What is the best alternative to Char-Broil Patio Bistro Infrared Electric Grill?

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score 3 · Answer 1

Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler

Top Pro

Suitable for indoor use

This electric grill is perfectly safe to be used indoors. Good ventilation is the only requirement. See More

Top Con

Might leave some grease on the grill

The angle of the grill plate is too shallow for the fat to easily flow into the drip pan, leaving some grease to clean up after cooking. This is especially noticeable with burgers and bacon. See More

Top Pro

Versatile cooking ability

The grill can be used in six different ways: as a contact grill, panini press, full grill, full griddle, half-grill or half-griddle. This flexibility means that you can cook steaks, hamburgers, eggs, pancakes, and bacon without buying separate appliances. See More

Top Pro

Easy to clean

The grill plates are non-stick, but if they get greasy, you can quickly remove them for cleaning. The plates are dishwasher safe, and the grill itself can be easily wiped clean since there aren't any tricky, hard-to-reach spaces. See More

Top Pro

Flexible working space

It's possible to fully open up the grill to double the working surface. This allows you to grill a steak on one side and cook vegetables on the other side. If you want to grill sandwiches or paninis, the floating cover comes in handy, as it allows to grill both sides simultaneously. See More

Top Pro

Reasonably high maximum temperature

The temperatures can be set up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, enough to perfectly sear a steak. See More

3 0

score 7 · Answer 2

Weber Original Kettle 22

Top Pro

Excellent value for money

Considering the fact that this unit costs less than $100, it's surprisingly well-built. All the components, such as the porcelain-enameled bowl, the aluminum legs, the ashtray, or the vents, are corrosion resistant. In fact, plenty of people have used this grill for more than 10 years. Moreover, even if something does break, spare parts are widely available. See More

Top Con

Needs a lot of charcoal

It will take you a lot of charcoal to make this grill reach very high temperatures. See More

Top Pro

Easy to clean

The excess ash can be removed by turning a handle under the grill. See More

Top Con

Lacks stability

The three-legged design is not as stable as four-legged grills. See More

Top Pro

Can smoke food

Since the vents are also airtight, the grill can be used to smoke meat. This smoked flavor can’t be replicated with a gas or electric grill. See More

Top Con

Lacks ignition system

It will take some practice to learn how to properly light up this grill, as it doesn't have an ignition system. See More

Top Pro

Five-year warranty for components

The cleaning system and plastic parts are covered by a five-year service and replacement warranty. See More

Top Con

Doesn't have a lid holder

There is no lid holder, so you need to have some place where to put it. See More

Top Pro

Ten-year rust-free warranty for the body

Weber offers a ten-year rust and corrosion warranty for the bowl and lid. See More

Top Con

Handles aren't as nice as they used to be

The plastic handles this unit uses nowadays aren't as nice-looking as the wooden handles it used to have. See More

Top Pro

Requires only minor, straightforward assembling

Although the grill comes unassembled, there are only a few parts that need to be put together. The included instructions are clear and understandable. See More

Top Pro

Charcoal allows for more control

Since it uses charcoal rather than burners, it allows you to have more control over your cooking, by adjusting the amount of charcoal and its position. However, you will have to overcome a learning curve to achieve the best results. See More

Top Pro

Accessories and spare parts are available

Since this is one of the most popular grills in the US, nearly every store that sells grills should have spare parts and accessories suitable for this unit. See More

Top Pro

Made for a lifetime

The grill is made from rust-free materials that don’t wear even over the excessive use. If you protect it from extreme weather conditions and perform regular maintenance, this grill will last many years. See More

Specs

Weight:31 lbs

Number of burners:N/A

Fuel type:Charcoal

Cooking Area:363 sq-in.

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7 0

score 5 · Answer 3

Weber Q 2200

Top Pro

Compact, yet spacious

While the grill itself is small enough to fit in a car or balcony, it doesn’t sacrifice the cooking area. Its 280 square inches are enough to fit a whole chicken or burgers for eight people. See More

Top Con

Too heavy for a single person to carry

The grill weighs 42 pounds, so you may need to have two people to carry it around comfortably. See More

Top Pro

Good heat output

This grill outputs up to 12,000 BTUs, which is very decent result for a portable unit, as competitors rarely even reach the 10,000 BTU mark. See More

Top Con

Cooking with cookware can take a long time

It can’t concentrate heat to a centralized location, making it difficult to cook with pots and pans. See More

Top Pro

Built to last

While most portable grills use light and flimsy materials, the Q2200 doesn't. It has a cast aluminum body and heavy porcelain-coated cast iron grates that are excellent at resisting rust, ensuring that, with proper care, the grill will last for years. See More

Top Con

Bad for slow cooking

Even at the lowest setting, the grill is still too hot for slow roasting. See More

