The Top 5 Infrared Grilling Pros
1. Energy EfficientFewer ignitions are needed to light and heat an infrared grill as compared to a gas or charcoal grill. Less of the fuel is used as well because the infrared aids in the heating process. This makes them much more energy efficient than other traditional grills.
2. Standardized Heating SurfaceThe infrared element in the grill allows for a completely even cooking temperature. A uniform cooking temperature makes grilling meat and other food to perfection much easier.
3. Option for High TemperatureThese grills have an additional option to increase the temperature beyond just what the flames would have been able to reach. Many of them can go up to 700F. This makes for a faster and more efficient cooking time.
4. Less Time For HeatingMost traditional grills take a bit of time to fully heat up to the temperature that is needed to cook. Infrared grills heat up much faster due, further reducing cooking time.
5. Juicy and Tasty FoodAs it requires less time for preheating the infrared grill, foods are also cooked faster that using traditional grills. This helps retain the fluid content as well as the nutrients of the foods that are being cooked. Many say that the food cooked using infrared grills are tastier compared to cooking foods the other way around.
Are Infrared Grills Safe
Infrared grills arent any more dangerous than their conventional counterparts. While infrared radiation is involved, this type of radiation is completely different from nuclear radiation that results from the disintegration of unstable atoms at nuclear power plants or during a routine X-ray. The term radiation in this case simply means that heat energy moves through the air in waves. In fact, just about everyone has a radiant heating device in their homes called a toaster. Toasters use electricity to heat elements that radiate heat directly to the bread, resulting in beautiful, brown toast.
That said, infrared grills can pose health risks, due to the high temperatures their burners can attain. A recent TheSpruceEats.com article warns, When cooking on infrared, its very important to keep a close eye on foods. Since your cooking time is reduced, you can burn meats very quickly. Burnt food always presents a cancer risk and needs to be avoided at all costs.
Still have questions about infrared grills or want to see grill models up close? Check out Grill Central at LanChester Grill & Hearth, located in Gap, PA, where youll find a huge selection of top-quality grills for the serious grill enthusiast.
Benefits Of Infrared Grills
If youre thinking about upgrading your current grill, then youre probably torn between going the gas or the charcoal way. However, theres a third option you might not be aware of: The infrared grill.
Infrared grills are not as new as you may think. The first grills were produced in the year 2000 after a four-decade-long patent to the infrared burner expired. This effectively paved the way for manufacturers to use the technology to build infrared grills.
But whats all the hullabaloo about? Heres everything you need to know about the benefits of infrared grills.
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Remarkably Simple To Clean
They are much simpler to clean than gas and charcoal grills.
How Do You Clean an Infrared Grill?
The simplest way is to turn on the grill and set the temperature to max. Then close the lid and leave the grill alone for 15 20 minutes. During this time, any remaining debris will be incinerated.
Then just wipe away any residue.
After that, its a good idea to season the grill.
Is Infrared Grilling Safe
Theres often big debate whether infrared grilling is safe, and heres the lowdown. Infrared grilling uses electromagnetic technology to cook your foodthe same technology used in microwaves.
High energy forms of electromagnetic radiation such as X-rays may pose a cancer risk, but infrared grills just dont have that much power to alter or damage DNA.
Infrared grills are fitted with an IR element thats responsible for radiating heat, and nothing more.
Adding to this, it doesnt produce harmful radioactive rays when heated, but only evenly distributes heat across the cooking surface.
Infrared grills dont alter the internal structure of the food, because they dont use radioactive rays to cook.
Even though infrared grilling is safe, there are a few precautions you should take such as being careful when cooking due to the intense heat generated.
Furthermore, if your infrared grill isnt working properly, you should not try to fix things yourself, but rather call professional help, as some inner components can cause electric shock, even when unplugged.
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What Are The Pros And Cons Of Infrared Gas Grills
The truth is it really depends on the infrared design for a particular make, product line, or even model. Like most folks youd probably be interested in an infrared grill if you knew it provided some advantage or benefit. If they were better at searing, low and slow cooking, smoking, with no flare-ups and easy clean-ups wed all take a look see.
So we took a look and the answer does indeed depend on what you get. A bit of history about infrared technology in general, and for gas grills specifically will help you understand why its a bit of pain trying to find an answer to this question.
20th century technology
Bill Best, developed the technology in the 1960s, primarily to give automakers a faster way to dry the paint on cars. That led to him founding Thermal Electric Corp. . and a patented technology for high-end grills for professional cooks and wealthy consumers soon followed.
When his patent expired in 2000, grill companies saw a future in Americas backyards. So now there are many implementations of infrared and they range from marketing BS and hype, to some really beautiful elite infrared gas grill designs and manufacturers.
