Weber Q-140 Electric Grill

When exiled to a place where charcoal and gas are forbidden the griller doesn't have a lot of options other than electricity. The problem is that 120 volts isn't a lot of power to do high temperature grilling. Well, after some considerable development time Weber has managed to produce an electric version of its popular Q line of grills that runs on electricity. Capable of temperatures over 600 degrees F thanks to the efficiency of this design this grill can sear a steak, heat up quickly and recover its heat even faster after you lift the lid. While a small grill, if you are limited to electric grills, buy this one.

The Weber Q grills have become very popular since they were introduced a few years ago. These portable grills range from the small Q 100 to the nearly full sized Q 300. The combination of simply design with efficient heat output makes these grills powerful and small. Now Weber has introduced an electric version of the Q grill for those of you confined to locations where gas or charcoal grills are not allowed. The reason it too so long was solving the problem of low heat output from electric grills because of the limits of 120 volt power. If typically takes a lot of wattage to get a lot of heat, but Weber has managed to design a grill that can hit temperatures over 600 degrees F.

What makes this grill work is the sealed, aluminum insulated design that holds all the heat in and reflects the heat inside at the food you are cooking. Add the heavy stainless steel cooking grate and you get great contact heat to produce good sear marks on your food.

The two issues that stand out about this grill is the small size and the price. This grill is small because of the heat issue. You can only draw so much wattage so making a larger electric grill is pretty much impossible. This grill is large enough to cook a pair of steaks and maybe four hamburger patties, but that's about it. If you need more food you are going to have to cook in shifts.

With a list price of $279 (but can typically be found for around $230) this isn't a cheap grill (in either sense of the word). Of course if you are limited to electric then this is the best grill out there to choose from.