Nothing says summer like the alluring aroma of burgers on a grill. With flammable products not permitted everywhere in the UK, that rules out many types of BBQs for home use. Which is where electric grills come in. They are ideal for homes with smaller gardens or without outdoor space. Plus, they allow you to cook BBQ-style food all year round, as you can simply take them into your kitchen when the weather starts to cool off.
We've put together this informative buying guide to walk you through all of the main considerations. Then, we've got product recommendations from top brands like Tefal and Quest - all available to buy online at Amazon and Argos. From tabletop grills with removable plates to large devices for feeding the whole family, you'll find just what you're looking for here. Moreover, we have partnered with chef Ryan Yen for reviewing and fact-checking the article to deliver you the best information.
Quick List - Top Electric Grills
George Foreman
Affordable George Foreman Grill That Drains Excess Fat From Meat
Ryan is a trained chef with experience in several restaurants (with various kitchen supplies across the restaurant experience) and hotels, he also attended le cordon bleu to further his training in cuisine and patisserie and focus on creating simple and delicious dishes. Ryan is now formally working as a chef tutor.
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Ryan is a trained chef with experience in several restaurants (with various kitchen supplies across the restaurant experience) and hotels.
He also attended le cordon bleu to further his training in cuisine and patisserie and focus on creating simple and delicious dishes. Ryan is now formally working as a chef tutor.
Electric grills generally come in three main styles: clamshell (or dual-sided), upright, and tabletop. The type you choose will all depend on your cooking style and how quickly you want your food on the plate.
Clamshell and upright grills cook food quickly and more evenly, as they grill both sides at the same time. This saves you the trouble of having to stand over the grill constantly in order to flip your food - instead, you can do something else while leaving it to cook. Clamshell grill can also be used to make toasties and paninis, or you can even slightly grill your wraps to give it that extra love to your dish.
Tabletop grills are more traditional in the sense that they emulate the usual BBQ experience, where you'll need to flip your food over while cooking, whereas upright grills can be used to make kebabs. While they're usually designed to sit on a countertop, they can also be disconnected and brought to the table - this is handy if you have guests over for dinner!
The next point to take into consideration is the size of the grill. When comparing different models, think about how many people you’re going to be cooking for; a large family is going to need more space than a couple, after all.
If you only have a small household and don't need to feed too many mouths, an electric grill of around 500cm² in size should be able to fit a few cheese toasties comfortably. For those looking to cook for a family of four or planning to host guests, we recommend one that's at least 1200cm² in size.
If you've already owned an electric grill in the past and you want an upgrade, a good way of figuring out what you need is to look at the size of your old one - was it too small or has your household grown since then? This will help you to determine the correct size when shopping for a new grill.
One of the best things about electric grills is that they heat up incredibly fast compared to other cooking devices. Still, as with all products, the maximum temperature will vary depending on the model that you choose.
The wattage info provided on a grill's packaging will give you an indication of the highest temperature it'll be able to reach - the higher the wattage, the hotter the grill will get and the faster it will heat up.
If you’re only planning to cook for a couple of people, you won’t require too much power. For smaller households of 2-4 people, 1200-1500W should be ample. Those wanting to cook for 5 or more people will need 1500W or more in order to get those delicious griddle marks on your food.
Like most kitchen devices, many electric grills come with additional features that can help make your life that little bit easier. Some come with simple settings that are specific to different meats and veg, to make your life easier, and some come with settings for the style of cooking - medium, rare and well done, for example.
But electric grills with adjustable temperature dials and temperature gauges are incredibly handy, as they allow you to maintain control over what you’re cooking by setting the temperature - or at least being able to monitor it.
Grilling can be a messy business. So making sure your electric grill has removable and Dishwasher-Safe plates is a very good idea. Any grills that have simple, un-clippable plates that can be either soaked in warm water or placed in the dishwasher, are very convenient.
The dishwasher-safe plates, make them even more convenient to use. But do check because there's nothing worse than losing the non-stick element of your grill. So do make sure you check your packaging and the spec table below for more information.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | George Foreman Medium Red Steel Grill |25040 | ![]() | Affordable George Foreman Grill That Drains Excess Fat From Meat | |
2 | Quest Large Teppanyaki Grill|35490 | ![]() | Teppanyaki Grill for Tabletop Cooking | |
3 | Tefal Optigrill +|GC713D40 | ![]() | Smart Grill That Calculates the Ideal Cooking Temperature and Time | |
4 | George Foreman Indoor Outdoor BBQ Grill |22460 | ![]() | Electric BBQ Grill for Both Indoor and Outdoor Use | |
5 | Quest Electric Rotisserie Grill | ![]() | Cook Kebabs, Chicken and More in This Upright Rotisserie Grill | |
6 | Cuisinart Style Collection Entertaining Grill |PL60U | ![]() | Removable Grill Plates That Heat up Fast | |
7 | George Foreman Large Variable Temperature Grill |23450 | ![]() | Grill and Hotplate With Independent Temperature Controls | |
8 | George Foreman Smokeless BBQ Large Health Grill|25850 | ![]() | A Smokeless BBQ Grill for Use All Year Round | |
9 | Sage The Smart Grill Pro | ![]() | Check the Internal Temperature of Your Food With This Electric Grill by Heston Blumenthal | |
10 | Hengbo Raclette 8 Person Grill | ![]() | Large Grill for up to 8 People With Space for Side Dishes |
It would almost be blasphemous to not include a George Foreman model as our number 1 product! While many of the other products we've recommended have newer technical features, this machine keeps it old school. It holds a generous amount of food and has a convenient clip-in drip tray that's quick to clean.
