Life in an apartment or condo comes with a lot of conveniences. You don’t have to shovel your own snow, take leaves, or cut the grass on a blazing hot day, just to name a few. Yet for lovers of grilled meat, there is one glaring drawback, the inability to grill on your own deck!
Thankfully, this long-standing problem has been solved in recent years by an influx of high-quality electric grills. Most are designed for indoor or outdoor use, and many pass standard apartment safety codes.
These conveniently priced grills tend to use standard 120 Volt AC from a three-prong outlet. Which lets them feel comfortable at home, living on your kitchen counter. Though there are a few larger units that do better sitting on the deck or patio. Especially if you are planning on grilling up a greasy piece of meat, or something with a lot of dripping marinade.
When Should I Check With My Apartment Manager?
Most indoor electric grills use a sealed nichrome alloy in the heating element. From a technical aspect, this classifies them as a “Home Cooking Appliance” and not technically a grill. These smaller units don’t require special notification. You still want to be smart though, and use them with proper.
Proper Ventilation Is Important
Some electric grills will smoke more than others. Especially if you are cooking a fatty piece of meat or something with a lot of sloppy marinades. Ideally, you want to position it near a properly ventilated range hood or an open window with good airflow.
Cleaning Features
Cleaning features are very important when shopping for an indoor electric grill. Even something as simple as an egg slipping off the edge of a griddle plate can cause a major mess. Not to mention the total catastrophe that can occur when a drippings cup or grease that overflows!
Ideally, you want to look for things like a built-in runoff channel and a deep drippings cup. Something like a specific grease management system is always a nice touch.
Safety Features For An Indoor Apartment Grill
Most quality indoor apartment grill manufacturers are mindful to include basic heat protection and other safety features. This includes thing like:
- An insulated bottom to protect tables and counters from heat damage.
- A breakaway power cord to minimize problems caused by an accidental bump.
- Cool-touch handles to make room on limited counter space.
- A lid to cover the grill surface to not only do things like melt cheese but to also help minimize spatter and control air in the case of a freak flare-up.
If possible, you should try to set an electric grill near an outlet with a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter or GFCI. This is essentially a special little fuse built into the face of the outlet. Any time the electric draw exceeds the safe limit, or there is an unforeseen short circuit, the little switch in the face pops out to arrest the flow of electricity.
Size And Storage Space
As you’re likely aware water is the enemy of electronic appliances. This includes electric indoor and outdoor apartment grills. Even if you have a reliable looking cover for your electric patio grill, you should still consider bringing it indoors. Sometimes wind and even extreme changes in humidity can let water access seemingly impossible places.
Ideally, you want to prioritize an outdoor apartment grill that collapses into a small package or perhaps disconnects from the base. In a pinch, the base can live outside on the deck or patio, while the sensitive electronic grill head lives warm and dry in one of the kitchen cupboards.
While indoor apartment grills tend to be smaller, most people don’t let them live on the countertop day-in and day-out. Before you pull the trigger on a particular unit, you might want to pull out the old tape measure to make sure you have a cupboard or kitchen cabinet that will fit it comfortably.
The Advantages Of An Indoor Apartment Grill
Many indoor apartment grills are easy to maintain. They come with thoughtful cleanup features and the kind of wattage requirements that are delivered by a modern-day three-prong electric outlet. Assuming you have proper ventilation they won’t trip a standard kitchen smoke alarm. Most are designed for easy storage.
Best Indoor Electric Grills For An Apartment
George Foreman GBR5750SEPQ Electric Indoor Grill
George Foreman GFO201 Indoor/Outdoor Rectangular Electric Grill
Hamilton Beach 25360 Electric Indoor Searing Grill
Tenergy TG01 Redigrill Smokeless Infrared Grill
Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler
The Advantages Of An Outdoor Apartment Grill
For many grilling enthusiasts the opportunity to feel the sun on your face and enjoy the breeze, while perhaps making the neighbors envious, is very appealing. Fortunately, there are several electric grill manufacturers who cater to these interests.
Many of these units have bases that can live outdoors through the course of three or even four seasons, with a reliable cover. Then the base unit can detach and come inside for storage. There are even some that are designed to be collapsible, which allows them to double as portable grills for tailgating and trips to the beach.
Best Outdoor Apartment Grills
Giantex KC42178 1350W Electric BBQ Grill
T-fal OptiGrill XL GC722D53 Stainless Steel Indoor Electric Grill
Cuisinart CEG-980 Outdoor Electric Grill
George Foreman GGR240L Indoor Outdoor Grill
Easy Street Supreme 9329W9 Electric BBQ Grill
