How to Cook Steaks on Electric Grills: A Guide for Beginners
Eating a steak that is cooked perfectly is something that every meat-loving person enjoys. As much as we love to eat it, we also love the whole cooking process. While doing it outdoors on a charcoal or gas grill is easy, not everyone knows how to cook steak on electric grills.
More often than not, people tend to be apprehensive about using indoor electric grills for cooking steaks. This is mainly because most of them do not know how to use it the right way. While it does take a bit of patience, it is not difficult to master either. However, if you prefer outdoor grilling, you can check out this charcoal grill.
Using an electric grill to cook your food is actually a healthier option compared to using oil and a fryer. For this reason, more and more people are becoming increasingly interested in owning one. If you are among these people, then allow us to help you out. (If you want to accurately monitor your electric grill’s real time power consumption, you should check this power meter out. It’s small, and can be plugged in to use right away.)
So how to cook a steak on electric grills for beginners? Generally it will require these 5 steps:
1. Prepare the steak by cutting off the fats and add seasonings.
2. Preheat the grill for about 15 minutes.
3. Start grilling by adding oils, if you’re cooking more than one steak, provide generous spaces between them (for better heat distribution).
4. Flip the steak once a few minutes by watching how brown the edges of the steak gets.
5. Check the steak’s temperature by using a a thermometer. A medium steak will read at 130 to 135F, a medium-rare steak will read at 125 to 130F, and a rare steak will read at 120 to 125F.
In the next few sections, we will go more into details for each step listed above. We will also provide a few other tips and tricks that would make you think twice about ever using an outdoor grill again. First, let us first define what an electric grill is.
What is an Electric Grill?
An electric grill basically functions through a power outlet and is much smaller in size compared to a gas grill. This can be used indoors and outdoors. While it does lack the authentic flavor that charcoal grills offer, electrics grills produce very little smoke. And in comparison to a gas grill, they are also quite easy to clean. As an added bonus, these grills barely take up any space.
You will find several different kinds of electric grills on the market today. These grills differ from each other in brands, sizes, designs, and the levels of temperature that they offer. Depending on what kind of food you intend on grilling, choose one accordingly.
Most electric grills have an adjustable temperature control setting and a light indicator that tells when the grill is too hot. Always select a grill with detachable parts, so it is easy to clean.
The ideal grilling surface should be about 12 inches. This will provide you with more than enough space to cook a couple of steaks together. Make sure that the surface is non-stick and use either silicone or rubberized coated tongs so that you won’t scratch the non-stick surface.
Step 1: Prepare the Steak
Steaks are not something you can just cook right away. You need to plan this ahead of time. Prepare your steaks by seasoning them and also trim all the excess fat that is there around the edges. By cutting the fat, you will prevent the steak from thinning and from curling, which will ultimately make it easier for you to achieve an even and consistent degree of doneness.
Step 2: Preheat the Grill
Insert the removable drip tray back into your electric grill, and then preheat the electric grill by following the instructions from the grill’s user manual. If your electric grill has variable heat settings, always choose either the searing setting or the highest setting on it.
You should roughly preheat the grill for about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can also rely on the grill’s heat indicator signal to tell you when the grill is ready to be in use.
Step 3: Start Grilling
Use either an oil spray or a brush to lightly oil the steak so that it does not stick to the grilling surface. Once you have done this, very gently lay it on the preheated grilling surface.
If you are cooking more than one steak, provide generous space between the. This will allow each steak to absorb as much heat they possibly can from the grill individually. By leaving the steaks close to each other, they will not brown properly.
If your steaks are between 1/2 – to 3/4 – inch thick, then cook them at very high temperatures or on the sear setting of the grill during the entire process of cooking. Additionally, turn them often until you find that they have reached the degree of doneness you desire. Steaks that are over an inch of thickness must be seared thoroughly on both the sides and then cooked on low heat until they are ready.
Step 4: Flip!
Leave one side of the steak on the grill for a while till you see it is browned well enough. Once you think it’s done on one side, flip it over and begin to brown the other side. It is difficult to estimate how long one side of the steak will take to brown as this entirely depends upon your electric grill’s power. Consistently look at one edge of the steak to check how brown it has become.
Step 5: Check the Temp
You can check your steak by inserting a thermometer into the thickest section of the muscle. A medium steak will read at 130 to 135F, a medium-rare steak will read at 125 to 130F, and a rare steak will read at 120 to 125F. Thin steaks are slightly more difficult to read. You will either have to eyeball it or cut into an unobtrusive spot of the steak in order to check the doneness of it.
Conclusion
We hope our step-by-step guide on how long to cook steak on electric grills proves to be helpful to you the next time you try it out yourself. As mentioned earlier, it will take you a couple of tries to get the hang of it and cook the steak to the level of doneness that you desire.
In the end, it all boils down to your grilling skills and the kind of electric grill you own. Make sure you opt for a high-quality indoor electric grill if you are planning on buying one. High-quality electric grills will have the most features that are significantly helpful when you cook a steak.
Bonus: Flavoring
For additional flavoring ideas, check out Grill Masters Club! They are a monthly subscription box of spices, rubs, sauces and more that lets you try out the best in flavor combinations on your steak, chicken, seafood and veggies!
Disclaimer: We are part of the Grill Masters Club affiliate program, but we won’t support any products that we don’t believe will benefit our readers.