Types of grills for home: operating principle, features and grill design

A grill is a convenient device for cooking meat, fish, and baking vegetables in the safest possible way. The grill design is quite simple, and it depends on the energy source and other parameters. This material describes how to choose a model for home use and what you should pay attention to first.

Types of grills

First of all, you need to consider the types of grills for your home. This will help you understand the structure of the models, their features, advantages and disadvantages. The main classification is related to the division of devices depending on the energy source. According to this parameter, there are gas and electric models - they are discussed in the following sections.

Gas

A gas grill, the operating principle of which is quite similar to a gas oven, is more often used in dachas and on areas of country houses. The fuel source is a gas cylinder, which lasts for several months.

Under the grate there is a fireplace with gas that heats the metal body. There is meat, fish, vegetables or other products on the surface (grid). They are cooked in “dry” heat without contact with oil and water. In this case, the products can be pressed with a lid press (this is a contact gas grill) or not (non-contact).

The advantages of both models include:

• you can prepare many servings - at least 15, sometimes up to 50-60;
• heat is distributed evenly, food is cooked at the same speed;
• no oil or water is needed, so the finished products are both tasty and healthy;
• The absence of smoke also contributes to the excellent taste - there are no foreign odors;
• Often there are shelves not only for cooking, but also for heating;
• gas grill is a device that meets high safety requirements (no open flame - no risk of fire);
• Finally, the internal surfaces are quite easy to clean - this should be done after each preparation, then the device will last a very long time.

In connection with gas models, we can also talk about what a lava grill is. The difference between these models is due to the presence of lava volcanic stones, which heat up well and retain heat for a very long time, ensuring an even fire.

If necessary, these rocks can be replaced with pumice, which gives a similar effect. The stones are laid out in a tray, on top of which there is a grill grate with food laid on it. The energy source can be either gas or electricity. Therefore, a lava grill can be classified as one or the other type.

Electrical

At home, electric ones are more common. They are designed in approximately the same way, but the energy source is an electric heating element, which develops a power of up to 2.2 kW. There are various types of electric grills, the following classification is mainly used:

1. Contact.
2. Contactless.

In the first case, the products lie directly on the grill, i.e. contact her. Within this group there is such a type as a pressure grill (a lid with a grill is placed on top and the product is pressed). The advantages of such devices include:

• compact dimensions;
• can be used both in the country and at home;
• makes virtually no noise during operation.

But for large companies and picnics, a pressure grill is not suitable - with its help you can cook only 4-5 servings.

Therefore, contactless models are more often used. It is possible to list the types of frying and baking apparatus if we combine them into several groups:

1. Skewers – put the chicken or meat on a skewer, which rotates throughout the cooking time and cooks evenly.
2. Carousel – products are placed in baskets that rotate simultaneously. Allows you to cook 20-30 servings of meat and even more.
3. Planetarye - also resemble a carousel, but the baskets rotate not only together, but also each individually (around its own axis). Therefore, heating becomes perfectly even and cooking takes less time.
4. Vertical – heating elements are installed in the upper and lower parts (along a vertical line), and each can be turned on and off separately. Reminds me of a shawarma making machine.
5. Grill salamander – heating occurs exclusively from above (products lie on the plane below). It is used both for traditional dishes and for baking.

How to choose the right model

When considering a grill, the features of which are associated with different characteristics, you need to pay attention not only to the type, but also to the technical parameters. To make the right choice, it is recommended to consider the following criteria:

1. Surface material: stainless steel, aluminum, glass ceramics. It is better to use classic metal models, since they will not crack due to possible temperature changes.
2. The tray for stones should be spacious enough. We can say that this is important for lava grill.
3. The surface shape can be corrugated or smooth.It is worth purchasing devices with replaceable panels.
4. Temperature control function - almost all modern models have it (displayed on the display).
5. Uniform heating - in this regard, it is easy to understand what is better, for example, a carousel grill or a skewer grill. In the first case, the movement occurs in a circle rather than around an axis, therefore the cooking process is more efficient.
6. Heating indicators are a useful addition that allows you to monitor the process. There is no doubt about which type of grill is better - it is worth purchasing modern devices with additional options.
7. Fat removal container - the device should be easy to clean.

Thus, when choosing a specific model, the circuit diagram of the electric grill, the type of device and its technical characteristics are studied. It will not be superfluous to read reviews on different sites. Thanks to this, you can understand which devices are currently the best in terms of price and quality.