It’s that season again where it’s time for the holidays and cookouts. Along with that comes the need for a portable grill to cook up some delicious meals. Good food makes these times with family and friends even more memorable.
There is nothing like spending time with family and friends over some hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, or whatever else you like to cook on the grill. You can grill potatoes as well to go with it. A lot of fruits can even be grilled such as pineapple or watermelon.
A good portable burner is a vital essential to ensuring food is thoroughly cooked and done properly and evenly. Also, a good portable grill is made of either stainless steel to help avoid rusting.
A good portable grill also has an electric starter as it’s much cleaner than its charcoal-starting counterpart.
These grills are available in a wide range of styles and at a variety of prices. It’s up to you to determine what your needs are to determine what you are willing to spend on such a product.
Long as its portable to provide a convenient way to move your grill and cook your food you are probably set to go.
Factors To Consider When Buying a Portable Grill
There’s a variety of portable grills to choose from, and we’ve created an easy-to-follow guide to help refine your search and discover the best unit for your preferences and budget.
Design
Perhaps the first feature to consider is the grill’s design. Begin by looking at its appearance, shape, and size. Does it suit all your needs? Do you like the look of it? More importantly, the design determines the usability. A grill with an LED light helps you to check the progress of your food and determine its status.
Some portable grills come with a design that notifies you when your food is heated or maybe it’s time to flip over the food. LED lights can also make your life easier and are great for beginners since you don’t have to constantly supervise your food.
The best portable grills also come with rubber feet to improve the stability and balance while you are cooking. You should also bear in mind if you have adequate space to comfortably prepare food in your environment. We recommend opening the unit in the store to get a feel for its size.
Performance
A grill’s success all comes down to its performance. Does the grill come with multiple temperature controls and timers that allow you to customize your food? This is great if you’re preparing an array of food and wish to cook it all at different times.
You should also consider the maintenance involved and how easy it is to clean and care for the appliance. Does it come with rubber trays that can be easily wiped down or do you have to scrub and scrape to remove any residue and food particles?
We highly recommend purchasing a portable grill with a built-in temperature gauge as this helps you to achieve delectable food with ease. It’s even more beneficial if the grill can notify you when the temperature is at the optimium level to begin cooking.
Size
Although portable grills are smaller than fully-sized units, they should still provide enough room for your cooking needs. Consider how many people you generally cook for in one session and choose a size according to your needs. A unit that is too small won’t efficiently cook all the food, whereas a larger unit will take longer to heat up and prepare food.
Keeping the unit’s size low is also a great way to reduce your budget and opt for an energy-efficient model. Bear in mind how much space you have for preparing food, too. If you wish to cook outdoors amongst a party, do you have allocated spacing for this?
Wind resistance
If you’re willing to use your portable grill in all kinds of weather, we suggest purchasing a wind-resistant design. Such grills are equipped that won’t suddenly blow over, and the unit itself has additional weight to remain sturdy on the ground.
The Top 10 Best Portable Grills To Buy
Some of the top 10 best portable grills in 2019 that are listed to be great portable options below:[adinserter block=”4″]
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1. Cuisinart CGG-200 Tabletop Gas Grill
The Cuisinart CGG-200 grill is a great portable solution on Amazon.com. This grill is great as it provides the following
Pros:
- A modular grill-surface system.
- A 12,000 BTU tabletop gas grill with a stainless-steel burner, so it will be durable and last for some time.
- Has an easy-to-use twist start-up with a porcelain, cast-iron coated grate for a cooking surface.
- It folds and stores away for easy storage.
Cons:
- Fuel tank is not included so you must purchase one.
- Relatively expensive for a portable grill (compared to lower-end models).
2. Delonghi BG24 Perfecto Indoor Grill
The Delonghi BG24 Perfecto is available on Amazon.com, and this is a great portable grill that includes some of the following qualities:
Pros
- Spreads out the heat evenly to provide an evenly heated meal.
- Improves cooking foods by keeping them juicy and provides a tempered glass lid so that already-grilled food is kept warm till it’s ready to be served.
- Makes a meal for the whole family due to large cooking surface that is provided.
Cons
- Requires someone to wipe the inserted tray after every use once the food is done cooking.
- Operating guide must be read before using the stove so the user is ensured to be safe, which can be time-consuming to do.
3. Zojirushi EB-CC15 Indoor Electric Grill
The Zojirushi EB-CC15 is available on Amazon.com, and this is a great portable grill that includes some of the following qualities:
Pros
- Ideal for grilling many foods including the likes of steaks, chicken, fish, burgers, and vegetables while still being able to be used in doors.
- The nonstick grill surface measures 12.5” by 9.75”.
- Variable heat stores and redistributes throughout the device rather than heating the house or building the device is being used in.
- Has an easy-to-clean surface and is easily dissembled — also dishwasher safe.
Cons
- Small if you are looking to cook for many people.
