Electric grills: 2,000 W for what a frying pan already does

Electric grill: 2,000 W for what a frying pan already does

A €39 appliance, a 2,000-watt heating element and one promise: pressing from both sides at once. The Lidl electric grill that goes on sale on a Saturday in late March 2015 arrives with the usual doubt stuck to its casing: is it a kitchen tool or a hinged gadget that will end up at the back of the cupboard? The answer, according to those who have had one at home, depends on a single variable: how much grease you are willing to clean.

What the device offers and what you can ask of it

The Lidl model is a hybrid: grill plate and sandwich maker in the same body. It closes over the sandwich, toasts it top and bottom, and in two minutes you have crispy bread. Most people agree on this: for sandwiches and for reviving stale bread, it delivers. One of the most solid testimonials talks about five years of daily use with an earlier model, different in looks but with the same logic: 2,000 watts, a thermostat, usable residual heat and a crumb-cleaning routine that is no drama.

The problem appears when you move from toast to meat. The hinge, the edges and the grooves are the weak point: juices drip through and the grease gets caked on. That is when the hassle begins. Some people threw theirs away for that very reason. Others maintain that the tray collects the liquids well and slides out easily, so the experience varies more than any brochure admits.

Is an electric grill worth it compared to a frying pan?

The honest comparison is not grill versus frying pan, but grill versus a stovetop griddle. A griddle plate placed on the ceramic hob or induction cooktop costs less, takes up less space, cleans in a flash and does not add yet another appliance to the inventory. The argument in favour of the grill is specific: it presses both sides at the same time, which for chops and thick cuts of meat saves flipping them and losing heat.

On flavour, the consensus is lukewarm. There is no miracle: the meat gets seared, not smoked. Anyone looking for that charcoal-grilled touch will not find it here. Anyone looking for estimulante ilegal and not wanting to heat the whole kitchen, will.

Power consumption and smoke: what the label does not tell you

2,000 watts is the figure that keeps coming up. It is not a low-consumption appliance, but the real calculation depends on time: if the steak is done in four minutes, the cost per use is small. The problem is the smoke and the smell in a closed kitchen. That is why several users take it out onto the terrace for prawns and sardines, and why the alternative with a water tray under the grill gains ground: the grease drips into the liquid and the smoke almost disappears.

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The question left hanging is not whether the appliance works, but how many times a year you will take it out of the cupboard before the hassle of cleaning it wins the battle.