ISO indoor grill advice

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

legend_018

Head Chef
Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
1,189
Location
NH
Does anyone know anything about indoor grills? I've been hearing about them lately. Any advise on which ones to buy and what to look for? Do they really cook like outside grills. Any information would be helpful. I have heard two people over the course of the last couple of months say something about wanting to buy one.
 
Miss Legend...

Are you talking about the stove top smokers like the Cameron Stove Top models rather than an indoor grill?? Indoor grills can be had for a price, but in most "homeowner" applications the vent system required is what makes them impracticable. I think Miss Katie has a couple of the Cameron models, and she gives them great reviews! You may want to research those...

Enjoy!
 
Last edited:
If you could give us some idea what type of grill you are speaking of, legend, it would make it easier to offer advice.

As Uncle Bob mentioned, do you mean stovetop smoker-types or the cast iron ones that straddle two burners, etc.? Then there are the electric versions, which is a whole other story.
 
I have an indoor grill that i LOVE - bought it on HSN. It might be made by Bravetti, if I can find the manual. It is a plug in, w a thermostat, glass (tempered?) lid and very large and round, about the size of a pizza. It came w a steamer ring, way back, to steam clams. I haven't used that feature yet. I grilled brats/peppers/hashbrowns, shrimp, dogs, burgers, reheated pizza. There are so many things you can make on it - & there's room to grill an entire meal, i.e. salmon and asparagus. You could do a search on hsn, but I've had it a few years now. It did come up on ebay, after I bought mine, for less $. As I recall, it was under $30. It also has grill grooves & a nonstick surface. The grilling part is removeable to wash. If you can find it, it's worth every penny.
 
Last edited:
Not the smoker version, just a regular grill that would make the food taste "grilled" such as in a outdoor grill but indoors.
 
Are you looking for a George Forman type appliance or a metal grill with ridges that you put over a burner or two burners on the stove.
 
Probably the metal ones. I don't really know too much about what I want. I have just heard people talk about indoor grills latey. Such as - I want one those indoor grills. Have you heard about the indoor grills people are using lately ect. I think I even saw signs for indoor grills in one of the isles when I was walking through walmart once.
 
You can get a metal grill/griddle that will fit over two burners on your stove. They are usually reversable. A smooth side for pancakes, eggs, bacon, etc. and a ridged side for grilling meats and veggies.

You can get a cast iron one that needs seasoning the same as any other cast iron cookware. It will deliver very good performance. There are also cast aluminum ones with a non-stick coating.

You can also get a ridged grill pan. A frying pan with ridges in the bottom.

The key to these is that you have to properly regulate the burners to get the right amount of heat to the food.

The other alternative is an electric appliance with interchangeable plates (ridged and smooth) that can be set to the appropriate temperature and will regulate itself.

Cast Iron seems to be the metal of choice for the two burner type.

George Forman grills are the most popular of the electric type. I've had my eye on a Cuisinart with interchangeable plates.
 
regardless of the type of grill you choose, good ventilation is necessary or the smoke alarms will be going off.
 
Robo410 said:
regardless of the type of grill you choose, good ventilation is necessary or the smoke alarms will be going off.

In my experience, a grill pan really doesn't produce any more smoke than a frying pan.
 
legend_018 said:
Not the smoker version, just a regular grill that would make the food taste "grilled" such as in a outdoor grill but indoors.

IMO there is no indoor appliance that can recreate the taste of real grilled food. Not even those "grill pans," which are cast iron skillets than make marks on your food. Mine didn't make smoke either.
 
Andy,
I bought the Cuisinart with the interchangeable plates and I am very happy with it. I've done burgers, steaks and fish on the grill and pancakes, grilled cheese and French toast on the griddle. Everything turned out well. Of course, the steaks didn't taste like they were done outside, but they were good.
 
I use a forman, it cooks similar to a skillet except it drains, it produces less smoke than a skillet for this reason. It does not taste like an outside grill. Nothing compares to that smoke you can create outside. The forman gets typical grilled food (steaks, shrimp, dogs, burgers etc) cooked, but not "grilled" like you would expect, furthermore, I would not recommend cooking any steak on an indoor grill. Id probably rather cook my steak in a skillet than my forman after trying that a few times, but for steak and seafood I just go outside :) The forman is good for burgers, dogs, chicken and sausage tho.
 
Back
Top Bottom