Modern housewives have access to a great variety of different devices that make life easier and simplify the process of preparing dishes. One of them is an electric grill. If you have not yet made a final purchase decision, carefully weigh the pros and cons.

Operating principle and varieties

The operating principle of electric grills is based on heating the surface, which is carried out by operating from the mains. For heating, small but powerful miniature heating elements are used, maintaining a temperature of about 650-700 degrees, or quartz lamps, heating up to 1000 degrees.

The working surface and other elements can be made of stainless steel or ceramics, some parts are complemented with a non-stick coating. Modern models of electric grills are multifunctional and can perform the functions of other kitchen appliances, for example, a kebab maker, a steamer or a microwave oven.

Based on the principle of heat treatment of products, the following types of electric grills are distinguished:

1. Contact. Products are placed on a heated surface and cooked on it. Such models are divided into two subgroups: closed and open. In the first, the housing is closed, which allows you to process food from both sides at once. Contact grills are also divided into one-sided, double-sided and combined, in which two surfaces can be connected and transformed into one.
2. Contactless grills differ from contact grills in design and cooking features. The products do not come into contact with the work surface, but are placed on a spit or skewers and rotated, blown with hot air. With this method of heat treatment, virtually no carcinogenic substances are released, and all dishes turn out juicy and retain a maximum of nutrients. Non-contact models are skewer, planetary, carousel and vertical.

Depending on the design, electric grills are divided into compact tabletop, more spacious floor-mounted and built-in.

pros

First, let's look at all the advantages of an electric grill:

• The device can be used for heating dishes or defrosting food, stewing, frying.
• Closed-type devices can be used in an apartment or private house, since the spread of odors is minimal and limited to the housing.
• Capacious models allow you to simultaneously prepare significant volumes of food in a short time. So, in just an hour and a half you can prepare a full lunch or dinner for a large family or guests.
• You can use a minimal amount of oil or cook without it at all, which will make all dishes lighter and more dietary.
• Cooking in an electric grill is a much more gentle and healthy method of heat treatment, especially if a non-contact model is used: carcinogens are not formed, and most of the vitamins and other useful components are preserved.
• This device is suitable not only for home use, but also for outdoor use. If you love shish kebab or barbecue, then an electric grill will be an excellent alternative that does not require preparation and lighting, as well as constant monitoring.
• The compact device is portable and mobile, so it can be transported and carried without problems, and can also be used in any place where there is access to an electrical outlet.
• The electric grill operates almost silently, so its operation will be comfortable and will not cause inconvenience.
• Possibility of preparing a wide variety of products: poultry, fish, meat, vegetables.
• Relatively low cost, especially when compared with the price of other kitchen appliances.

Minuses

Disadvantages of electric grills:

• Despite its versatility, an electric grill cannot replace all kitchen appliances. So, you cannot bake, cook, fully steam or quickly reheat ready-made dishes in it.
• Tangible energy consumption and associated costs. So, baking in the oven or cooking over a fire will cost less.
• If you do not know what to cook in such a device and, in principle, do not like this method of processing, then you are unlikely to be able to appreciate the electric grill and fully use it.
• A power source is required, which is not always possible.
• The device cannot be used outdoors in rainy weather, as this can lead to breakdowns, failure and short circuits.
• The cooking speed is highly dependent on the mains voltage. And although many manufacturers guarantee uninterrupted operation, if there are sudden voltage surges, the electric grill will not be able to function fully.

If you still doubt the need to purchase a grill, then after evaluating all its pros and cons, you can make the right decision.

The way we eat has a direct impact on our lives and our health. This has been scientifically proven. But even without science, we can easily understand what is good for our well-being and what is not so good. The grill philosophy is a relatively new trend for our food culture, but today it confidently occupies its niche in the topic of proper nutrition.

Proper nutrition: how not to get bored

If you are looking for select food for weight loss, or are interested in the topic of proper nutrition in general, you probably know that this concept does not come down to the banal “going on a diet.” This concept is broad. There are many ways and options on how to eat healthy. You can be, for example, a raw foodist. Such diet will suit some, but others will find it exhausting, tasteless, and will cause acute hunger. Some people will find themselves in dietary nutrition, and will begin to strictly count calories, choosing the most healthy ones among the foods. There are also supporters balanced nutrition, they do not go to extremes and try to consume all foods, but in moderation. It seems that they are not on a diet, they are not restricting themselves, but they are eating as healthy as possible.

It’s a pity that most of the methods listed above are depressing: often healthy food for some reason it is not as tasty as it is healthy. Is it possible to eat healthy and tasty at the same time? For people who are leading or just starting to lead healthy lifestyle, this is the main question! Tasteless food doesn't provide good motivation to eat right, right?

And in this matter, a real philosophy comes to the rescue, the name of which is grill. A grill is not only equipment for cooking, it is also a method of cooking, and, in fact, the products themselves prepared in this way. For our culture grill The philosophy is relatively new, but in the West it has been something of a cult for decades. Moreover, this is a cult of healthy, high-quality food. And although we have “analogues” of the grill, such as a barbecue, for example, the barbecue still loses in front of the grill. We’ll talk about what exactly in another article, but now let’s talk about the benefits of grilling.