Top Pro

No need to spend time assembling

When you purchase the grill, it comes fully assembled so you don’t need to spend your time setting it up. See More

Top Con

Low-quality stand

You can equip this unit with a Weber stand. Unfortunately, the stand is made of flimsy plastic and doesn't match the build quality of the grill itself. See More

Top Pro

Suitable for griddle cooking

Weber offers a griddle with this unit. so you can cook eggs, tortillas, and even pancakes. Only one part of the grates needs to be taken off, so you can still cook on the griddle and the grates at the same time. See More

Top Con

Prone to flare-ups

Since there are no burner covers, expect some flare-ups from meat dripping juices. See More

Top Pro

Has a push-button ignition

The grill can be ignited with a push of a button. This eliminates the need to remove the grates and ignite it manually. See More

Top Pro

Has excellent thermal insulation

Because of the cast aluminum shell and porcelain-coated cast iron grates, the grill has excellent heat retention. This works great in conjunction with the 12,000 BTUs heat output. See More

Top Pro

Large fold-out tables

The included fold-out tables are not only large, but they’re also rigid enough to hold heavy items. See More

Top Pro

Has a hood-mounted thermometer

The hood-mounted thermometer allows you to track the temperature inside the grill without having to open it. See More

Top Pro

Spacious hood

The hood is tall enough to fit large items, like a pork joint or a whole chicken. See More

Specs

Weight:42.5 lbs

Fuel type:Liquid Propane

5 0

score 3 · Answer 4

Char-Broil 463242716

Top Pro

Efficient cooking with infrared technology

Instead of heating food directly by convection, the burners heat up a perforated sheet of stainless steel that generates infrared heat. Infrared heat is very intense, so it can cook food fast while still leaving it juicy, which is especially noticeable while cooking steaks. See More

Top Con

Pre-heats slowly

It takes up to 7 minutes for this grill to reach 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a very long heat-up time for an infrared unit. See More

Top Pro

Capable of cooking side dishes effectively

This unit comes with a side cooker that can output up to 13,000 BTUs of heat, which can be used to cook side dishes at the same time the main grill is being used. It can also be used as a griddle. See More

Top Con

Can't keep steady temperatures

Once heated, the unit struggles to maintain steady temperatures, having a tendency to get hotter over time, so you have to be careful not to burn your food. See More

Top Pro

Large workspace

While this grill isn’t much larger than other infrared grills, it offers a very generous cooking space. Its 525 square inches of cooking area allow you to cook as many as 32 burgers at once. See More

Top Pro

Can use natural gas

This unit is sold as a propane grill, but it can be converted for natural gas use. See More

Top Pro

Easy to clean

The emitter vaporizes drippings from the meat instead of burning them, which makes the grill easy to clean. See More

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3 0

score 3 · Answer 5

Char-Broil Performance 475 4-Burner

Top Pro

Removable gris pan

The gris pan makes it easy to clean. See More

Top Con

Access to propane tank and gris pan is from the back only

This grill does not have cabinet doors in the front, just a metal plate. That means that replacing the propane tank or accessing the gris pan to clean it has to be done from the back of the grill which is not always easily accessible, depending on where the grill is positioned. See More

Top Pro

Electric ignition

Top Con

Porcelain coated grates can rust easily if chipped

The porcelain coating of the grates can be chipped pretty easily if cleaning not so carefully or using the wrong cooking/cleaning tools. Once the coating is chipped water can get to the cast iron and then it would rust real fast and will need to be replaced. See More

Top Pro

Large cooking surface

For its price, this grill offers one of the largest cooking surfaces - 475 square inches of primary cooking grates + a secondary 175 square inches swing-away rack. See More

Top Pro

Budget friendly

200$ is one a really low price for what this grill offers See More

Specs

Primary Cooking:475 square inches

Burner Material:Stainless steel

3 0

score 6 · Answer 6

Broil King Baron 440

Top Pro

Excellent gas burners for even heat distribution

While most grills use single tubes with a single row of flame ports, the Baron 440 uses a dual-tube setup with dual flames. The dual tube design creates more even gas pressure throughout the tube’s length for more even heat distribution. See More

Top Con

Takes a while to heat up

It takes about 12 minutes for the grill to heat up to operational temperatures, which is longer than the time most gas grills take. See More

Top Pro

Has powerful burners

The four burners, altogether, generate up to 40,000 BTUs of heat, which is more than enough for nearly all grilling needs. See More

Top Con

Bad for mass cooking

With only 444 square inches of primary cooking space, this is a fairly compact grill. It can hold approximately 15 burger patties, which is good enough for most situations, but not for anything large-scale, like parties. See More

Top Pro

Excellent for grilling

Its cast iron grates lock in heat to help produce excellent grilled meat and add nice-looking grill marks. See More

