PHILADELPHIA – Summer grilling usually starts with filling a propane tank or buying a bag of charcoal briquettes. But some people are ditching these fuels for a more climate-friendly electric grill.
Just before dinner recently, Stoio Kachev wheeled his electric grill across his family's backyard patio to an electrical outlet, plugged it in and hit the power button.
"You can choose what temperature you want," Kachev says, setting it to 500 degrees Fahrenheit on the digital display. "So you see it's at 152 now and it'll take about 15 minutes to get to 500."
On the menu are two family favorites. "We are making some Bulgarian short ribs, and we're going to make some Vietnamese pork belly," says Doanh Nghiem. She and Kachev say convenience is the main reason they switched to an electric grill.
"We used to have a gas grill, and we used to go buy propane. Not only is it getting more expensive, but it's just a pain to lug [tanks] around," Nghiem says. "I was sold when I learned that we could just plug it in and grill whenever we wanted to and not have to buy anything extra."
Whether running an electric or propane grill is cheaper depends on utility rates and local propane prices, though if you don't have an outdoor outlet that might involve hiring an electrician.
Climate change is another reason Nghiem and Kachev switched. Before the grill, the couple replaced several fossil fuel items with electric ones — first their car, then lawn mower and trimmer, a water heater and last year the grill.
Switching from a fossil fuel-burning device to an electric one — called electrification — is a key climate solution, especially as they are powered by electricity generated from an increasingly cleaner grid that uses renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.
Grill manufacturers embrace electric
Mention electric grills and many people think of small models that look more like a waffle iron. But now some manufacturers are focused on making full-size, stand-alone grills that can reach temperatures of 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
"People are skeptical because of those previous experiences where they've used small [electric] grills," says Tom Penner, CEO of Current Backyard. The parent company, W.C. Bradley, also makes Charbroil grills.
Penner says electric grills are popular with younger consumers and people who live in apartments that may not allow gas grills.
"You have a lot of empty nesters that also find it more convenient to simply plug into their outlet," Penner says, "and 15 minutes later have a grill that's hot enough to cook on."
Cooking vegetables also is easier with electric grills, he says. "You're able to control the different parts of the grill and really control the temperature — vegetables and other products can be a little more sensitive sometimes."
Because electric grills don't have flames, they also can be an option in places where forest fires are a risk, assuming there's an outdoor outlet available.
"Electric grills, like Kenyon's lineup, eliminate the risks associated with open flames, making them a wildfire-safe choice for outdoor cooking," says Mike Williams, vice president of sales and marketing for Connecticut-based Kenyon.
Both Kenyon and Current Backyard say their grills can withstand some exposure to water, such as a light rain.
Gas grills generally cost more to purchase. The highest rated gas grills at Consumer Reports, which doesn't rate electric grills, range from $275 to $2,750. Freestanding electric grill retail prices range from about $200 to $1,600. For operating a grill, whether propane or electric is more expensive depends on your local utility rates and propane prices. Either way, the cost is nominal per meal — usually under $2.
Kenyon says its electric grill sales have increased more than 40% in the past three years. Current Backyard doesn't disclose sales, but the company is expanding its line with an electric griddle and pizza oven.
While the industry is optimistic about electric grills, some cooking experts are more skeptical about grilling without gas or charcoal.
Chefs say electric grills have their place
At Zachary's BBQ & Soul in Collegeville, Pa., the summer grilling season is underway. The business expected to cater a few dozen graduations, parties and other events as the Memorial Day weekend approached.
"Let's take off my chef hat and put on my dad hat and think about grilling," owner Keith Taylor says. "I think that electric grills are ridiculously convenient," in part because they're easy to use and often easier to clean.
"I think that there's a place for them," Taylor says, "If you're just throwing [on the grill] burgers, dogs, very thin chicken cutlets — or things that cook quickly — I think electric is a dynamite, dynamite choice."
But, putting his chef hat back on, Taylor offers a caveat: "If you're not a purist like me, who must have wood or must have charcoal, or want those kind of flavors imparted in food."
Taylor opens the refrigerator-size door to his Southern Pride Smoker, which cooks 400 pounds of meat at a time. "If you bring your head closer, you can actually get a scent — a whiff — of what it is that we're doing with this barbecue," Taylor says.
"I put hickory and cherry in here," he says, pointing to the smoker's firebox. "It automatically transfers over into the smoke chamber and stays there, constantly bathing our meats or barbecue or turkeys or ribs and all those items with that beautiful hickory and cherry smoke."
You won't get that with an electric grill, Taylor contends, though some electric grills do offer a way to introduce wood smoke — usually with a tin of wood chips that burn as the food cooks. Professional chefs say there are a few other tricks for introducing traditional grilling and smoke flavors with an electric grill.
"I find that electric grills are all about the seasoning, not the seasoning on the item you are grilling, but the seasoning on the grill itself," says Rich Landau, chef and co-owner of Vedge, a vegan restaurant in Philadelphia. In an email responding to NPR's questions, Landau wrote, "Clean it, but not too much. This helps create that deep layer of flavor on a grill."
He suggests using lava rocks in the bottom of the grill because they "are porous and absorb all of your grill drippings, they become seasoned as well, and each time you grill will give you more and more flavor."
One thing electric grills can do better than most others is make picture-perfect grill marks.
Taylor says that's because an electric grill provides a more constant heat, "where a fire will die down lower or you have to adjust the gas, the electric grill consistently is giving heat that makes it so that you can get those pretty grill marks."
Back in Nghiem and Kachev's backyard, she's impressed with the grill marks on his short ribs. While an electric grill might not be up to a barbecue chef's high standards, for this couple, it's perfect for an evening meal in the backyard.
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