
IR Grill Benefits:
- Quick Preheating. Infrared grills heat rapidly, so they are ready to cook in a shorter amount of time compared to other types of grills.
- Even Heat Distribution. A convection gas grill cooks food as air is heated and rises, leaving some parts less well done than others.
- Reduced Cooking Time. ...
- Better Tasting Food. ...
- Top Quality Searing. ...
- Fewer Flare-ups. ...
Full Answer
Are Infrared grills worth the cost?
One major benefit of having an infrared grill is its high efficiency. Ironically, this benefit impacts its major disadvantage – the price. Of course, just because they are expensive that doesn’t mean they are not worth it. You need to consider all of the infrared grills pros and cons before making your final decision.
Is infrared good or bad?
The key characteristic of infrared light is its ability to penetrate even the deep layers of the skin, providing better pain relief. Also, infrared light is safe, natural, non-invasive, and painless. Thus it may be able to provide a broad range of health benefits. Infrared treatment for rehabilitation orthopedic medical care.
How to cook on an infrared grill?
Vegetables
- Peppers. If you’re grilling them whole, then they’ll need 10 – 20 minutes. ...
- Tomatoes. You can cook sliced tomatoes together with hamburgers as they roughly need the same time – about 2 minutes per side.
- Mushrooms. Whole or sliced, 2 – 4 minutes per side is usually enough.
- Onions. ...
- Corn. ...
Are Infrared grills better?
Why is an infrared grill better? Infrared grilling eliminates the hot air retaining approx 35% more of its natural juices. The Infrared Burner utilizes uniform radiant energy that heats the food directly. Infrared technology does not rely on hot circulating air to heat the food. Food cooks faster and retains more juices.

What are the pros and cons of infrared grills?
Pros: Infrared Grills Cook Food Quickly. Because of their mega-high temperatures, infrared grills cook very, very fast. And for some types of grilling, that happens to be exactly what you want. The most notable example of this is steak. The key to cooking a steak is cooking as quickly as possible over as high a heat as possible.
What is an infrared grill?
Infrared grills work differently than the other two types — most notably, infrared grills are capable of generating significantly higher heat than either a charcoal or a conventional gas grill.
How much does an infrared grill cost?
Cons: Infrared Grills Are Expensive! A portable infrared grill can be purchased for under $500, but a full-sized infrared grill — one that's comparable in size to a standard four burner gas grill — can run upwards of $1,000 (and in some cases two or three times that!).
How long does it take for an infrared grill to heat up?
Moreover, it only takes two to three minutes for infrared grills to start producing these temperatures, which saves a lot of time with preheating. In short, infrared grills are much hotter and much more efficient, which means they cook much more quickly than conventional grills.
Why is it important to cook steaks quickly?
The key to cooking a steak is cooking as quickly as possible over as high a heat as possible. The hotter and quicker, the better. The reason being that steaks get tougher the longer they spend over the heat.
Can you cook hamburgers on an infrared grill?
And yes, there are infrared grills with variable temperature systems that allow you to cook at temperatures as low as 200 F, which is what you'd need to barbecue a brisket or pork shoulder, for instance.
Can you use an infrared grill with a gas grill?
But all that means is that you're spending infrared grill money to do something you can do with a conventional gas or charcoal grill, which, depending on how you feel about your money, might not be the very best use of it.
What are the disadvantages of an infrared grill?
In the regular gas or electric grill, the flame or heating element heats the cooking grates. The hot air from the gas or element heats the air between the cooking grates and cooks the meat. The hot cooking grates give us the nice grill marks we all like to see on our meat.
What is the infrared element in a grill?
In an infrared grill, however, in between the flame or electric element and the grate is a so-called infrared element. This infrared element absorbs most of the heat and then releases the heat to the grates where our meat is. This means that there is less or hardly any gas or electrically heated air touching our meat.
Why does my infrared grill flare up?
Flare ups are almost things from the past with an infrared grill. The reason is that the strong airflow that comes up from the burner vaporizes the drippings before they hit the burner. There is no real contact between the gas burner or electric element to start a flare-up or grease fire. The higher temperature sears the meat faster and ...
Why do we marinate meat on a gas grill?
And that is one of the reasons why we inject and marinate our meat. To keep the moisture inside. These grills have no infrared or radiant heating at all.
Is infrared grilling good for back yard?
The Char broil company is most known for its infrared grill for back yard grills.
Can you clean infrared grill grates?
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.
Does an electric grill use hot air?
All right, here we go with my explanation of the whole infrared technology. I hope you understand ! Gas and electric grills use hot air to cook our food. A dryer also uses hot air but this is used to dry our clothes. This means that the gas grill dries out our meat and that is a complaint you hear a lot.
What is infrared grilling?
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.#N#TEC, formerly the Thermal Engineering Corporation, claims it introduced the first radiant gas grill in the early 1980’s, using small flames to heat ceramic plates; the plates emitted infrared energy that cooked the food. You’ll still find infrared grills with ceramic plates, but under the grates of TEC’s latest infrared system are glass panels directly over stainless steel burners. Char-Broil’s infrared system relies on one or more gas burners to heat up a metal cavity between the burners and the grates.
When was the first radiant gas grill invented?
TEC, formerly the Thermal Engineering Corporation, claims it introduced the first radiant gas grill in the early 1980’s , using small flames to heat ceramic plates; the plates emitted infrared energy that cooked the food.
Is an infrared grill better than a gas grill?
But because they cook differently, they may take some getting used to. In our tests of gas grills, we haven’t 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.
Does Char Broil use infrared?
Char-Broil’s 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 haven’t found ...
Why are infrared grills used?
