If you have a conventional oven with incorporated grill, you may well think – why on earth would I need the additional expense of a separate health grill? But these are handy pieces of kitchen kit, and once you’ve slapped on a lean steak and seen it sizzle to perfection in no time at all, you’ll be sold on the idea.
GETTING STARTED
The big selling point on many of these grills is the angled grill which channels fat and grease away from foods. Conventional grilling does much the same thing, however, the additional contact grilling from both sides and the gentle pressure that this applies to the foods, should squeeze out just that bit more fat if you are looking for the healthiest option for cooking.
They are also a much faster way to cook, with chicken breasts cooked on average between six to eight minutes, about a third of the time required to cook a chicken breast on a conventional grill. They also won’t dry out the chicken or meat in the same way. If you have room to spare for an additional gadget on your worktop, and stored in your kitchen cupboards – and some of these grills can be quite substantial, measuring up to 35x44x12cm – they are a wise investment for time-strapped cooks.
Most available are also much easier to maintain and clean than a traditional grill pan. Fans of health grills also say a huge part of the appeal is that they make food taste better. Certainly for meat and fish, the results are often tastier and most succulent than cooking on a conventional grill. They are also great for cooking paninis and toasties for snacks. However, other foods like vegetables fare less well, mainly because vegetables require different cooking times, so if you bung them all in together you’ll get mixed results.
THE OPTIONS
The main consideration before you start shopping around is what size you are likely to need. There are a wide range of different sizes available on the market – from single serve, to family size and going up to a 10 portion grill for entertaining.
Some top end models also come with a number of additional plates to make everything from omelettes to waffles. Think about whether you’re really going to use them before paying substantially more, or they will languish at the back of the cupboard, gathering dust.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Drip tray – A separate tray to catch all the juices as the run off the grill.
Floating hinge – The hinge at the rear of the grill lid which adjusts itself to the size of the food on the grill, to accommodate different thicknesses of food being grilled at the same time.
Tilt lever – If you are cooking paninis or omelettes and don’t need to grill to tilt forward to let the juices run off, you can turn this lever to use the grill flat.
Locking catch – Locks the plates in place.
Timer display – Allows you to adjust and see how long you have left for your food to be cooked. Set the desired cooking length of your food and you will be notified when the time is up.
Temperature control function – Some models come with a number of different temperature settings, giving you more control over grilling your food to your own preferred taste.
Additional plates – As well as the standard grill plates, you can buy models with additional interchangeable plates, such as omelette plates, deep pan attachments to cook casseroles and waffle plates.
Griddle – This is a great addition if you want to whip up a healthy-ish breakfast, as you can cook your fried eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms together on the griddle, while the sausages and bacon is on the grill, without the need for oil or butter to cook them. Or griddled your side dish of vegetables while your steak, chicken or fish is being cooked under the grill.
Programmes – With some grills you simply put on the food you want to cook, whether it be fish, vegetables or chickens, and the grills cook everything at the same temperature. Others have specific programme settings for different foods and will adjust the temperature accordingly. Ideal if you want your fish cooked just so.
Automatic sensors – These will automatically measure the thickness of the food you are cooking and adjust the cooking time accordingly. So if you like your steak to be rare, medium or well done, it will indicate when it is ready to enjoy your steak to perfection.
Super Sear Function – Said to allow you to achieve restaurant standard searing for steaks, with a push of the button the grill heats up to 260C for 90 seconds for a perfect sear surface.
MAINTENANCE
No more soaking an entire grill pan and rack. Health grills are generally far easier to clean. Either wipe the plates with a damp cloth or some models have removable, dishwasher proof plates.
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Simon Cocks is Good Housekeeping UK’s Technology Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy for the title. He previously also worked across other titles including Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, e-book readers and smartphones. He's reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and money-saving advice guides and edited thousands of in-depth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.
You can follow Simon on Instagram, on Bluesky, on LinkedIn and on Threads.
