Which is better: grill pan or electric grill

Connoisseurs of tasty and healthy food respect the grill for the fact that during the frying process they do not have to “drown” food in fat. Those who love beautiful presentation will appreciate the appetite-stimulating golden stripes. And neither cooks nor doctors argue with the fact that vegetables, meat and fish prepared in this way remain juicy and healthy.

Electric grill or grill pan

When it comes to adding this invention to their kitchen arsenal, many housewives find themselves in difficulty. The grill pan impresses with its relatively low price. An electric grill is more expensive, but it came from a professional kitchen, which means it can do more. Both options are suitable for preparing unique dishes and give almost identical results. But their capabilities are different.

What can an electric grill do?

He can quickly and efficiently fry a large steak without the use of oil. You can bake or stew vegetables on the grill, cook scrambled eggs or seafood. If the surface is combined, then this can be done at the same time. The device is able to maintain the temperature of the finished dish. The cook does not have to control the process of preparing food - the programs will do that.

You won’t be able to completely replace an oven or frying pan with an electric grill, but it’s easy to reduce the need for them.

Among the disadvantages, it is worth highlighting the bulkiness - even the most compact desktop models require space allocated for them. The high cost is justified by the number of additions, functions and operating modes. When purchasing, it is advisable to pay attention to:

• removable trays for collecting fat - partially facilitate the fight against smoke;
• removable working surface - will reduce the complexity of maintaining the device;
• the ability to adjust the lifting of the lid - expands the range of dishes;
• The size affects the number of servings cooked at the same time.

Functions and capabilities of a grill pan

The advantage and disadvantage of this cookware is its compactness. A grill pan does not require a separate space for storage, but it is also unable to cook more than four servings at the same time. The shape of the product does not affect its weight - all options for high-quality cookware are heavy, which ensures uniform heating, but significantly complicates the cooking process. The grooved bottom prevents contact of food with fat and juice, ensuring the preservation of natural taste. But you can’t do without oil at all—the grill ribs need to be greased before cooking, and the entire frying pan needs to be greased before storing.

When buying a grill pan, it is important to pay attention to the height of the ribs - it cannot be less than 5 mm, otherwise the cookware will not cope with the tasks assigned to it. Another point - there must be a spout for draining fat, without which it is difficult to carefully remove excess juices, preventing them from burning.

The need to control the cooking process can play a cruel joke on novice cooks, because it is very easy to undercook or burn food.The problem is partially solved if the frying pan is equipped with a removable handle and is placed in the oven - there you can set the temperature and cooking time.

What to choose

Both devices do a good job of frying foods that are almost no different from those cooked on a barbecue. Both the frying pan and the electric grill need a good hood. This is where their similarities end and the differences that influence choice begin.

An electric grill can simultaneously cook a larger number of products and can do this automatically. It is indispensable in a large family, but inconvenient in a small kitchen. And the high cost makes the purchase unjustified if you cook in the device only occasionally.

The grill pan is compact and does not require a specially designated storage space. But you won’t be able to cook much in it. An ideal solution for small families, small kitchens and cooks who are not too keen on grilling.