Electric Grill / Griddle

I tried using an Asian electric grill, but it took   f o r e v e r   to cook anything, because its conventional non-stick coating severely limited temperature. Grill design was not good and ingredients were difficult to manage and browned very unevenly. Cleaning was also difficult.

I tried the Gotham Steel Electric Smoke-less Grill with Griddle, and found it quite satisfactory in design and performance for many of my needs, but if what you're looking for is a deep carcinogenic char, this is not for you. It's ceramic non-stick surface can withstand temperatures above 600°F/316°C without damage, so it runs at an acceptable temperature. It does, however, cook much differently from a flame grill, as food is heated only by the grill bars, and little heat comes up between them. Browning at the grill bars is definite but moderate.

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Buying:

The Grill

Performance:   Instructions say to give the grill 5 minutes to heat up before applying food. This seems good enough, but another couple minutes wouldn't hurt. Especially when first heating up, the temperature distribution is uneven. It can get to 600°F at the round end of the element on initial start-up, yet be unharmed. Once well warmed, but empty, the element goes on at 380°F at the plug end and 425°F at the round tip. The element goes off at 440°F at the plug end and 540°F at the round tip. The grill bars out near the edge range between 250°F and 350°F depending on state of the main heater.

The unevenness of the heat may seem to be a disadvantage, but allows positioning foods that are not uniform in thickness. Also, items on the grill are very easy to reposition as needed.

Browning happens only at points where food touches the grill bars, so it is best with foods that are relatively flat, such as slabs of meat, chicken or fish, meat patties, and with small items such as sausages and skewers. Large uneven items such as Anaheim chilis and small uncut eggplants don't work so well, and should be sliced and/or flattened for grilling.

Cleaning:   This device cleans very easily. The ceramic non-stick surface of the grill is very slippery and food debris is usually easy to brush off under hot running water. During use, it is good to periodically wipe off food debris with a wad of paper towels, as it can eventually become hard to wash off. The drip pan is non-stick and removes from the frame for easy cleaning.

Caution:   The ceramic coating can be chipped. If stuff is stuck down really hard, don't try scraping it off until you have softened it with water and cleanser.

Health:   Because the highest temperatures are restrained to about 550°F, this device is unlikely to produce the carcinogenic compounds flame grills are accused of.

The Griddle

On first heating up, the griddle's heat is very uneven, but it does equalize quite a bit when the light has gone out and then come back on. As with the grill, it is hottest opposite the temperature controller, but the difference seems a bit less. Since it can never be entirely even, foods should be positioned taking that into account.

I strongly recommend using it this way. Spread a small amount of very high temperature oil (Olive Pomace or Avocado) on the griddle. Position the temperature right between Medium and High, or as high as you can go without seeing any smoke at all. This will prevent sticking, even of eggs "sunny side up" so they can be moved around if need be and removed easily.