Grilling is a form of cooking in which dry heat is applied directly to the surface of food.
Grilled foods may be cooked on a grill, which is an open wire grid with a heat source above or below; a grill pan, similar to a frying pan; or griddle, a flat plate heated from below.
When using a grill the heat is transferred through thermal radiation, while heat transfer when using a grill pan or griddle is by direct conduction.
In direct heat grilling, food is exposed to a temperature of more than 250 degrees Celsius. When meat is grilled at that temperature for some time it acquires a distinctive aroma from a process known as the Maillard reaction.
Electric grills are among the most efficient of the lot. They provide heat with the help of heating elements placed below the cooking surface or within the surface area.
They come in a variety of types, and can be used both indoors and outdoors. The indoor style is very popular, as it allows for having food with an outdoor flavor prepared indoors. These units are also considered one of the healthier means of preparing food as fat is run off, thus making the cooked meat trimmer and leaner.
Electric grills hold many advantages over charcoal and gas type grills. Mainly, they take considerably less time to heat up compared to outdoor grills that are known to produce lots of smoke and contribute to an unpleasant grilling experience.
But though electric grills may be very clean and efficient, they do not offer the same traditional smoky taste associated with foods cooked by outdoor grilling.
Charcoal type grills, on the other hand, offer users food with a genuine outdoor flavor.
These are considered the most popular and favored grilling equipment. Sales of this type of grill are boosted by their attractive costs, which are much lower than electric or gas grills.
They come in types small, large, and portable. Cleaning them used to be a bit messy, but with the introduction of sweeping levers, removal of ash is no longer an issue. For safety's sake, before lighting them the ash should be removed along with the lid and the grate.
Gas Grills use either natural gas or propane gas for heating. They are easy to operate and find favor with a large number of grill users.