Infrared Grill Vs. Conventional Gas

Nothing beats grilled food.

Infrared grills and conventional gas grills both use gas--either propane or natural gas--for fuel. The real difference between them is how the heat is actually used during the cooking process. An infrared griller can take advantage of different techniques to prepare his food, often getting a much better tasting result. This control may be the greatest advantage of infrared grills.

Cooking Method

A regular gas grill cooks using convection--the heat is carried by air to the food and the grill on which it rests. The actual flame may contact the food. An infrared grill uses radiation. Typically, the gas is used to heat a ceramic tile or grid with thousands of holes in it, and the heat radiates through the holes to cook the food. There is no flame to touch the food directly.

Higher Temperatures

The radiated heat from an infrared grill is much more concentrated, as it is directed right onto the food it is cooking. In addition, there is very little loss of heat because the flame is not directly exposed to the air; since the heat is so close to the food, the air does not have as much of a cooling effect on the cooking heat. For these reasons, infrared grills provide much higher cooking temperatures than the open flames of a conventional gas grill.

Safety

While much higher cooking temperatures are available for infrared cooking, there is also much greater control over the heat. The lack of an open flame is one aspect of this; unless you are careless, there is less chance of accidental fire. The higher heat also causes drips to vaporize on contact, resulting in fewer flare-ups. Foods cook quicker, which means you do not have to spend as much time around the heat; that lessens the chances of getting burned.

Efficiency

Infrared grills are more efficient in many areas. They take less time to heat up, so you can start cooking more quickly. Because so little heat is wasted, an infrared grill burns less fuel during cooking. The higher temperatures allow you to cook foods more quickly, reducing the time the grill needs to run. The design of the heating unit minimizes hot spots, so you spend less time and effort making sure that food cooks evenly.

Taste

Taste can be a very subjective aspect of grilling; for example, some grillers maintain that infrared cooking allows you to more closely approximate an open wood fire, even when using gas. But the higher temperatures of radiant heating do allow you to sear meats more quickly, sealing in the natural juices; and they also allow foods to cook more quickly, giving them less opportunity to dry out. This helps foods retain more of their natural flavors.

References

• Solaire Grills: What Is Infrared?
• North Side Grill: How Does Infrared Work?
• Barbeque FYI: Infrared Grills