Infrared Grills Pros and Cons
Infrared heating technology has been utilized for different tasks, but nowadays, it is getting popular in the cooking department. Best infrared grills are the most common example we see in our daily life. These grills work like a normal grill with flames on the bottom and cooking grates on the top. There is an infrared element placed between them, which helps to control and distribute the heat. However, there are some benefits and drawbacks of infrared grills. Let’s take a look at the infrared grill pros and cons and briefly how it works to grill food.
What is an infrared grill, and how it works?
To understand this factor, it is important to understand the difference between infrared and other cooking methods, such as grilling with gas or charcoal-fired grills.
Both techniques are widely used for cooking a variety of foods. In these methods, gas or charcoal flames heat the air between your foot and the fire. Such hot air circulates around your food as it heats, which is called a convection current. This is one of the prime reasons why the lid of the grill is closed while cooking to stop hot air from escaping. Also, it helps the temperature to sit at an ideal constant temperature, just like a traditional oven.
However, infrared grilling is something different. It is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum to measure the speed and length of waves. A small part of this spectrum is visible to the eyes in the form of visible light. However, because it properly heats things, we can see, feel, and taste its effect.
In simple words, it is just like the sun. The energy of the sun is made up of about 50% infrared, and that’s why pavements are too hot to touch in summer. But, no one can see the heating process.
An infrared grill utilizes a gas burner to heat the plate made of glass, ceramic, or metal and, in turn, produces infrared waves. This plate heat quicker than air and reaches a high temperature rapidly.
These infrared waves heat the surface of an object like meat quicker as compared to circulating hot air.
Infrared Grills Pros
• Standardized Heating Surface
There is an infrared element in the grill that helps in even cooking temperature. A uniform cooking temperature is best for grilling meat and other foods to perfection.
• Energy Efficient
You just need fewer ignitions to heat and light, infrared grill as compared to a charcoal or gas grill. The best thing is that it uses less fuel as the infrared helps in the healing process. That’s why the infrared grill is much more energy-efficient than other grills.
• Less Time for heating
Typically, most grills need a bit of time to heat up the temperature for cooking. But, an infrared grill can heat up quickly and thus helps in fast cooking.
• Options for high temperature
One of the best features of infrared grills is that there is an option to increase the temperature besides flames. Typically an infrared grill can easily reach 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
Such a feature makes it an ideal choice for faster and efficient cooking. However, some models were made to reach up to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Easy to Clean
Cleaning is an infrared grill is effortless. The high temperature vaporizes any dripping conveniently. You will find most infrared grills that use this feature by collecting the drippings or any unwanted mess in a channel. These drippings are then vaporizing back into your food as pure flavor, removing the fare-ups in typical grills that should be conquered to prevent burning the food. You can easily wipe or clean these channels with a regular grill brush.
• Flavorful Juicy Food
There is a risk of burning your food with a regular cooking surface if left for too long. Do you know when you get the right timing with such technology; you will find that your food can retain up to 35% more of the natural juices? In simple words, infrared grills can provide more flavorful and juicy foods as compared to ordinary grills.
Infrared Grill Cons
• Heavy and Immobile
The infrared grill was specially manufactured for commercial kitchens to give them a constant and efficient grilling surface to cook a variety of foods. That’s why there was no function for portability.
Although modern infrared grills are designed with compact designs, they are still not lightweight and portable as compared to charcoal and gas grills.
The infrared plates have a heavy design and therefore are not ideal for mobility.
• Not versatile grills
There is no questioning about the performance of an infrared grill. Although the high-temperature feature is ideal for fast cooking but it can be difficult to master such temperatures. Also, there is a not lower temperature option as compared to gas or charcoal grills.
Other grills offer as low as 100 degrees Fahrenheit temperature options, which is best for slow-cooking meats. On the contrary, infrared grills offer as low as 250 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. In other words, this grill is not recommended for cooking fish and vegetables.
• High price
Another disadvantage of infrared grills is that they are expensive. When you compare the size of infrared with 4 burners gas grill, it will cost you from $1000 up to $3000, which is a very high price.
Although you can find portable infrared grills with compact designs for around $500, they have limited options. They also have a shorter lifespan when used for extending cooking sessions.
Best Infrared Grill brands
- Weber
- Char-Broil
- Northfire
- Simple Living Products
- CAMPLUX ENJOY OUTDOOR
Conclusion
The opinion about infrared grill may vary from person to person. For some food lovers, infrared grills work best for searing steaks and other meats. However, some consider it a highly versatile tool for cooking a variety of dishes. The truth is, an infrared grill is a piece of fuel-efficient equipment that can grill food quickly and produce strong flavor as compared to conventional grills.
Frequently Asked Questions
• What is the benefit of infrared grilling?
The prime benefit of the infrared grill is they offer a higher temperature than conventional units. The grilling temperature of infrared grills can reach from 700 to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. You can quickly prepare your foods with less fuel.
• Is infrared grilling healthy?
Infrared grilling is a healthy way of eating. They are more efficient and healthier as they don’t char food and also don’t create maximum carcinogens produced by other grills.
• What is the difference between a regular gas grill and an infrared grill?
The major difference between traditional gas burners and infrared burners is that an infrared burner heats your food directly while a typical gas burner heats the air and then the food. In simple words, an infrared grill can cook food quickly as compared to traditional grills.