Obsessive charcoal griller for decades, I decided to try this one for Tsiknopempti and Kathari Deftera. Comments:
- Max for 4 people. It barely fits 4 pork necks, relatively large, of any thickness. Alternatively, about 15 skewers (souvlaki for some).
- It definitely takes twice as long compared to charcoal with the BASIC CONDITION that you will grill anything "flat". For example, steaks, salmon, bread, pies, shrimp.
- It is COMPLETELY unsuitable for anything that is not "flat". Well, okay, sausages can be grilled (in three times the time compared to charcoal), but anything challenging, like chicken thighs, cutlets, octopus, will test your patience. It will grill them, but definitely in triple the time compared to charcoal. Well, waiting for about 50 minutes to grill 1.5 kg of chicken thigh cutlets (barely fits on it), while with charcoal you need less than 20 minutes, is a problem for me.
- It has about 80-90% of the taste of charcoal (since the smokiness and the aroma give that extra 10-20% to charcoal), which you don't have with electric grills.
- Some people use it indoors. Okay, yes, it doesn't produce much smoke, but if you want to grill indoors, it's better to use an oven and non-stick pans. The fun is on the balcony or in the yard, with 2-3-4 people, beer/wine, and some music. But to each their own... Having problems with neighbors on the balcony is unlikely in any case.
- The construction is quite nice. Well, aluminum (or something like that) where the heating elements attach and the grill sits on top. Everything is easy. HOWEVER, this whole construction doesn't justify the cost of 90 euros for me. The extended warranty from a big store that offers it is a one-way street for me. If any of the 2 heating elements burn out, just send it back and they will fix it, 5 years of worry-free grilling.
- Above the heating elements, there is a base for the grill. So, you can also place your own grill on top, but you will see that in practice.
- Cleaning... BIG problem. The grill and its metal base DO NOT fit in a 45 cm dishwasher (the rectangular, elongated ones). In contrast to charcoal grills where you throw the grill in the charcoal for the next grilling and you're done (nevermind, that's not our issue...), here you definitely have to clean the grill and its metal base after 1 or 2 grilling sessions. Degreaser, wire brush, rubber, lots of water, lots of effort... However, the baking tray and the rest of the device (the gray construction) are easy to clean.
To abandon it for the next grilling and "burn" it like with charcoal DOES NOT work because the grill and its base attach above the heating elements and in no case do they "burn" like in charcoal.
In general, for the use of one person or a couple, it's better to use a strong non-stick pan and have 2 pieces of salmon ready in 20 minutes and a quick wash in the pan, rather than dealing with this mess... On the other hand, a balcony or yard with 3-4 people is PERFECT for this.
Happy grilling to everyone :)