Infrared BBQ Grills vs. Conventional BBQ Grills! What’s The Difference?
Make the best choice
Last year, my family moved, and we decided to re-furnish entirely! So, we bought everything from scratch, from pillowcases to table lamps to coffee tables to the TV. However, when we got to the kitchen, I realized something: one of the most prevalent debates of the modern kitchen is Infrared BBQ Grills versus Conventional BBQ Grills.
My husband and I have differing opinions, but we always seem to settle somehow. However, when deciding which grill to buy, the argument never seemed to end! While conventional BBQ grills have people’s trust and confidence for years and decades, infrared grills are more technologically advanced and offer more ease. But which should we buy?
Thankfully, after weeks of research (and disputes!), we made our final purchase. But it occurred to me that if we were in this pickle, others might relate. So, I decided to compile a detailed post on the subject of infrared vs. conventional BBQ grills and list down everything I found and learned during those weeks of research in the hope that it might help you too!
The Difference Between Infrared and Conventional BBQ Grills
For ease of understanding and comparing, let’s talk about the different aspects of both products and put the grills side by side to see which seems better.
Let’s get into it!
Round 1:
Heat Source
Let’s start with a comparison between how these grills work! Conventional barbecue grills use air as a heating medium to cook food. The griller heats air and then transfers the air to the stove, which then cooks the food.
Infrared grills, on the other hand, produce heat, and these heatwaves directly cook the food. Naturally, the latter heat source is much more convenient since air can be notoriously non-conductive. So, infrared wins this round!
Round 2:
Power and Performance
There are three different aspects to measure the power and performance of a particular grill:
Temperature range
Thanks to the efficient heat source and operational mechanism of the infrared gas grills, they have a much higher temperature range than traditional machines.
The infrared grills are capable of producing temperatures as high as 1000 to 1200 Fahrenheit. These temperatures are too high compared to the maximum temperatures of 500 or 700 Fahrenheit in conventional grilling machines.
Heat Distribution
Since conventional grillers use air as a medium, their heat travels unevenly. Air moves as it wishes, and there is not much that you can do to ensure a fair and equal heat distribution across the grill. As a result, your food sometimes overcooks in certain areas or comes out raw from the other.
In contrast, infrared grills have a much more efficient heat system that ensures fair distribution and cooks’ food evenly.
Taste
If you prefer the smoky taste and aroma that conventional grills add to your food, you will probably stay true to these machines. However, those who don’t like any additions or alterations to their food prefer using infrared grillers.
Their grates are entirely neutral and don’t have a smell or taste of their own.
Plus, since conventional grills use air, they usually dry out all the moisture from your food. Infrared grills don’t do that. It retains all the water in your meat and vegetables and keeps them juicy and delicious.
Overall, with a better temperature range and even heat distribution, infrared grillers win this round as well!
Round 3:
Time Consumption
As mentioned before, conventional BBQ grills use air as a medium. Thus, naturally, they’re slower and take quite a lot of time to reach the highest temperatures.
In contrast, infrared grills work much faster since they produce and directly utilize heat waves. You can attain the highest temperatures in less than half the time taken by a conventional grill.
Plus, gas grills take longer to cook food since the heat is dispersed and diffused. In contrast, the food cooks faster on infrared grills.
Why?
Because heat transfers in concentration in infrared grills (kind of like laser!), it takes a shorter time to cook since all the heat targets it.
Once again, infrared wins!
Round 4:
Fuel Usage
In this round, let’s compare how fast and efficiently both machines use their fuel. If you think about it, it’s quite evident that infrared grillers are more fuel-efficient.
How? Let me explain:
When the grill heats up quickly and cooks your food quickly, the process ends fast, and you only consume little fuel.
In contrast, when it takes longer to reach the desired temperature and even longer to thoroughly cook the food, the machine keeps using more and more fuel.
Hence, infrared wins this round!
Round 5:
Settings and Features
Indeed, both these grilling machines are modern, and technologically advanced models are now available in the market.
However, infrared gives you a better temperature range and so it gives you more control. This technology is also relatively more modern, so infrared grills, in general, offer more features and advanced settings, such as precise temperature control, etc.
Round 6:
Maintenance
It is common knowledge that conventional grills are much harder to clean. Infrared grills are easier to clean since they have a self-cleaning feature. This ease of cleaning makes infrared grills relatively low maintenance as well.
Round 7:
Flexibility
With a broader temperature range and more settings and features, infrared grills give you more flexibility and control.
This flexibility results in versatility, and you can use your grill for multiple purposes simultaneously.
So, in terms of being multi-purpose and flexible, infrared grills win again!
Round 8:
Price Point
Here, conventional grills take the prize.
Since infrared is more technologically advanced and has better features, it is often more expensive than traditional grillers. A lot of people cannot invest in infrared grills because they are expensive and sometimes inaccessible.
This limitation might be the only downside of an infrared gas grill!
Round 9:
Safety
Flare-ups are common among grillers, and even though you might think that infrared is more prone to such damage owing to its higher temperatures, the opposite is true.
There are two reasons why infrared grills don’t catch flare-ups as quickly as conventional ones:
One: Infrared vaporizes any juices or droplets extracted by food, so they don’t directly reach the fire, and the risk of a flare-up is minimal.
Two: Infrared grates have a concave shape, so even if any liquid drops fall, it still doesn’t directly contact the fire. In contrast, gas grills have fires continuously in contact with the air, which can promote flare-ups.
Plus, temperature control is much better in infrared grills than conventional ones, so there’s that too!
Pros and Cons of Conventional grills and Infrared Grills
Pros of Infrared Grills
- Infrared grills are faster compared to the other types.
- Infrared grills take lesser preheating time and can quickly produce enough heat.
- Windy weather cannot affect the heat of an Infrared grill, so you can easily use it outdoors.
- All the moisture stays inside the food, making sure the food remains juicy and tender.
- The self-cleaning feature of Infrared grills makes maintenance and cleaning so much easier for you.
- In Infrared grills, flare-ups are less common since it vaporizes all the drippings.
Cons of infrared grills
- Infrared grills are relatively more expensive than conventional gas grills.
- If you prefer cooking on low heat, Infrared grills are probably not the best for you.
Pros of Conventional Grills
- Traditional gas grills are available in a wider variety of dimensions and designs.
- Food cooked on a conventional grill has a smoky aroma and taste.
- The food also cooks relatively faster on conventional grills compared to other grills.
- These grills are good at maintaining higher temperatures.
- They are relatively cheaper than other Infrared grills.
- Traditional grills are better for outdoor setups.
Cons of Conventional Grills
- They make the food dry by removing all the moisture from it.
- It can be tricky to clean the plates on these grills.
- They are more prone to flare-ups and the less safe to use indoors.
- If you want a smokeless indoor grill, conventional grills are certainly not suitable.
- You need to put the conventional griller somewhere safe and check it regularly. Thus, it can be high-maintenance.
Final Verdict!
Now that we’ve discussed all the essential aspects of both Conventional and Infrared grills, we can finally decide which one is better.
So here’s the verdict:
If you are looking for a fast, safe, and efficient grill, you should go for the infrared grills.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly grill and you like the smoky aroma that conventional grills produce, conventional grills would be the right choice for you!
Even still, the final result depends entirely on your personal preferences, so make sure you know what you want and what you have the budget for.
Hopefully, this comparison will help you make the right choice.
Happy grilling!
