Hamilton Beach Electric Indoor Nonstick Searing Grill

calienta muy rápido y fácil de limpiar, muy buena compra, funciona muy bien

Despite being lifelong householders my wife and I recently moved into a condo for the first time. To say we were outdoor grilling fanatics is an understatement: since 1995 we’ve grilled meats, sausages and veggies outdoors 2-3 times per week, all year round. Despite the amazing views and amenities of our new home we both dreaded the condo’s strict “no grill” rule that would change our diet. This terrific electric grill solved the problem 100%…and as sacrilegious as it may sound to other members of the grill cult…we like this MORE than our old outdoor grill!

HOT HOT HOT – Our first concern was that electric grills are generally awful because of the lack of grilling power. Not this one! The 500W elements have plenty of power and sear meats perfectly.

EFFICIENT – Because it is grilling from two sides at once we’ve actually had to decrease cooking times. And no big tanks of propane to lug around, go empty or fill for $15 per tank!

EASY TO CLEAN – The non-stick coating and drip cup make it very easy to clean. UPDATE June 23, 2013 – Originally I did not recommend getting the special sponges 

George Foreman GFSP3 Sponges, 3-Pack

 because it was so easy to clean the grill using Teflon tongs with a few wet paper towels. Well the sponges make this easy job even *easier* and more efficient! Soak them in water with a bit of soap, use them with the tongs allowing the water to drain off. Buy ’em! As others note, the cooking plates are NOT detachable but this isn’t really inconvenient at all. The Teflon surfaces are easy to clean.

COMPACT TO STORE – At 14 x 14 and under 10 lbs it’s the size of a waffle iron.

HEALTHIER – There’s certainly much less charring with this method (burnt meat is identified as a carcinogen) and the grilling surface is immaculately clean every time. But note that you can still crisp duck, beef, port and chicken fat with a little bit of technique (sometimes separating the fat from the meat you’re cooking).

CAVEATS – Here are three things to note to make sure this is right for you:

VENTILATION – When you put a nicely marbled rib eye on this baby at 500 degrees it puts off some smoke. We have a 1200 cfm vent fan over our range and that’s where we set the grill to cook. If you don’t have potent ventilation, don’t even consider using this indoors.

PORTIONS – We are cooking for 2 persons. It fits two steaks. We cook our veggies while the steaks are resting This is NOT the device you want when you have a group coming to your annual BBQ. Great for 2 people.

CORD – A minor detail but the cord is real short. Depending on your plug locations, you’ll probably need a short, heavy duty extension cord like this one 

Stanley 31526 Heavy Duty 6-Foot 125V Extension Cord, Beige

.

BONES AND ODD SHAPES – While this grill is far faster (and we think far better) than our old gas grill for cooking some items (e.g. steaks, duck breast, skewered meats, sliced squash, asparagus) it’s trickier with meats that have large, irregular bones. It still works, but can take a bit of creativity so that the two lids close evenly over the meat. Sausages, however, work fine.

For other helpful tips on condo living see my tips about mounting a large flatscreen TV to a metal stud wall here 

Toggler 50425 Toggle Anchor, Steel, Meets FF-B-588-D Type V Specifications, 1/4″-20 Threads, Pack Of 10

 and the best folding tables for TV dining here 

Spiderlegs LD1527 Wooden Folding Laptop Desk/Tray Table

.

Now that I have this, I rarely EVER use the stove anymore! If you’re someone on the go or just hates to do a lot of dishes / stove cleaning then this is for YOU! Both my roommate and I work full time at a place that has us lifting 30 – 40+ lbs of food bags all day. We’re both exhausted at the end from being on feet all day and this grill? LIFE SAVER! Though we’re tired we still like to eat healthy. To tired to deal with the stove and excess dishes from cooking so, I throw to frozen seasoned steaks on the grill (seer setting), some sliced onion (and other random veggies), close the lid and 5 minutes later we have grilled meat and veggies and minimum dishes / mess. It’s also perfect for bacon! Done in 2 minutes, crispy and perfect! Kabobs are also awesome on this!

The thing I really love about this grill is that it’s slanted so you don’t have to usher all the grease into the spill way, the slant does it on it’s own. The lid is on a swivel so, it sits flat on your grill items for a more even cook. It heats up quick and gives a beautiful “char” on what ever you cook on it. The grease trap is also a nice size so you don’t have to empty it every five seconds if you’re cooking a larger meal. Clean up is super easy! I make rags out of my old flannel sheets, towels and thick cotton sheets which, are perfect this clean up! Wet your rag with a little soap, don’t want a drippy wet rag just a wet rag. Place it on your bottom grill and turn on 300 for about a minute in a half and turn off your grill. Let it sit for about 2 minutes and then wipe clean – couldn’t be easier!

The thing I DON’T like about it is that it slides around a lot, the foot grips aren’t rubber so it just slides around on your counter. The top lid also, when up, doesn’t hang over the bottom grill so all your juice and grease can drip off the upper lid and onto the counter so, I keep an old rag behind it. The other thing is that the grease catch doesn’t fasten or hold it’s place at all so, if your grill is sliding around you have to pay attention to your catch to make sure it’s still against the grill.