4 reasons to switch to healthy eating using grilling

First. Grilled food is absolutely delicious. Prepare grilled vegetables- even zucchini, the most dietary and low-calorie vegetable - they will be delicious, period. Cook the zucchini, for example, steam it or boil it in water - it’s boring and tasteless! Grilling gives a light crust, an appetizing grill pattern, and mmm... a smoky aroma that excites the taste buds and sense of smell! Sprinkle the vegetables with olive oil, sprinkle with your favorite herbs - prepared in this way, they will not leave even “meat-eaters” indifferent.

Second. Salt is harmful, salt accumulates in the body, salt retains fluid and prevents us from losing weight. Why eat salt if it is so harmful? But people are used to it, because this white granular additive, as it seems to us, gives food taste. But grilled dishes tasty even without salt. It is worth trying grilled food prepared without salt, as you will see that it is delicious without it. The situation is similar with sugar: the grill is perfect for baking fruits - bananas, pineapples, plums. You won’t need any sugar for these self-sufficient desserts, and their taste will be amazing.

Third. The vast majority of us cannot live without meat. It is well known that the most useful method of cooking meat in terms of preserving nutrients is baking. That's why grilled meat You can bake it much tastier than you can do in the oven. Nothing gives meat such a zest as that amazing aroma of fresh smoke, which our nose seems to sense through the prism of centuries. Smoky meat is subconsciously perceived by a person as something authentic, traditional, something that our distant cave ancestors ate. Which, as we know, were strong and healthy. But, most importantly, like everyone else grilled dishes, the meat turns out very juicy. By preserving the internal juices of the product, you retain most of the nutrients, and therefore get the most natural, healthy food.

And finally, fourth. It's worth knowing that grilling not limited to just baking or frying foods. A grill in your home is a unique assistant, absolutely multitasking. Stew, boil, steam, fry, bake - he can do it all. In addition, you practically don’t need complex recipes to cook delicious food. Complex recipes are suitable for those who want to take their grilling to the next level. For beginners, the grill itself is quite enough - a faithful assistant who will cook food guaranteed to be tasty, and at the same time simple.

So today, the variety of types of grills and their models allows us to satisfy any needs of people. You can choose a large charcoal grill for a country house, or you can buy a gas grill so compact that there is a place for it on the balcony of a high-rise apartment. Fans of traveling or picnics will appreciate the advantages of a travel grill - small but very effective. And, most importantly, with the grill it is possible to intuitively choose the healthiest food.

At first glance, grilled foods seem healthy because they do not contain oil and do not leak fat all over the plate. But is it really so?
What can scientists tell us about the benefits of such food? On the one hand, grilling foods does not require the addition of oil or breading, which can contain additional calories and cholesterol. On the other hand, not all products can be cooked correctly and healthily on the grill.

Most of us love our steaks thick, juicy and well done. If this is not about you, then you can skip this paragraph, but it is advisable for everyone else to remember - this is not the right choice. The thing is that melting fat dripping from fatty meat onto hot coals in a barbecue, when burned, forms compounds containing polyaromatic hydrocarbons. And you bite off a delicious fried piece of kebab, actually soaked in heterocyclic amines. According to laboratory studies and experiments, such combustion products can cause damage to DNA and increase the risk of cancer.

Let's face it, every time you light up the grill, you're not frying lean chicken or zucchini slices on it. You prepare kilograms of pork kebabs, high-calorie fatty sausages that contain a huge amount of fat, cholesterol and are completely unhealthy for the body, supplementing them with sauces and salad dressings containing sugar.

But we can make barbecue cooking healthier. After reading the information above, there is no need to despair, because going to nature with a barbecue is a great way to spend a warm summer evening. You can get great pleasure from cooking on the grill, the main thing is to choose the right products.

How can you make barbecue or grilled meat healthier?

1) Avoid sauces containing sugar. You may not realize that ketchup, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce or garlic sauce, in which you are used to marinating meat, are quite harmful due to the large amount of sugar they contain. Opening each package of sauce literally hits your pancreas. Make your picnic healthier by making your own sauce and adding sugar instead of sugar.

2) Prepare fruits and vegetables. Each of us should eat a large amount of vegetables and fruits, and when grilled, they become more appetizing and attractive, even for those who do not like them raw. Fruits and vegetables provide huge benefits to us, reducing the risk of stroke, heart attacks and obesity, and, among other things, they are much healthier to grill than meat because they do not produce fat during cooking.

3) Another useful tip - buy lean meat, try to minimize the amount of fat dripping onto the coals. The easiest way is to trim the skin and visible fat from pieces of meat. Yes, we all know that a layer of lard looks more appetizing and smells better during cooking, but it’s time to take care of your health!

4) If you want to improve the taste of lean meat, then simply marinate it. If desired, you can even pickle fruits and vegetables. Scientists have found that it is possible to reduce the harmful amount of carcinogens in a dish by marinating meat, since the marinade additionally moisturizes the product and prevents the formation of a fried crust. If you prepare a low-fat marinade, or better yet, one that contains lemon juice, wine, soy sauce, honey and garlic, you can be sure that you will make the right choice.

5) The longer your dish sits on the grill, the more combustion products are absorbed into it. This can be avoided by cutting food into small pieces in advance so that they cook faster and do not absorb smoke from the coals for a long time. An excellent option for kebabs would be shrimp, scallops, finely chopped fish, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions or cherry tomatoes.