This Indoor Grill Looks Great on Your Countertop and Makes a Mean Burger

#1: Less Mess

One huge gripe with many indoor grills is how troublesome they are to clean. With this grill, it’s simple. The grate is removable and dishwasher safe, although the nonstick coating makes it easy to wash by hand. The lid, which is the other part that’s likely to get dirty, is also removable and dishwasher safe, although it takes up a large swath of dishwasher space. Still, cleaning the lid by hand once it’s off the grill is much easier than if it was permanently attached. The removable drip tray fills the entire bottom of the grill. It catches drips, so the grill itself stays clean, and it’s easy to wash. It’s also disposable, so if it does get too messy, it can be replaced.

The drip tray should be filled with at least two cups of water, so there’s no chance that something will drip and burn on the bottom. In fact, the only time there was the smallest hit of smoke was when I cooked several things in a row and the water was gone—my fault! The lid also encloses most of the mess, so there’s less spatter outside the grill, even when I had it cranked to high heat for some serious searing. 

#2: Performance

This grill isn’t very tall, so it’s meant for thinner, shorter foods, like steaks and burgers. Even the red bell pepper I roasted touched to top of the grill, but it still did an excellent job charring it. While it can accommodate a spatchcocked chicken or any chicken parts, it wouldn’t be a great choice for cooking a whole chicken or a tall roast. But then again, that’s not what it’s made for.

I grilled some cauliflower wedges and they cooked fairly well, but this grill wouldn’t be my first choice for that purpose again. Cauliflower steaks would be better, since thinner slices would cook more evenly.

The heat control on this grill doesn’t have numbers or temperature, just larger and larger lines to indicate higher heat. Like a new stove, it takes a little practice to get used to how hot each of those settings is. A red light indicates that the heat is on, but there’s no indication of when the grill has reached its set temperature when preheating. It also doesn’t have a timer or auto-shutoff, so it’s important to remember to turn it off after cooking. Since there’s no temperature probe, a remote meat thermometer can also be very handy for ensuring that foods cook to perfection.

It didn’t take long before I was confident cooking steaks, chops, and burgers, just like on my outdoor grill.

#3: Can Be Used Outdoors, Too

While this grill is sold as an indoor grill, and it’s great for cooking steaks and burgers in the kitchen, it can also be moved outdoors. In fact, there’s a cart for this grill that’s available separately, so it can be rolled out to the patio or deck—as long as it’s near an outlet to plug it in. Speaking of outlets, the plug on this is GFCI protected, making it very safe, no matter where it’s used.

While this can be used outdoors, it shouldn’t be left outside unless it’s protected from wet weather since water can get into the electronics and damage the grill. Covers are available if the grill can’t be moved indoors after use.

One final note…

This is essentially a contact grill, which means that the grates heat up and cook the food where it comes in contact with the metal. With the lid closed, there is heat circulation around the food, but this isn’t a replacement for an oven. It’s actually much more like cooking food on the stove, or yes, an outdoor grill. Food will need to be flipped during cooking to ensure it’s cooked evenly on both sides.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Donna Currie has been reviewing cooking equipment for over a decade, and has reviewed a number of grills for The Spruce Eats over the years. Besides a fondness for fire and smoke, she also bakes a lot of bread and is the author of "Make Ahead Bread," a cookbook that’s all about making bread baking more convenient for busy people.