Top Con

Requires assembly

As the grill comes disassembled, you will have to spend several hours to assemble it properly. See More

Top Pro

Ten-year burner warranty

Broil King offers ten years of warranty for the stainless steel burners and two years for the rest of the parts. The burners are the most important part of the grill, so the extended warranty gives extra peace of mind. See More

Top Con

Side burner is weak

The side burner produces only 10,000 BTUs of heat. Although this is enough for making sauces and cooking vegetables, it's not adequate to use it for more demanding uses, such as water boiling or meat searing. See More

Top Pro

Drip pan collects juices

The included drip pan can collect juices so that later you can make a sauce out of them. Additionally, it minimizes the risk of grease fires. See More

Top Con

Heavy for its size

This grill weighs 154 pounds. The large weight can be justified by the use of high-quality, heavyweight materials. See More

Top Pro

Easy to maintain leveled

The tire locks and levelers allow the grill to maintain a leveled surface, even when it's being used on rough or uneven places. See More

Top Pro

High level of heat control

The linear control valves of the grill allow for very high levels of heat control. You can precisely set the heating to the desired values. See More

Top Pro

Easy to ignite

The grill has a button operated ignition system, so you don’t need to light the burners manually and risk burning your hands. See More

Top Pro

Vaporizes the drippings

The patented Flav-R-Wave heat tent protects the burners from fat drippings that may cause unexpected flare-ups. Instead, it vaporizes the drippings and infuses them back into the meat to enhance the barbecue flavor. See More

Top Pro

Burners produce even heat

The flame comes out of the sides of the tube burners rather than above it. This provides double the amount of flame and distributes heat more evenly See More

Top Pro

Easy to install rotisserie

You can buy an optional rotisserie for roasting chicken or other large pieces of meat. It can hold up to 15 lbs of food, the equivalent of about three medium-sized whole chickens. See More

Top Pro

Easy to store

The grills dimensions allow it to be stored in cramped areas. The right side of the grill can be folded down to make it even more compact. See More

Top Pro

Good for large food

The hood is large enough to roast a whole chicken with the optional rotisserie, while still being able to use the main grilling area. See More

Top Pro

Has a side burner

The side burner is located on the left side of the grill and is useful for making side-dishes and sauces. See More

Specs

Weight:154 lbs

Fuel type:Propane and natural gas

Number of burners:4

Cooking Area:444 sq-in.

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6 0

score 4 · Answer 7

Weber Summit E470

Top Pro

Professional-level build quality

The build quality is exceptional, as almost every part of the grill is made from stainless steel. The burners are operated with illuminated front-mounted dials, giving the grill a premium look. See More

Top Con

Small cooking space

This grill doesn't have as much cooking space as the majority of other units within its price range. See More

Top Pro

Perfect for searing

This unit has a searing zone in the center of the grill. This provides additional heat that allows you to create beautiful looking grill marks and caramelize your food much faster. Additionally, the smoker box enhances the flavor of the seared meat by smoking it. See More

Top Con

Might require additional lights

Although the grill comes with some mounted lights, the consumer reports state these lights are dim and sometimes external lighting is required. See More

Top Pro

Infrared burner for even cooking

The additional rear-mounted infrared burner radiates heat at a downward angle to help cook food and more evenly. See More

Top Pro

Has a motor-assisted rotisserie

This grill features a built-in rotisserie motor and some cabinet space for the rod and forks. You can easily remove the rotisserie motor when not using it. See More

Top Pro

Bars to prevent flare-ups and improve food flavor

The burners are covered with stainless steel 'Flavorizer' bars that prevent flare-ups and vaporizes the juices to add additional flavor to the food. See More

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4 0

score 4 · Answer 8

Blaze BLZ-3PRO-NG Professional

Top Pro

Built to last

This sturdy and resilient grill is built from thick stainless and perforated steel. The grates are made from heavy 12 mm hexagonal rods that are welded together. See More

Top Con

Unreliable ignition system

Some users have complained that the ignition system doesn’t always work. A workaround is igniting the grill manually. See More

Top Pro

Has multiple heat zones

The grill has heat zone dividers that allow you to do things like cooking a salmon and a stake simultaneously. See More

Top Pro

Has a rotisserie system

The grill comes bundled with a rotisserie kit. You can store the rotisserie rod and the designated hooks inside the grill when not in use. Additionally, it has an infrared burner. See More

Top Pro

Suitable for working in the dark

The grill has built-in halogen lights which illuminate the grilling surface. The control knobs can also be illuminated. Keep in mind that this requires connection to the main AC network. See More

Top Pro

Grates make the food look good and cook better

The heavy hexagonal-shaped grates provide decent heat retention and leave the food with beautiful-looking grill marks. Additionally, these thick grates allow for better caramelization of some foods. See More

4 0