The adjustable feet at the back of the product allow you to angle it to get a better view of what you're cooking (and encourages the drainage of excess fat too). Plus, at less than £50, it's an absolute bargain for the quality. This is truly the standard by which all other electric grills are measured!
With plenty of space and a respectable high wattage, dinner for the whole family will be ready in no time with this grill by Quest. The adjustable thermostat allows you to cook your food just the way you like it, and the non-stick surface means cleaning up shouldn't be too tricky either.
We especially love that this grill has a detachable cord, meaning you can take it straight to the table and everyone can dig in without having to plate up their meal first!
This fantastic product by Tefal has such a depth of knowledge that you'll wonder if there's secretly a sous chef inside! You can put a slab of meat in and the machine will calculate the thickness and measurements, plus it'll set the cooking time accordingly. You might as well hang up your apron now and let it do all the work!
To keep you in the loop, there's an LED indicator that changes colour as the food progresses through the different cooking stages - and it'll beep too in case you're not paying attention!
This cleverly designed grill is perfect for both inside and outside dining, thanks to its collapsible nature. It has one of the largest grill sizes on our list too, so it'll comfortably feed a family or a couple of guests.
It has all the additional features that you could wish for, like removable plates and an adjustable temperature gauge. Most importantly, this product has a superb build quality, which shouldn't be surprising considering the manufacturer's reputation.
If you've ever wanted to whip up a takeaway at home, here's your chance! Something to be aware of is the grill size, which is expressed in terms of capacity rather than cm² for upright models. This Quest Rotissier has a 21L capacity, which you can either use for one single item or up to seven different skewers.
This machine cooks for up to one hour at a time and has a glass sliding door that enables users to observe how their food is getting on without opening it and letting the heat out - always a handy feature if you ask us!
Our favourite thing about this electric grill is the fact that it's designed specifically for use at your dining room table. Perfect for when you want pancakes for breakfast with the family or a dinner party with friends! Furthermore, the machine heats up very quickly and will keep food warm until you're ready to eat.
One thing worth mentioning though is that the wattage isn't mentioned by the manufacturer, so while this product should be suitable for toasties and burgers, it might not go high enough to sear tougher food like steak.
This versatile electric number allows you to prepare several different foods, all from one station. Pop sausages and bacon on the clamshell grill while you cook eggs and tomatoes on the flat griddle. Each area has an independent set of temperature controls too, so you'll be able to cook every part of breakfast with ease.
Whilst the packaging claims that this grill is big enough to prepare a whopping 10 portions, we sadly don't think this is the case - unless you only want to eat a miniscule meal!
We all know the British weather can't be trusted, making this tabletop BBQ grill perfect for our shores! This cooking appliance eliminates up to 80% of smoke - so even if it starts to rain, you can slip inside and carry on cooking without setting the kitchen smoke alarm off.
Moreover, there are three different temperature controls to allow for precise and even cooking. While the removable plates are generally easy to clean, it can be difficult to get into the crevices if they get really dirty - luckily, they're dishwasher-proof!
Heston Blumenthal has been busy recently producing kitchen appliances, including this Smart Grill Pro. It comes with a range of modes suitable for different meats and vegetables, which means less work for you but plenty of deliciousness!
This device also has one feature that no other grill on our list has: an integrated probe that allows you to check the internal temperature of your food. The only downside is this product's high price, but if you can afford to splash out then we're sure you'll be more than happy with your purchase!
Our first pick is this tabletop electric grill with enough space to feed 8 people. It has two distinct cooking areas: one consisting of a large open area which is ideal for grilling the main course, and then separate sections underneath which you can cook a variety of side dishes on.
Furthermore, it has a temperature dial which gives you complete control of the heat. Unfortunately though, the non-stick coating can be rather delicate - so be extra careful when cleaning!
No. 1: George Foreman|Medium Red Steel Grill |25040
No. 2: Quest|Large Teppanyaki Grill|35490
No. 3: Tefal|Optigrill +|GC713D40
No. 4: George Foreman|Indoor Outdoor BBQ Grill |22460
No. 5: Quest|Electric Rotisserie Grill
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