My partner and I love grilling, so much so that even when we go camping or take an extended road trip, we often bring along our propane travel grill. Over the years and miles, we’ve also become adept at cooking in less-than-ideal conditions, from rain and snow to mosquitoes and heat waves — and the reward from it all has been enjoying many a memorable meal.
But this summer, we’ve switched it up a little after having the opportunity to test out an electric grill. At first, it was hard to conceive of parting with our propane ways. But it didn’t take long before we were hooked. Electric grills are simple to use, both in the kitchen and on the deck, plus come with health and air quality benefits.
Ahead, I’m sharing everything I learned, for better and worse, after ditching my gas grill for electric — and why I’ll never look back. Well… almost never.
Why an Electric Grill?
Honestly, until recently, I thought electric grills went out of style 20 years ago, with the George Foreman apartment grill. That one was more of a glorified sandwich press, and the few times I’d seen someone use it, it smoked up the whole kitchen.
But I often write about (and therefore do a lot of research on) the health and environmental downsides of cooking with gas and propane appliances. So, when someone suggested I test out a modern, quality electric grill, I was intrigued.
My partner, not so much. He grumbled a bit. But of course, being the kind soul that he is, he also humored me. And by the time he seared his first ribeye, he was a convert.
Now, I realize some people reading this are rolling their eyes. In certain circles, there’s a stigma about not cooking on an open-flame grill. I’ve heard arguments ranging from reduced flavor to reduced manhood, but I think it mainly comes down to this: people are creatures of habit. And, personally, I think it’s healthy to challenge our habits once in a while, to switch things up and step out of our comfort zones — and in the case of electric grills, that’s not just a metaphor.
Health and Environmental Benefits of Electric Grills
According to the National Cancer Institute, grilling meat introduces potential carcinogens in three ways. The first two are cooking it at high temperatures and eating charred crusts (I know, the whole joy of it), and those can theoretically be avoided on any type of grill. But the smoke that coats grilled meat, created by fats dripping onto hot coals or flames, is also harmful and can even alter your DNA in unhealthy ways. Helping to avoid that is where electric grills shine.
Burning fossil fuels, including natural gas, propane and charcoal, also creates a host of environmental and health problems. Toxic particulates and gases aggravate asthma and can cause other health issues. They also add to local pollution and global greenhouse gas emissions. One little grill might not seem like a lot, but it all adds up to grilling being a major source of air pollution worldwide.
Great, but what about the taste?
This is where everyone is bound to feel differently. Some people swear by the flavor that charcoal adds to food, others by the flame-broiling that gas grills deliver. Some can’t tell the difference at all. That’s me. I don’t notice much of a change, but then again, I’m usually grilling veggie burgers. However, my partner, the consummate carnivore, does notice a difference. He slightly prefers the taste of meat prepared on the propane grill, but not enough to stick with it.
It’s Not Just For Meat-Eaters
We also cook a ton of veggies around our house, and the electric grill has excelled with that. It allows us to prepare everything from eggplant to asparagus without the calories of added oil.
The Adventures of Cooking on an Electric Grill
Just kidding. There’s no challenge to it at all. The grilling surface maintains a consistent temperature and even heat distribution, which means it’s easy to reproduce the same results, meal after meal.
Also, there are no surprise flare-ups to deal with — so no more staring at the grill, hoping the meat doesn’t catch on fire. All drippings end up in a water pan below the cooking grate, which greatly reduces the smoke. That makes the meat healthier, plus allows you to use it indoors.
That water pan is also removable, which makes it easy to clean. Ours also has a PFOA-free nonstick grate, which is quick to wipe clean and dishwasher safe, along with the lid. Even cooking marinated food doesn’t make a mess, because the drops just fall into the water pan, versus sticking to the innards of the grill.
What about the weather?
Our grill is UL-rated for indoor and outdoor use. So, when it’s nasty outside, we can just bring it inside to cook. But when we don’t feel like lugging it indoors, it also performs well in the elements. In fact, it cooks faster than our gas grill in frigid weather, because very little cold air can get through the bottom.
The Learning Curve
For our first meal attempt, we were a little worried that we’d it mess up, so we did something out of character — we read the directions. Those said to preheat for eight minutes, plus gave a cooking guide for what temperature to set the grill at for various meats. We followed those suggestions, and voilà, it performed as advertised. Of course, there’s always room to home our technique, but for the most part, it cooks at the same speed as a gas grill, just more consistently.
The Model We Chose
We have a Kenyon G2 model, which is designed and produced in the U.S. Since I’ve already gone through all of the things we love about it, I’m just going to offer a quick nit-pick critique.
- At 37 pounds, it doesn’t technically weigh a ton, but moving it around feels like it. The company does make a smaller model, however, which weighs in at 27 pounds. In hindsight, that’s the model we wish we would have chosen.
- It’s super durable, made from marine-grade stainless steel. But its quality construction adds to the weight, and is probably overkill. This thing is so thick it could stop a bullet.
- It’s a bit pricy. The larger model is $949 and the smaller $695.
- The equal heat distribution is a double-edged sword. It helps with cooking consistency, but it also means there aren’t varied temperature cooking zones.
Our Conclusion: A Positive Life Upgrade, Mostly
We’ve been using the electric grill for about two months now, and during that time, we have yet to relight its propane equivalent. That now sits on the porch, lonely, except for the black widow who took up residence underneath.
Yes, the old beast did excel a bit with flavor, but reducing our health risks is a worthy tradeoff. Plus, the new grill is so much more convenient. It’s far easier to clean. We don’t have to stand outside and monitor it when it’s 10 degrees and snowing. And, as an added bonus, we never have to worry about running out of propane.
But, we’re not getting rid of our old grill, either. It still has a place, especially on those camping and road trips where electricity isn’t always at our fingertips. And, probably also for that occasional perfect cut of meat, which deserves the splurge of flame broiling.
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