Do you need electric smokeless grills?

You do not need an electric smokeless grill, but one is worth it if you want to grill indoors with minimal smoke, which suits flats and apartments, homes without outdoor space, bad-weather or winter grilling, and anyone who wants grilled food without firing up a barbecue. It is an electric grill designed to produce far less smoke than normal grilling, so you can cook steaks, burgers, chicken and vegetables on a hot grill plate indoors without setting off the smoke alarm or filling the kitchen with smoke. If you already grill outdoors, rarely grill, or do not mind a little smoke, you can skip it. Our Best Electric Smokeless Grills compares five of them.

What a smokeless grill is

An electric smokeless grill is a countertop grill with a ridged electric heating plate that sears food like a barbecue grill, but it is designed to minimize the smoke that grilling normally produces. Smoke comes mainly from fat dripping onto a hot heat source and burning, so smokeless grills use design features, such as a water tray beneath the grates to catch and cool dripping fat so it does not burn, controlled plate temperatures, and sometimes a built-in fan, to greatly reduce that smoke.

The result is grilling indoors with little smoke, which is the whole point and defines when you need one. It still gives grilled results, sear marks and the texture of grilled food, from an electric plate, while keeping the kitchen largely smoke-free. Understanding that it is an indoor electric grill engineered to cut smoke tells you it is worth it specifically when you want to grill indoors, and not when outdoor grilling or a plain indoor grill already meets your needs.

Why one can be worth it

The clearest case is wanting to grill indoors where smoke is a problem. In a flat or apartment, a home with no garden or balcony, or anywhere outdoor grilling is impractical, a smokeless grill lets you enjoy grilled food indoors without the smoke that an ordinary grill pan or indoor grill would create, so you avoid setting off smoke alarms, annoying neighbors or filling the home with smoke and smell. For many people that indoor, low-smoke grilling is the entire reason to buy one.

It is also worth it for convenience and year-round use. You can grill quickly on the countertop any time, in any weather, without the setup, fuel and cleanup of a barbecue, which suits bad weather, winter, and the odd grilled meal when lighting the barbecue is not worth it. It is simple to use and often has removable parts for easy cleaning. So for people who want accessible, frequent, low-smoke grilling indoors, a smokeless grill genuinely delivers something other options do not.

The trade-offs to weigh

There are honest limits. Smokeless does not usually mean entirely smoke-free, it means greatly reduced, so cooking very fatty foods on high heat can still produce some smoke, and the smoke reduction works best when used as designed, with water in the tray and sensible temperatures. It also will not give the smoky, charcoal flavor of an outdoor barbecue, since the reduced smoke and electric heat are the point, so the taste is grilled but not smoky.

Being electric and countertop, it also tends to run less hot than a powerful gas or charcoal grill, so the sear can be milder, and its size limits how much you cook at once compared with a full barbecue. And it is a single-purpose appliance that takes up space and depends on a power socket. So the smokeless grill trades the fierce heat, large capacity and smoky flavor of outdoor grilling for indoor convenience and low smoke, which is a good trade for indoor grilling and a poor one if you want a true barbecue experience.

When you can skip it and how to decide

You can skip an electric smokeless grill if you already have good grilling options or do not need indoor grilling. If you have an outdoor barbecue or gas grill and the space and conditions to use it, that gives better heat and flavor, so an indoor smokeless grill adds little beyond bad-weather convenience. If you rarely grill, or are happy with a grill pan on the hob and do not mind the smoke it makes, you may not need a dedicated appliance either.

To decide, ask whether you want to grill indoors with little smoke and lack a practical way to do it otherwise. If you live somewhere outdoor grilling is impractical, want year-round indoor grilling, or are bothered by the smoke of a grill pan, a smokeless grill is worth it and will be used. If you grill outdoors, rarely grill, or prioritize smoky flavor and high heat, you can skip it. So the honest answer is that you do not need an electric smokeless grill, but it is a worthwhile buy for low-smoke indoor grilling where that is what you want, and easily skipped by outdoor grillers and occasional cooks.

The short answer

You do not need an electric smokeless grill, but one is worth it if you want to grill indoors with minimal smoke, which suits flats and apartments, homes without outdoor space, bad-weather and winter grilling, and anyone who wants grilled food without firing up a barbecue. It grills on a hot electric plate engineered to cut smoke, typically with a water tray that catches and cools dripping fat so it does not burn, giving grilled results and sear marks indoors while keeping the kitchen largely smoke-free, plus the convenience of countertop grilling any time with easy cleanup. The trade-offs are that smokeless means greatly reduced rather than entirely smoke-free, it lacks the smoky charcoal flavor and fierce heat of an outdoor barbecue, and it cooks smaller amounts. So it is worth it for low-smoke indoor grilling where that is the need, and skippable if you grill outdoors, rarely grill, or want smoky, high-heat barbecue results.