KitchenAid 740-0781 Built Propane Gas Grill, Stainless Steel Review
A stainless steel grill often serves as an exclamation mark for a high-end outdoor kitchen or grill station. If you asked someone a few years ago, they would have been shocked to hear that KitchenAid made an outdoor grill, let alone a high-end stainless steel drop-in unit like their 740-0781 Built Propane Gas Grill.
Yet here it is with all its gleam and four stainless steel burner elements paired with a single rear-mounted ceramic rotisserie burner. At full flame, this built-in gas grill is rated to produce a staggering 71,000 BTUs of heat.
Yet it isn’t just a one-trick pony of high heat. KitchenAid specifically designed this grill with what they call an “Even Heat System.” This is a blend of careful positioning and engineering along with flame tamers that both distribute the heat across the 884 square inch grill grates, but also help vaporize drippings.
Not only does this infuse the meat with a pleasant fire-kissed smoky flavor, it also makes for more consistent heat control across the primary cooking surface. They can even help prevent problems with a flame port clogging up from excess drippings
The burners are also easy to ignite. There is a built-in electronic ignition system that runs on a single AA battery.
Construction & Ease of Assembly
For a lot of people, stainless steel equals quality. And with the KitchenAid 740-0781 Built Propane Gas Grill there is a lot of stainless steel to speak of. The flame tamers integrated into the proprietary “Even Heat System” are a nice touch, but they’re also the sort of thing you would expect for a unit in this size and price range.
The ceramic rotisserie burner in the back of the grill head is definitely a nice touch. Unfortunately, the rotisserie spit and motor don’t come with it in the original purchase. Still, a compatible version is available through several vendors at a very affordable price.
If you have natural gas available at your outdoor kitchen, there is a conversions kit that will work with this grill. Just bear in mind that it is additional cost and assembly time.
When it comes to assembly, the grill head itself is relatively straight forward. What takes more time and energy, of course, is the engineering of the actual station to hold the nearly 110-pound gas grill. If you don’t already have your outdoor kitchen set up to receive the grill head, you should strongly consider reaching out to a local contractor for help.
Grilling Performance
The 71,000 BTUs this grill produces over the course of it’s 884 square inch grill grate is impressive. Just keep in mind that a portion of this heating potential is diverted to the ceramic rotisserie element.
The Even Heating System and flame tamers are a nice touch here. With many grills this large, you frequently run into hot and cold spots. The flame tamers also vaporize grease and other drippings to essentially “Advertise” what you’re grilling, while also imparting some additional smoky flavor.
The one noticeable feather missing from this grill’s cap is the lack of a rotisserie included in the purchase. Which feels a little bit like getting your favorite toy laser blaster for Christmas as a kid and then not having the batteries to make it light up.
Of course, all the space across the grill grates and the four independently controlled propane burners also gives you the ability to create multiple heat zones. This is great for things like hybrid grilling or for times when you need to cook different cuts of meat for various diners. You can easily produce two distinct heat zones, and with a careful hand, you might be able to create three across a heat spectrum.
Grilling Areas
The KitchenAid 740-0781 gas grill has an expansive 884 square inch grill grate, which makes it great for large outdoor kitchens that need to host events for a large group of people. Yet the independently controlled burners also make it easy for times when you just need to grill for you and your significant other
Special Features
The flame tamers integrated into the Even Heat System are where this grill tries to set itself apart. It does this rather well, producing relatively consistent heat across the primary grill grate.
Ease to Clean
The grill grates on the KitchenAid 740-0781 can be a little sticky. Especially with lean cuts of meat like chicken tenderloins and porch chops. Lightly glazing the grates before you lay down the meat can minimize the amount of scraping you need to do later.
There is a somewhat small grease cup rather than a drippings pan. If you are grilling a large amount of food, or something greasy with a lot of drippings, you might want to keep an eye on the cup, in case of overflow.
Warranty
The KitchenAid 740-0781 comes with a multi-tier limited warranty. This includes the following coverage items.
Stainless steel tube burners: 10-year limited warranty against perforation. All other burners only have one 1 year of coverage against perforation. The cooking grids have a 3-year limited warranty.
All stainless steel parts have a 3-year limited warranty against perforation. All other parts have 1 Year of coverage.
All told this level of coverage is about on par with the competition, though it isn’t considered “Best in class.”
Conclusion
The KitchenAid 740-0781 doesn’t necessarily have a lot of bells and whistles, and the lack of a rotisserie is somewhat noticeable. Still, you shouldn’t let that turn you off of this stainless steel grill. KitchenAid and its affiliated manufacturers have a long-standing reputation for quality.
This grill has everything you need to enjoy your outdoor kitchen space for years to come. Just commit to buying the rotisserie accessory and make room in the budget for a contractor to help you install it.