Char-Broil TRU infrared is a product line you may have seen in Home Depot, Lowes or Wal-Mart. They actually have more than one design and its important to know the difference when comparing them to other brands. The pros and cons of the various Char-Broil TRU infrared models is covered below.
Bbq Catering: Perfect For Any Size Party
BBQ catering is ideal for any sized party because caterers can supply as many portable barbecues and chefs as you need, regardless of the number of guests.
Similarly, if you host a small to medium-sized party, it can seem overwhelming when you are preparing food yourself.
It may be suitable to have full-service catering with cooks and servers for a large gathering.
BBQ catering may be a perfect compromise for a small party because you can purchase food that can be dropped off but does not require a lot of manpower to cook or clean up.
Additionally, you can also purchase ready-made, cold salads that can complement the main course.
If you intend to serve a choice of entrees, a caterer will offer a selection that is prepared with different marinades or rubs.
You can select multiple dishes without taking the time to purchase the individual ingredients yourself.
Fish, poultry, meat and vegetables can be cooked on a barbecue.
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Disadvantages Of An Infrared Grill
Looking at the infrared pros and cons I can only tell you this from my own experience and after using my Char Broil grill2go X200 for a few years now I have found only one disadvantage in grilling on an infrared grill and that is cleaning.
Since the infrared grill grates come with small holes they get clogged up and cleaning is sometimes a pain in the you know where.
In my experience it is best to turn the grill up to high and let is warm up as hot as possible. This basically burns all the left fat and that makes it easier to brush if of. I really found out that using a high-quality grill brush is a must-have for an infrared grill. Many infrared grills come with a special type of forked device that you can use on stubborn holes in the grill grates.
Benefits Of Cooking With Infrared Bbq Grills
Benefits of Cooking with Infrared BBQ With summer in full swing, the smell of barbecue is in the air.
Friends and family are gathering in backyards all across the country to enjoy the great weather and good times that summer is well known for, and nothing adds to summer fun like a good old fashioned barbecue.
Its a pastime that is as American as baseball and apple pie.
We love barbecue, cooking safely and we want to share our knowledge and experience with fellow barbecue enthusiasts.
So, whether youre a novice griller, or a seasoned veteran, youve come to the right site.
Infrared BBQs are quickly catching up in popularity to charcoal and gas grills.
These Infrared BBQ grills are designed to maximize efficiency when cooking, and as a result can usually do the cooking in a fraction of the time it would take on any other type of grill.
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Some Of The Best Brands For Infrared Gas Grills
Even though Char-Broil is likely the name youve heard and perhaps youve even heard some negative reviews dont assume that infrared doesnt offer any advantages. What you really want to do is check out the manufacturers that are building high quality infrared designs. Youll be amazed by what a little more research will reveal.
Why Do Infrared Grill Smoke So Much
One of the most common reasons for a grill to produce excess smoke is for it to be dirty. This should be super easy, as infrared grills are mostly self-cleaning. Just turn the heat up to the max for a few minutes, after you have cooked the food, and the heat will vaporize any residue that has been left behind.
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Q& a: Are There Any Advantages To An Infrared Grill
A. Infrared grilling is one of the newest trends in outdoor cooking. An infrared grill is a gas grill that uses infrared technology as the heat source or as an optional burner. In a conventional gas grill, the flame heats the grates directly. But in an infrared grill, there is an infrared element between the grates and the flame. The gas heats the infrared element, which then radiates intense heat to the food.TEC, formerly the Thermal Engineering Corporation, claims it introduced the first radiant gas grill in the early 1980s, using small flames to heat ceramic plates the plates emitted infrared energy that cooked the food. Youll still find infrared grills with ceramic plates, but under the grates of TECs latest infrared system are glass panels directly over stainless steel burners. Char-Broils infrared system relies on one or more gas burners to heat up a metal cavity between the burners and the grates.
Enthusiasts say infrared grills are good at searing meat, provide uniform heat and cut down on flare-ups. But because they cook differently, they may take some getting used to. In our tests of gas grills, we havent found that infrared grills or grills with an infrared element are any better than those with standard burners. All the best grills in our tests cook uniformly. To find out what else is new in gas grills, see our latest ratings of more than 60 models.
Kimberly Janeway
Is It Normal For Grill To Smoke
Smoke is a natural part of grilling, and it infuses foods with that woodsy, BBQ flavor we all love. White colored smoke coming out of the grill signals that the food is being grilled correctly. At this point, just relax and let the grill do its job. But black smoke is a signal that the grill needs to be adjusted.
