a grill. It covers construction, size, power and controls, besides comparing contact grills with open grills.

About.com grilling guide Derrick Riches' article "Indoor Grilling: When Outside Just Isn't an Option" is a useful primer on indoor grilling.