Updated: 29 Oct 2008

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Introduction

Health grills are marketed as a healthier way to cook. We find out how well they perform.

There's not much these grills can't handle - meat, vegetables, sandwiches of any shape or thickness. And because they cook both sides at once, they're fast.

We tested 7 grills ranging in price from $70 to nearly $300, looking at their grilling and toasting performance and how easy they were to clean and use.

Models we tested

Checklist

What's a health grill?

Health grills are marketed as a healthier way to cook. Their sloping non-stick cooking surfaces drain away fat - and little or no oil is needed.

With many foods, you can achieve the same results using a ridged grill-pan on the stove, a barbecue, or your oven grill. But health grills take only 3-5 minutes to heat up; and they save time by cooking both sides at once.

Health grills don't produce the smoky flavour you get when you cook with flames on an outdoor barbecue. But the ribbed surfaces give food a chargrilled look, so if you don't have room for an outdoor barbie one of these could be the next best thing.

What to look for

If you're considering buying a health grill, here's what to look for:

Size

Size is important. How much food needs to be grilled at any one time? And how big is your kitchen bench? (The bigger models take up a lot of room.)

Temperature

Adjustable temperature lets you adjust the cooking temperature to suit what you're cooking. For example, the temperature can be set higher for searing meat and lower for toasting sandwiches.

Drip trays

Removable drip trays that click into the machine are better than separate ones (they won't get knocked over).

Grill-plates

Removable grill-plates make for easier cleaning.

Grilling height

Adjustable grilling height locks the top plate a fixed height above the bottom plate. That means you can control the pressure on delicate foods, preventing them from getting squashed. And you can toast open sandwiches - including melting cheese - without the top plate touching the food.

Adjustable bottom plate

Allows the bottom plate to be adjusted so that it sits flat or sloped.

Storage space

Vertical storage takes up less space in the cupboard or on the bench.

What we found

We tested the grills' versatility with a mixed grill, meat patties and hamburger buns, and a cheese and tomato toasted sandwich.

Cooking performance

All the grills rated very good or good. The Breville BGR400 (pictured) and the Kambrook KCG50 were top-equal for overall cooking performance.

The Breville BGR400 was one of the more expensive grills. But it had the most features: changeable bottom grill-plate (smooth or ribbed), adjustable bottom plate, and variable temperature control.

The Kambrook was the cheapest and smallest grill - perfect for small households.

Mixed grill

A mixed grill shows how well they perform in cooking various foods at once. The George Foreman GR36S and the Sunbeam GC7800 did an excellent job here. The others achieved very good or good results (although the Breville BGR400 and George Foreman GR30S slightly overcooked the bacon and tomato, and the Breville TG870 slightly overcooked the sausages and tomato).

Meat patties

All the grills did an excellent job of grilling meat patties but there were mixed results for the toasted hamburger buns. The Breville BGR400 was the best at this simple task - evenly toasting and browning the bun. The rest produced slightly uneven results apart from the Sunbeam GC8900, which hardly toasted the bun at all.

Toasted sandwiches

There was a noticeable difference when it came to toasting a sandwich. The Breville BGR400 scored full marks with its perfectly browned sandwich. But the Sunbeams struggled.

The Sunbeam GC7800 produced a poor result, barely toasting the bread (although it heated the filling well enough). The Sunbeam GC8900 gave us a top that was well toasted and a bottom barely browned. Experimenting with temperature settings and toasting times may produce better results on the Sunbeam grills.

Ease of use

All the grills rated very good or good for ease of use. But you have to be careful with the handle on the Kambrook KCG50 and the two George Foreman grills (pictured) - the "handle" is simply a jutting-out lip on the top plate.

You need to wear an oven glove when lifting the lid, otherwise you could easily burn your fingers (the George Foreman user manuals warn you about this).

All except the Kambrook KCG50 have a generous cooking area that can fit at least four sandwiches at once. The Sunbeam GC8900 opens flat so you can grill barbecue-style, which doubles its cooking area.

On two grills (the Sunbeam GC8900 and the Breville BGR400) the bottom plate can be adjusted to sit flat - and because they have smooth bottom grill-plates they can double as a hotplate for frying eggs and cooking pancakes.

The grills were all good to clean. But remember that smooth cooking surfaces are easier to clean than ribbed ones and painted exteriors don't show fingerprints as much as stainless steel.

We recommend

• 

  Breville BGR400 Ikon Grill

  $189

  Good points

  Best overall. Equal-best for cooking performance. Excellent at toasting sandwiches and grilling meat patties. Very easy to use. Adjustable temperature. Removable grill-plates. Adjustable grilling height. Adjustable bottom plate. Changeable bottom grill-plate (smooth or ribbed). Cord storage.

  But

  (No obvious bad points.)

  User Reviews 0
• 

  Breville TG870 Healthsmart Grill

  $129

  Good points

  Second-equal for cooking performance. Excellent at grilling meat patties. Easy to use. Adjustable temperature. Adjustable grilling height. Cord storage.

  But

  Heavy and bulky to store.

  User Reviews 2
• 

  Kambrook KCG50 Essentials Health Grill

  $70

  Good points

  Equal-best for cooking performance. Excellent at grilling meat patties. Easy to use. Cord storage. Easy to clean painted exterior.

  But

  Temperature not adjustable. Need to wear oven glove when opening.

  User Reviews 0