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Even Heating With Fewer Hotspots And Flareups
Standard burners heat the various metals above them unevenly. Plus, traditional burners by design dont spread their heat out much. When you put those two factors together, you have a recipe for hot spots.
However, if you look at the best infrared grills, they use very broad panels to distribute the heat right from the source. So as the heat radiates out of the burner, it will do so evenly and consistently.
Goodbye, hot spots!
The intense heat also means that any drippings will vaporize instead of resulting in annoying and dangerous flare-ups.
What Is Infrared Cooking Technology
Infrared energy is a kind of electromagnetic energy that perceives by the unaided eye. Regardless, humans may routinely perceive this radiation as warmth at higher frequencies. The Earth injects infrared radiation from the Sun to preserve its temperature for living creatures, and this is what you sense as the warmth from the Sun.
Infrared barbecuing is one of the most current patterns in outside cooking. An infrared barbecue is a gas barbeque that utilizes infrared innovation as a warmth source or a secondary heater. The fire warms the meshes in a typical gas barbecue. Regardless, there is an infrared component between the meshes and the flames in an infrared barbeque. The gas heats the infrared element, which subsequently radiates extreme warmth to the meal.
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How Do Infrared Grills Work
Infrared radiation is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is invisible to the human eye. At very short wavelengths like with your infrared remote this energy can’t be seen or felt. But at longer wavelengths, infrared can be felt in the form of heat. When you walk barefoot on hot sand at the beach, the heat you’re feeling is the infrared radiation emitted by the sand .
When it comes to grilling, that’s all infrared radiation is: heat waves that are emitted by a hot object which has itself been heated by a propane or natural gas-powered heat element.
The hot object in an infrared grill is usually a piece of steel, ceramic or glass, with a gas element underneath it.
So the difference between infrared and conventional grilling is that conventional grilling is accomplished by heating air that then cooks the food whereas infrared grills don’t produce hot air, they simply produce heat . As a result, infrared grills are capable of emitting much higher amounts of heat directly onto the food, rather than using air as a medium.
This is how infrared grills can produce temperatures of up to 1,200 F. Compare this to the 550 F or so you probably get from your conventional grill or maybe 700 to 750 F when you max out one of those Kamado-style charcoal grills. Moreover, it only takes two to three minutes for infrared grills to start producing these temperatures, which saves a lot of time with preheating.
What Is Infrared Energy
Infrared energy is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum and cannot be seen with the naked eye. However, we can typically sense this energy in the form of heat at longer wavelengths. The Earth absorbs infrared energy from the Sun to maintain its temperature for living things and this is the heat you feel from the Sun.
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Make The Most Of Your Infrared Grill: Tips And Tricks
One of the best parts of summer is cooking outside. Grills have come a long way since the small spaceship-like grills of the 1950s. More cooking methods have developed, catering to different personal preferences from charcoal to gas and now to infrared grilling. Tips and tricks have changed just as the cooking methods, tools and technology have changed.
Infrared grills are relatively new to the outdoor appliance market. They maximize flavor, energy and convenience by using an infrared cooking system as opposed to the convection system traditional gas grills use. Infrared grilling does not disturb the moisture boundary that surrounds all food, allowing it to retain up to 35 percent more moisture. Infrared systems use a layer of heat between the grates and the flame. This radiates heat into the food, cooking it more efficiently.
Infrared grills offer several advantages, but becoming a grillmaster can be tricky. The following infrared grill tips will help you tame your grill and master everything from classic cheeseburgers to filet mignon and fresh fish.
Upgrade Pick Saber Cast 500 32
If you are looking for a high-end infrared gas grill, Saber are an excellent choice. They have developed their very own patented cooking system which uses infrared heat.
The Saber Cast 500 32 Inch 3 Burner hits the sweet spot for price and quality out of all the infrared options over $1,000 and earns our top spot for the best luxury infrared grill.
All the burners on the grill use this technology, and unlike most infrared grills that only have one temperature , Sabers patented technology allows for great temperature control.
Saber grills also offer fuel efficiency, the capacity for incredibly high temperatures, flare up reduction and the resilience and durability of stainless steel construction.
You get 500 square inches of primary grilling area plus an adjustable, enamel-coated 175 square inch warming rack can be folded down to keep foods warm or folded away to give you more space.
When it comes to durability, all burners, infrared emitters, side shelves, and cooking grates are made of 304 stainless steel.
This particular model also includes an 18,000 BTU side burner. The burner is dual control and offers you that extra spot on the grill for boiling, wok cooking or keeping food warm.
Like the Char-Broil reviewed above, the side burner has a lid so you can use it as a side shelf for extra prep area.
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