Comparison Ninja Foodi Woodfire Pro XL black vs Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL Electric BBQ Grill & Smoker blue

Among kitchen appliances related to electric grills, the following types are distinguished nowadays: contact grill, open grill, raclette grill, kebab grill, electric skillet, pizza maker, grill oven, patty grill. Here is a more detailed description of each of these types:

— Contact grill (press grill). A classic, most common type of electric grill. The working part of such a device consists of two heated horizontal surfaces. For loading the product, these surfaces open like a book, and during normal operation, the dish being prepared is clamped between them — this ensures tight contact between the product and the heater, promoting efficient heating and quick cooking. In fact, good speed and efficiency are the main advantages of contact grills. In addition, such appliances are generally quite versatile, and many of them also allow for one-sided heating and/or operation in an open state (similar to a barbecue grill — see below). The disadvantages of this design include noticeable limitations on the thickness of the product being cooked and the inability to check the state of the dish without opening the grill. However, these points are not often critical: large pieces of food are rarely cooked on a contact gri...ll, and the closed nature in many models is compensated by features such as a thermostat or auto-cooking (see "Functions").

— Open grill. Another name is barbecue grill, and this term very clearly describes the main feature of such models. Unlike contact grills, barbecue grills use a single working surface on which the products to be cooked are placed. On the one hand, this allows for constant control over the cooking process, and the thickness of the product being grilled can be almost any. On the other hand, such a design does not provide as tight contact with the heater as in closed grills, and heating is carried out only on one side, so the product has to be turned over. Because of this, such devices are less popular than contact models.
It is also worth noting that in some aspects, barbecue grills are similar to electric skillets, but these are still different types of electrical appliances; see below for more details.

— Grill oven. A special class of grills in the form factor of a small electric oven. Structurally, they consist of an oven with open access from the outside, in which an electric thermal grill is installed. Inside the grill oven, guides for trays and racks are provided, and the possibility of simultaneous cooking on several levels is often implemented. Such devices are intended for cooking juicy steaks, casseroles, grilled vegetables, and even pizza.

— Raclette grill. Devices originally intended for preparing raclette — a Swiss national dish based on melted cheese. An essential element of a raclette grill's equipment is small portion pans in which the cheese is melted. These pans are placed in special recesses, and above them is a solid surface with a heater — vegetables, potatoes, ham, and other products served with cheese are placed on it. Naturally, the functionality of such devices is not limited to raclette: in most models, the upper part can function as a traditional open grill, and the pans can be used for other types of products, not just cheese.

— Kebab grill. Specialized devices most often used for cooking kebabs, but also suitable for other dishes — for example, grilled chicken, shawarma, or fish. In a classic kebab grill, skewers are placed vertically on a rotating stand; the rotating design is necessary for even roasting, as the heater covers only one side of such a "tower." Another variant of this design is two rows of skewers with a heater between them; here, individual skewers can rotate. Some kebab grills have a horizontal arrangement of skewers and a heater; such models are usually supplemented with a removable plate, allowing the device to also be used as a barbecue grill (see above). On the other hand, they are more difficult to maintain and clean — dripping fat and other liquids from the products fall onto the heater; thus, horizontal kebab grills are noticeably less produced nowadays than vertical ones.

— Electric skillet. Electric analogs of regular kitchen skillets. In the classic version, such a device is a sauté pan (with high straight sides) supplemented with a built-in heater. However, in addition to this, some more specific types of kitchen appliances are included in this category. For example, some of these models are essentially miniature electric stoves, supplied with small portion pans or pots. The role of burners in such "electric stoves" is played by special recesses where the included cookware is placed; in some models, these recesses can also be used for cooking themselves — for example, for frying pancakes or fritters.

— Pizza maker. As the name suggests, such devices are mainly intended for making pizza. The characteristic features of pizza makers are a round working surface and a tightly closing lid on hinges, which also has a built-in heating element. In normal operation mode, this lid does not necessarily contact the dish being prepared; nevertheless, additional heating ensures even baking of the contents and creates optimal conditions for cooking pizza. However, the capabilities of pizza makers are not limited to this dish; most such devices can be used for cooking meat, omelets, pies, cake layers, etc. At the same time, many models allow operation in the format of a traditional contact grill (see above).

— Patty grill. A special type of electric grill for frying patties and making burgers. Such devices usually have molds with recesses that are suitable in size for patties and buns. The working surface of patty grills is often ribbed to give the prepared food characteristic grill marks. They are usually supplied with a special press mold to help make patties of the perfect round shape and desired thickness.

Rated power of the device — that is, the maximum power consumed during normal operation. With a low intensity of heating, energy consumption may be lower, but it is worth focus on this indicator.

The larger the surface area of the electric grill, the more energy is required for its efficient operation. In addition, for different cooking tasks, the intensity of heating (and, accordingly, the required power) will also be different. Therefore, only devices of the same type (see above) with a similar size of the working surface (see below) can be compared by this indicator. And in such a comparison, it is worth proceeding from the fact that higher power provides faster heating and more stable temperatures, but significantly affects the cost of the device. In addition, appliances more than 2 kW can create problems for old, “weak” wiring.

