Indoor Grilling Safety: Tips and Tricks
There are few things as tasty as grilled meat and veggies, but when the cold weather strikes, it’s not an ideal time to be standing outside grilling. Similarly, for non-homeowners, an outdoor grill might simply not be an option.
Indoor grills have proven to be a smart and easy alternative to outdoor grilling. Easy to use and convenient to store, these small but powerful machines allow you to grill your food without the hassle of a large outdoor grill or the use of gas and charcoal.
If you’re considering purchasing one of the best indoor grills so that you can enjoy the taste of grilled foods without the extra costs and efforts of using an outdoor grill, you may be wondering: are indoor grills safe? Here is everything you need to know about the safety of indoor grills, as well as the many benefits of owning an indoor grill offers.
Indoor Grill Safety Tips
While any indoor appliance can be a safety hazard, indoor grills are generally safe to use in your kitchen as long as you abide by some simple safety tips. For starters, you never want to leave an indoor grill unattended when in use. This includes leaving the room. In the case of an accident, being on-hand and available to put out a cooking fire or call an emergency number is a must. While cooking accidents on indoor grills are rare, they are not impossible. Always think twice before deciding to leave your kitchen with any appliance on and in use.
Secondly, you want to be particularly cautious if you have young children living in your home. Because of how hot indoor grills become, you don’t want children coming anywhere in a hot indoor grill’s vicinity. Similar to stovetops and ovens, always do your best to keep your little ones from getting too close. Additionally, be sure that your indoor grill’s electrical cord isn’t within reach of your smaller children.
When moving your indoor grill, either to put it away or clean it, wait until the appliance has cooled before touching it. Most indoor grills should lose heat quickly once turned off, so you shouldn’t have to wait too long. However, it’s always better to be safe than sorry when dealing with hot appliances.
Finally, never use an indoor grill for anything other than its intended purpose, which is to cook foods. Trying to melt other objects in an indoor grill is not a good idea, and it could lead to ruining the machine or a harmful accident. Always read your indoor grill’s instructions before using the appliance for the first time. Along with staying safe, you also want to preserve your new appliance so that it will last you for many years to come.
Are Indoor Grills Safer for Your Health?
While some people claim that indoor grills will never truly get your food to taste as great as an outdoor grill, this could ultimately be a good thing in terms of health safety. Indoor grills actually provide a safer alternative to charcoal grills, as they are less likely to capture cancer-causing compounds in the food being cooked.
Benefits of Using an Indoor Grill
There are lots of benefits to owning an indoor grill. Along with being a fast and easy alternative to outdoor grills, indoor grills also make for easier cleanup. Prepping and cleaning up indoor grills is a simple process that avoids dealing with ash, gas, charcoal, or wood. Additionally, indoor grills allow for easy heat control, as it’s literally as simple as adjusting a burner heat knob. These two factors alone can help lead to fewer accidents when grilling food.
Another added benefit of using an indoor grill is implied in the appliance’s name: you can stay indoors while cooking. While this might not be ideal during a warm summer’s day, it can be a real convenience on days when rain or snow is pouring down. Even if rain or snow isn’t in the forecast, when temperatures drop low during the fall and winter, you don’t want to be grilling outdoors.
Finally, if you have sensitive lungs, using an indoor grill is ideal as you won’t have to deal with charcoal smoke. In this final way, indoor grills also offer a safer and healthier alternative to many outdoor grills.
Resources— The Best Dibs, The Firepit and Grilling Guru, Slate
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