Infrared Grill Vs. Gas Grill

If there would have been an autobiography of all the meat varieties, they would have certainly cursed the grills and the ovens and pans for inflicting torture on them! Then they would have also said how these grills torment them in not just a single way, but in different ways! Some bring agony through gas and some through infrared methods! Nevertheless, on a serious note, gas grills and infrared grills, which is a relatively new concept in grilling although have quite a few things in common, they have some aspects which are totally different.

Infrared Grills and Gas Grills - A Comparison

Modus Operandi
Infrared grilling is new concept which has come up and it uses radiation for cooking. The heat radiates through a grid or a tile with many holes in it to cook the food. This method gives the scope to prepare food using several methods. It also leads to better taste of the food, one of the reasons being the flame not directly reaching the food. On the other hand, a conventional grill, a gas grill uses the heat, carried by air to the food and the grill. The food gets in contact with the flame in such a mechanism.

Fuel to the Fire
Both these types of grills use the same substances for fuel. The fueling sources are either natural gas or propane. The difference lies in the way this heat reaches and is used to cook food. That leads to the difference in the taste. Both of these are mostly used for roasting food and barbeque.

Is it Hot or What?
In case of the infrared grills, the heat which is radiated is considerably concentrated and the temperature at which the food is cooked is higher than gas grills. The reason is that it is directed straight to the food which has to be cooked. Plus, there is a minimum amount of heat which is lost as the flame is not directly exposed to air. The heat is very close to the food and therefore it is hardly affected by the air and its cooling effect. On the contrary, the regular gas grill cooks food on comparatively lower temperature as the flame is exposed to air, which has a cooling effect on it. In regular gas option the amount of heat wasted is higher than the other grilling technology.

The Top Grill
Efficiency in all the aspects is a major bone of contention. A gas grill needs more fuel as quite a bit of heat is wasted because of the cooking method. So obviously it requires more fuel. Moreover, the temperature is not as high as an infrared grill, which increases the time for which the grill needs to cook food. On the other hand, less hot spots and even cooking, with less time for cooking are one of the major positives of an infra red grill. Burning of less fuel while cooking, leading to usage of less fuel are some more advantages of this grill.

Buddies of the Taste Buds
When it comes to grilling, taste is a very subjective matter. While some of the chefs expert in grilled delicacies say that infrared facilitates to closely approximate an open wood or gas induced fire. However one more important point is as the temperature is high on infrared grills, the meats are seared fast. This process also helps seal the natural flavor and juices of the meat along with the aroma.

In addition to all these factors, safety too is very important. This is where the infrared grilling style earns a brownie point over the other. Gas grill has an open fire, takes more time to cook, which increases the time spent at the grill, increasing chances of risk. In addition to this, lesser temperature leads to dripping of liquid and oils from the food in a larger amount leading to more flare ups. Unlike this even though the infrared grill cooks at higher temperatures, there is control too over the heat. Fast cooking prevents the dripping and consequently flares up and there are minimum chances of any one getting burns.

That is basically the crux of the matter. Eventually, both of them have their pros and cons. It is up to our individual choice and range of usage, which one do we chose! Either ways, we like it hot, isn't it?!