- Mid-level price range for people looking for a less expensive option.
4. Char-Broil Portable Gas Grill
The Char-Broil (Standard) is available on Amazon.com, and this is a great portable grill that includes some of the following qualities:
Pros
- Designed for on-the-go grilling that can be done anywhere – the legs even fold down on top of the grill and lock into place for easy transportation.
- Cooks up to 8 hamburgers all at one time on a 187-sq. inch surface that’s easy to clean and also dishwasher safe.
- 11,000 BTU burner designed for use with 16.4 or 14.1 oz. propane cylinders.
Cons
- Most cooking temperatures are intended to be relatively low, so recipes needing higher levels of cooking may not work as well on this device.
- Cheaper price may concern some people far as quality goes when buying this product and small surface may not cook a ton of food if you have a large family.
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5. Weber Q1000 Liquid Propane Grill
The Weber 50060001 Q1000 portable grill is available on Amazon.com, and this is a great portable grill that includes some of the following qualities:
Pros
- The one stainless steel burner can produce 8500 BTU-per-hour to heat the 189-square inch cooking area.
- The aluminum cast-iron cooking grates and the body of the grill are solid, sturdy, and will last long-term.
- It’s fully assembled when you take it out of the box so there is no extra assembly required.
Cons
- No gas cylinder is provided with the grill so it’s an added expense to purchase it separately.
- It’s a quite expensive for some people who are looking for more “entry level” portable heaters.
6. Cuisinart CGG-180T Portable Tabeltop Gas Grill
The Cuisinart CGG-180T Petit Gourmet Portable Tabletop Gas Grill Red is available to purchase on Amazon.com, it includes some of the following features:
Pros
- The portable gas grill has 145-square inches of space to grill on.
- Easy storage with foldable legs.
- 5,500 BTU stainless-steel burner and even-heating porcelain pad.
Cons
- Weighs 13.5 pounds which may be light for any standard grill but is large for a portable grill.
- Mid-level pricing may not be “quality” as some people are looking for who plan to be more “advanced” grillers.
7. Marsh Allen Cast Iron Hibachi Charcoal Grill
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The Marsh Allen 30052AMZ Kay Home Product’s Cast Iron Hibachi Charcoal Grill 10×8” is available on Amazon.com, it includes some of the following features:
Pros
- 3 positions adjustable cooking grill.
- Provides you with 157-square inches of cooking surface to cook plenty of food for everyone.
- The wooden grill handles shift to allow for protected adjustment while cooking.
Cons
- Burns charcoal and isn’t electric so it’s not environmentally friendly or clean as an electric device may be.
- While the unit is pretty inexpensive, paying for charcoal to burn can add up fast over time if used frequently.
8. Cuisinart Chef’s Style Stainless Steel Tabletop Grill
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Cuisinart CGG-306 Chef’s Style Stainless Steel Tabletop Grill is available for purchase on Amazon.com, it includes some of the following features:
Pros
- Sets up in less than 10 minutes and that set-up can be done without tools.
- 20,000 BTU’s between the 2-stainless steel burners.
- Lid and legs lock in for easy and compact transportation.
Cons
- Works with a 20-pound propane tank (which is heavy), and it is not included, so that’s an added item that has to be purchased.
- It’s relatively expensive if someone is looking for more of an entry-level device.
9. Smoke Hollow Tabletop Propane Gas Grill
The Smoke Hallow LP Grill is available on Amazon.com, it comes with some of the following features:
Pros
- The largest cooking surface of any grill on this list so far at 305-square inches which is great if you have a large party to prepare food for.
- 10,000 BTU’s of power on a Steel “U” burner.
- Legs lock and fold for portability and the hood locks for transportation and storage.
Cons
- May be larger than what some people are looking for when they are talking about something “portable”.
- The size can make it awkward and a little cumbersome for transport to some people.
10. Coleman NXT Lite Tabletop Propane Grill
The Coleman NXT Lite Table Top Propane Grill is available on Amazon.com, it includes some of the following features:
Pros
- 8,500 BTU’s cooks up enough intensity to grill up almost any meal.
- 168-square inches of grilling space provides one of the bigger grills on our list.
- Removable grease tray for easy cleaning.
Cons
- Griddle and stove grate are sold separately creating added cost for the buyer
- There is no propane tank sold with any of these units adding again another additional expense.
Which Portable Grill Should You Buy?
In the end, it’s about preferences including how much or little you want to spend. It also depends on how often you will use the device as to what you want to invest in it. Generally, you want gas-powered devices as they make less of a mess, but it’s individual preference as well.
Also keep in mind that most of these grills do not come with a propane tank. That will be an additional expense as well. If you don’t get a gas grill, then account for charcoal expenses instead.
It’s important to decide what you want in a grill before you go out and purchase something. Everyone’s needs are different and determining what yours are will help you choose the right portable grill to cook up some great eats this summer! Click here to see which one we bought.