If you are somebody who likes doing a lot of barbecuing and grilling, then you’ve come to the right place. Now, one of the decisions that you might at one point or another be forced to make is whether you want to grill indoors or outdoors. Of course, most people, if possible, are going to choose to grill outdoors.
After all, there is nothing better than standing in the sun, grilling up a steak or a burger, and enjoying a cold one. However, speaking of the cold, many of us live in places where wintertime comes every single year, and that makes grilling outdoors not very enjoyable. Nobody wants to stand outside in their winter coat and snowsuit just to cook up a piece of meat.
Therefore, you might be forced to use an indoor grill, particularly during the winter. However, it’s not just during the winter that you might be tempted to use an indoor grill, and there are actually many reasons for this. When compared to outdoor grills, an indoor electric grill actually has many different benefits and advantages that you might not have thought of.
In fact, indoor electric grills are extremely useful and can still produce great results, whether you are grilling up a steak, a burger, or anything in between. Many people don’t give indoor grills the time of day because they say that they just don’t produce the same good results as an outdoor grill that uses an open flame.
However, we respectfully disagree with this because indoor grills can produce some really amazing results, whether we are barbecuing meat or otherwise. So, let’s get to it and talk about all the major differences that you might find between an indoor grill vs outdoor grill.
Indoor Grill vs Outdoor Grill: The Differences
As you are about to find out, there are quite a few differences between indoor grills and outdoor grills that are worth considering.
1. The Size – Dimensions and Capacity
One major difference to consider here is the size. If we are talking about an outdoor grill, these may very well be anywhere between 3 and 5 feet wide, and up to 2 feet deep, as well as several feet tall. The point here is that outdoor grills take up a whole lot of space.
With that being said, outdoor grills also generally have large capacities. In other words, they have a whole lot of space dedicated for grilling. They allow you to grill for many people at once.
We then have the indoor electric grill, which tends to be much smaller and more compact than the outdoor grill. This makes indoor grills much easier in terms of portability and storage.
With that being said, they’re also much smaller in terms of capacity. Most average indoor grills won’t allow you to cook for more than three or four people at once. Having something that is space efficient and easy to store versus something that can cook up a lot of food for many people at once is one big trade off that you do need to consider.
2. The Fuel Source
One of the most basic differences that you need to be aware of is that an indoor grill uses electricity as its fuel source and will often use something like either ceramic or infrared heating elements to produce heat. On the other hand, an outdoor grill uses either gas in the form of propane, charcoal, or in some cases even a wood fire to produce heat.
The biggest difference here is that an indoor grill uses heating elements with a heated surface as opposed to a direct flame such as an outdoor propane or charcoal BBQ. This is an absolutely huge difference which is then also going to lead to most of the other differences on the list today.
3. Safety Concerns – Carbon Monoxide, Fire, Carcinogens, and More
As mentioned above, most of the differences between indoor grills and outdoor grills stem back to the fact they have different fuel sources. Therefore, one major difference is that outdoor grills that use propane or perform any sort of combustion are going to produce what is known as carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide is a very poisonous gas that can displace the oxygen in the air, therefore effectively causing you to suffocate if it builds up indoors. For this reason, you simply cannot use any kind of propane or charcoal grill indoors.
That carbon monoxide that is produced is poisonous and can be fatal. This is not the case if you are using an indoor electric grill, as there is no gas being combusted, and therefore no carbon monoxide being produced.
However, there is more to it than just carbon monoxide because an indoor electric grill poses a very minimal fire risk, as opposed to an outdoor propane grill that cannot suffer from gas leaks and just has a big open flame. If you use an outdoor propane grill indoors, you do run the risk of causing a fire or explosion.
Something else to consider here is that when you grill any kind of food over an open flame, there are certain carcinogens that are produced and may cause cancer. This is generally not the case for indoor grills. Whatever the case may be, you can rest assured that using an indoor grill is much safer than using an outdoor grill, and this is true on many different fronts.
4. Ease of Operation and Cleaning
Also consider that indoor grills generally come with simple grease catching trays, as well as nonstick cooking surfaces. This generally makes them very easy to clean. You really just have to remove that grill grate, add some water, scrub it down, and it’s good to go.
However, outdoor grills, especially propane and charcoal grills, tend to be much harder to clean. That combustion produces a whole lot of residue that sticks to grilling surfaces that are usually not made with nonstick materials. Whatever way you look at it, an outdoor grill is always going to be harder to clean than an indoor grill.
5. The Foods that Can be Cooked
Also consider that with an outdoor grill, you can really only cook meat and vegetables. Only food that can be cooked over an open flame and on a grill grate are suitable for an outdoor grill. However, an indoor grill, especially if you get the right kind, is a lot better in this regard.
The main reason for this is because many indoor grills come with reversible or exchangeable grill plates. In other words, most allow you to use what is known as a flat griddle plate, therefore allowing you to cook a wide variety of breakfast foods and much more.
6. Grilling Results – Meat Specific
One of the only points here that is going to be in favor of an outdoor propane or charcoal grill is flavor. There is simply no denying the fact that cooking up a piece of meat over a real open flame produces much better results than using an indoor electric grill. You’re just not going to get that same color or taste out of an electric grill.
7. Smoke and Odors
Something else to consider here is that an outdoor grill is going to produce a lot of smoke. At the very least, it’s going to set off your smoke detectors if you use it indoors. An indoor electric grill is going to produce a lot less smoke, which is one of the reasons why it is suitable for indoor use in the first place.
8. The Weather
Of course, another major difference here is that if it is cold or raining outside, you can still use that indoor electric grill in the comfort of your own home.
Conclusion
As you can see, both indoor and outdoor grills have their advantages and disadvantages. However, in the grand scheme of things, indoor grills appear to have more advantages when compared to outdoor grills.