Infrared grills were traditionally designed for commercial kitchens to give them an efficient and constant grilling surface for steaks and such things . As such, they weren’t designed to be portable or light.
How much less energy is used on an infrared grill?
An infrared grill can be up to twice as fast (if not more!) as a traditional gas grill and could, therefore, use up to 50% less gas.
How long does it take for an infrared grill to heat up?
Infrared grills heat up quickly, not just a bit quicker, we’re talking 2 to 3 minutes compared to 10 minutes for a gas grill and up to 30 minutes for a charcoal one. The reason is direct heat to the plate.
How low can you cook on an infrared grill?
In contrast, other more traditional grills can offer as low as 100f at the low end, which is great for slow cooking meats, whereas an infrared grill only goes as low as 250f. This means that delicately cooked foods such as fish and vegetables cannot be cooked on the infrared grill.
How much does a 4 burner gas grill cost?
With a unit comparable in size to a 4-burner gas grill costing anywhere from $1000 up to $3000, they aren’t the cheapest option. There are portable smaller infrared grills available from around $500.
How does an infrared grill work?
In simple terms, infrared grills heat something directly with radiant heat, as opposed to the traditional way of heating the air and letting that cook the food.
What is an IR grill?
An IR grill uses a gas burner to heat a plate made of metal, ceramic, or glass and in turn produces infrared waves as opposed to just hot air. This plate heats quicker than just air and reaches a much higher temperature much faster.
Why use an infrared grill?
In this case, they have the advantage over gas grills because they heat up faster and reach a higher temperature.
How efficient are infrared grills?
Infrared grills are very efficient in the way they use all the energy to cook your meals. They hardly require any form of pre-heating as the heat is distributed evenly when the IR element is heated and this ensures that you don’t get to waste any heat.
What is infrared grilling?
Infrared grilling is a relatively new cooking technique where instead a burner or charcoal cooks the food, a heating element radiates heat at very high temperatures. True, infrared grills can use either gas or charcoal as fuel, but because of their different style of cooking (radiation instead of convection and conduction), ...
What is the difference between a charcoal grill and an infrared grill?
The only difference between these types of grills is the manner in which the heat generated is used to cook the meals. With charcoal and gas grills, the heat generated when the fuel is burned is used to heat the air which in turn cooks the meals. With the infrared grill, however, the heat generated is used to heat an infrared element within ...
How to cook chicken on an infrared grill?
I’ve found out the best way to cook chicken on an infrared grill is this way: Leave the skin on. If you don’t like it, then marinate the chicken in oil and spices. Set the cooking zone to indirect cooking and preheat the grill. Let the chicken rest until it reaches room temperature.
How hot can a grill get?
If you want to cook your meals in the shortest time possible, then you should consider getting this grill. Such grills can generate temperatures in excess of 700°F which is enough to cook all your meals in the shortest time possible.
How long to cook steakhouse sear marks on infrared grill?
To get the steakhouse sear marks, cook the food fully on one side before flipping it. Add sauces 5 – 10 minutes before you remove the food from the grill and not a minute sooner.
How Do Infrared Grills Work?
To understand how infrared grill systems work, it’s important to know what makes them different from your typical gas grill. And it also helps to understand a little bit of physics.
Advantages of Infrared Grills
Infrared grills are wonders of modern grill technology, but they have some pluses and minuses like every new toy.
What Are the Disadvantages of Infrared Grill Cooking?
It’s not all good news for backyard grill masters, however. There are some downsides to infrared burners, and they are significant enough that you might want to consider sticking with conventional gas grills for the time being.
Infrared Versus Traditional Gas Grills
Here are the primary differences between conventional and infrared grills:
Conclusion
Infrared grills are a fantastic technology for backyard grillers who like the perfect sear. But, they’re also great for anyone who likes to grill hot and fast!
What is the difference between a gas grill and an infrared grill?
While the basic fuel source for infrared grill and conventional gas grill is the same, the difference between them lies in the heat usage for cooking. In a gas grill, the cooking surface of the grill is heated by a direct flame; whereas in an infrared grill, the fuel source heats up the infrared element, which in turn transfers infrared radiation for cooking food. In simpler terms, other grills use hot air directly or indirectly to cook food, whereas infrared grills use infrared radiation to heat and cook the food directly. But it is important to understand infrared grilling pros and cons before purchasing the grills.
What are the disadvantages of infrared grilling?
Following are some disadvantages of cooking food by infrared grilling. Temperature setting: With infrared grilling, you do not have option for low temperature regulation.
What is the best temperature for infrared grilling?
High temperature option: A major advantage of infrared grilling is the high temperature setting option, which can be as high as 700 °F. Hence, it is preferred for recipes that require elevated temperature for cooking. Energy efficiency: Less ignition time and faster cooking are the proofs for energy efficiency of infrared grilling ...
How does a gas grill work?
In a gas grill, the cooking surface of the grill is heated by a direct flame; whereas in an infrared grill, the fuel source heats up the infrared element, which in turn transfers infrared radiation for cooking food.
Why is infrared grilling dangerous?
Health risks: Because of the extremely high temperature used in infrared grilling, the chances of burning and charring food are always high. Burned food increases the risk of cancer and other health conditions.
What is the difference between infrared and hot air grilling?
In simpler terms, other grills use hot air directly or indirectly to cook food, whereas infrared grills use infrared radiation to heat and cook the food directly. But it is important to understand infrared grilling pros and cons before purchasing the grills.
Is infrared grilling energy efficient?
It is energy efficient and takes lesser time for cooking than other grilling alternatives. However, grilling with infrared heat is associated with certain drawbacks, like no option for low temperature setting and high cost. Infrared grilling is the latest craze among homeowners who love to have barbecued food.
