Gas or electric plancha grill: which is right for you?

Electric plancha grills: an overview

Electric plancha grills are lightweight, easy to use and can be affordable, as low-end options are available. These planchas are a great option if you are reluctant to use gas or if you're looking for a compact plancha grill that can be used on a table top. However, they do also come in a range of different sizes. You simply need to plug your device into an electrical outlet to get your meat or veg skewers searing! Gas plancha grills, on the other hand, are a better choice for cooking up more sophisticated dishes. The heat-up times and power ratings offered by gas planchas remain the best on the market! With the exception of high-end models, electric planchas only feature one heating element which means they produce the same temperature across the entire hot plate.

Electric plancha grills: the pros and cons

A closer look at gas plancha grills

Gas plancha grills are favoured by chefs for to their unbeatable heat-up times and increased heating power. Before using for the first time, you will have to set these planchas up with a pressure regulator and a gas hose. Unlike electric planchas, almost all gas planchas are equipped with several burners – meaning you can cook an egg and a fillet of beef at the same time! Often equipped with a trolley for storing gas bottles, these models take up a little more room and are a bit heavier. They offer better temperature management and are more economical to use as there's no need to light all the burners just to grill one steak! Gas planchas can also be used with different types of gas (butane/propane or natural gas for indoor use).

Gas plancha grills: pros and cons

Choosing the right plancha will come down to picking an energy source. Keep the following factors in mind:

• You also have to consider: the number of people you cook for on a regular basis;

• the quality of the hot plate. Ranked in order of quality (low to high), your possibilities include: cold-rolled carbon steel, enamelled steel, enamelled cast iron, stainless steel and plates with hard chrome coatings;

• plancha power ratings are given in watts;

• the number of burners or elements;

• accessories and add-on options, such as a lid, drip tray and so on.