I bought a Chinese electric grill: a path to proper nutrition or a useless purchase

Once I was visiting friends and tried their steaks, cooked on an electric grill. I was delighted with the ease of preparation and the variety of dishes that can be prepared using this kitchen gadget. I note that I am a great adherent of a healthy diet and try to avoid the use of oil in cooking in every possible way. Naturally, I immediately wanted to buy an electric grill for my home. The most popular model now is probably the Tefal Optigrill. The price tag for it was too high, so I decided to find something similar, but cheaper.

When choosing, I was guided by three main criteria: cost, size and power. The grill had to be sized to accommodate at least 2 medium sized fish (eg mackerel). It's clear about the power - the more it is, the faster the food is prepared.

The choice fell on the Chinese grill Nomura, which I ordered from the Taobao website. The purchase cost me about 3000 rubles excluding delivery.

Features and equipment

The technical characteristics of the Nomura electric grill are as follows:

• power 2400W;

• dimensions: width 34.2 cm, length 40.2 cm, height 14.1 cm;

• panel thickness 3 mm;

• volume of 3.5 liters.

This electric grill also has the ability to unfold 180 degrees, which increases the work surface. For me this function is useless. The point of grilling is to get crisp on all sides and leave the product juicy and tender inside. This can be achieved if the heat will come from both sides — above and below. In addition, when unfolded, the device takes up a lot of space.

The top cover on my grill is floating, which means it adapts to different thicknesses of food. You can turn on the top and bottom panels separately. This function helps to avoid burning on either side.

Nomura has 5 modes of operation, which can be switched with ordinary buttons: from weakest to strongest. In most cases, I cook on the strongest setting.

Heating elements are located along the perimeter of the upper and lower surfaces, which guarantees uniform roasting of products.

The set included 2 pairs of removable panels: ribbed and smooth. I mainly use ribbed ones, because they leave golden stripes on the products and immediately feel that the food is cooked on a grill.

Washing the electric grill

Many people complain that the electric grill is difficult to clean, even with the removable panels. Yes this is true. Sometimes you don't even want to cook on it after the thought that after the meal there will be a long and painful washing of the panels. But I figured out a way to avoid washing altogether. I wrap the food with baking paper. After cooking, I throw out the used paper, and the grill is clean and there is no need to wash it. If paper is not available, foil can be used, but some food will stick to it.

Pros and cons

I was very pleased with the purchase, I cook 90% of the dishes on the electric grill. This kitchen appliance helps you save a lot of time on cooking, eat healthy foods and diversify your diet with vegetables. I used to eat very few of them because I didn't know how to cook them. Now everything is simple: you put any product on the grill, 10 minutes and you're done.

I would attribute to the indisputable pluses:

• the ability to cook a variety of healthy dishes;

• low price;

• ease of use.

The cons are:

• difficulty to wash the ribbed removable panels;

• bulkiness;

• lack of a timer.

And, of course, it would be interesting to listen to the recipes for proper nutrition that you prepare using the electric grill. I have one of my favorites; stuffed eggplant, mushrooms with different fillings, mackerel marinated in soy sauce with lemon and cilantro.