However, more than 2 kW is a high power for modern electric grills. Most of them have power consumption of 1,5 – 2 kW, quite a few models are in the range of 1 – 1,5 kW, and in the most low-power devices, this figure does not exceed 1 kW at all. At the same time, it is worth emphasizing separately that low power in itself does not mean low efficiency — often it turns out to be quite sufficient, taking into account the type and capacity of the grill.

The maximum heating temperature of the electric grill panels supported by the device in normal operation. It is desirable that its optimal indicator is about 230 — 240 ° C. Electric grills with such a heating temperature threshold will be able to fry any food with high quality. A high temperature may only be needed for some specific types of cooking, and a lower temperature will not ensure proper grilling for home use.

Preset programs for automatic cooking of some well-known and popular dishes. For more information about the function in general, see the section "Autocooking". The most common options for automatic programs are also considered here: red meat (steak), pork, bacon, chicken, fish, seafood, sausages, burger, sandwich, vegetables, defrosting.

— Red meat (steak). Program for cooking beef steaks. As a rule, additional settings may include adjustment of the degree of roasting (see the corresponding item in "Functions and capabilities").

— Pork. Suitable for cooking various pork dishes — chops, medallions, ribs, etc. The program prevents the meat from drying out, keeping it juicy, while at the same time ensuring sufficient roasting of the pork.

— Bacon. A program for frying thin slices of bacon or brisket until crispy and golden brown. It prevents the thin pieces of meat from drying out.

— Chicken. Program for cooking various dishes from chicken meat: whole breasts, thighs, wings, etc. The heating temperature of the plates and the cooking time are selected so that the chicken is cooked ins...ide and covered with an appetizing crispy crust on the outside.

— Fish. Automatic mode for cooking fish steaks, fillets, whole fish carcasses and other similar fish dishes. The program prevents overdrying of tender meat, leaving it soft and juicy.

— Seafood. A delicate program with a relatively low heating temperature of the working surface for gentle cooking of seafood cocktail, shrimp, squid and other seafood. These are usually cooked very quickly.

— Sausages. A program for uniform frying of sausages, wieners and frankfurters. The emphasis in it is on avoiding overheating of sausage products — thus preventing damage to the integrity of the casing. The mode will come in handy for cooking hot dogs.

— Burger. This program is aimed at optimal frying of burger patties — so that they remain juicy inside and get an appetizing crust on the outside. At the same time, burger buns are supposed to be fried separately, for which the "Sandwich" program will serve (see below).

— Sandwich. A program for toasting buns, toasts and sandwiches until golden brown. When using it, bakery products become crispy and the filling inside melts evenly (for example, cheese slices).

— Vegetables. Vegetables are grilled at relatively moderate temperature settings. At a minimum, this prevents them from burning, while maintaining their texture and flavor.

— Defrost. A special mode for gentle defrosting of frozen products. It maintains low intensity of the electric grill so that the contents are effectively “defrosted” but not cooked.

The smartphone control function allows you to manage the operation of the electric grill through a mobile app installed on a smartphone or tablet. Depending on the app's functionality, it may provide you with options to select temperature modes, set cooking time, start and stop cooking, and receive notifications about dish readiness.

The size of the work surface installed in the grill — that is, the surface intended for the cooked products.

The amount of food that can be cooked directly depends on this indicator at a time. On the other hand, a large work surface requires high power, and also directly affects the overall dimensions of the grill. Therefore, when choosing according to this indicator, it is necessary to take into account the expected volumes of cooking and the amount of space available for installing the device first of all.

Note that this parameter is indicated by the length and width of the working surface, regardless of its shape. Therefore, the same dimensions — for example, 30x30 cm — can mean both a square and a round device, while the usable area in the first case will be noticeably larger than in the second. So in such cases, it will not prevent clarify the specific shape of the working surface.

The number of individual plates in the device delivery set.

For operating the contact grill (see "Type"), two plates are needed, for other types of grills, one is enough. So if the characteristics state more such parts (4 or more for contact models, 2 or more for the rest) — this means that the device has removable plates (see "Functions") and is equipped with several types of plates that can be changed to your discretion. Most often, such replacement parts differ in the shape of the surface (see "Surface of the plates"); in addition, the set may include specialized devices for waffles, for pancakes (see below), etc.

A separate case in this regard is represented by pizza makers (see "Type"): although they use two-sided heating, but only one complete plate can be indicated in the characteristics. In such cases, we are talking about a removable plate that is attached to the upper half of the device (lid): when this part is installed, the pizza maker actually turns into a contact grill, and without it there is free space under the lid, which is convenient for cooking pizza and other similar dishes.

The presence of a lid in the delivery set of the device.

First of all, we note that in this case we are talking about a completely separate lid that can be removed from the device; the upper half of the contact grill or pizza maker (see "Type") is not taken into account in this case. Most models with a separate lid included in the kit are electric frying pans and barbecue grills (see ibid.). The main function of this accessory is to keep heated air above the work surface, creating a kind of "greenhouse effect". Due to this effect, the cooked products are not only fried from the bottom, but also “steamed” quite evenly throughout the entire thickness. In addition, the lid protects the user and nearby objects from hot splashes, which often occur when cooking on a grill or electric frying pan.