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When you talk about smokeless grills, you get all of the common names that come up: George Foreman, Hamilton Beach, PowerXL. All of these are great, but not enough love is being shown to the Chef’s Choice line of grills.
To address this lack of attention, we’re going to take a look at this underserved brand. By the end of this article, you’ll know more about whether this grill is worth your trouble.
A Review of Chef’s Choice Grills
| Chef’s Choice Indoor Grills | Product Information | Check Price |
|---|---|---|
Top | Chef'sChoice 878 Professional Indoor Electric Grill | Check Price |
Top | Chef'sChoice 880 Professional Cast Iron Indoor Smokeless Electric GRILL, 1500-Watts, Silver | Check Price |
Chef’s Choice has two major grills worth talking about: The 878 and 880.
Chef’s Choice 878 Professional Indoor Electric Grill w/ Removable Nonstick Plate
- 1500 watts of power: Ideal for searing steaks, hamburgers and more: Delicious seared flavor.
- Aluminum Grill Plate: Double coated durable porcelain enamel non-stick finish. Lifts out for easy clean-up. Provides an even, consistent grilling temperature.
- Healthy cooking: Grease and oils drain away during grilling. Stainless steel drip tray, removes for in sink or dishwasher cleaning.
Our first stopping point is The Chef’s Choice 878. The 878 has 1500 watts of power suited for searing steaks. The searing power enables it to reach higher temperatures above 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
The coating choice of this electric grill is ceramic, which makes it modern when compared to other grills typically featured on Amazon. The ceramic surface enables it to have a nonstick coating, which makes it easy to clean.
The coating allows grease and oil to drain away into the stainless steel drip tray. You should fill the drip tray with water, which makes it incredibly easy to clean.
There’s enough of a gap between the 140 square inch cooking surface and the drip tray to create an ample amount of heat. But the heat is not enough to fry the bottom portion of the tray, provided you remember to fill the area with water.
It might be smaller, but it does have power. The power is displayed once you play with the adjustable grill control located on the side. You’ll know when the grill is ready based on the “ready to gill” light it displays.
Despite being smaller and not having a glass lid, it’s still a grill that deserves more attention.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A High-watt grill heats up fast. | No glass lid. |
| Great temperature capacity suitable for searing steaks. | Small surface area. |
| Adjustable temperature control is easy to access. | The lesser-known brand will have less support. |
| Best Chef’s Choice Indoor Grills Reviews |
Chef’s Choice 880 Professional Cast Iron Indoor Smokeless Electric Grill
- Heavy-duty cast iron grill plate provides even, consistent grilling temperature
- Grill plate is a double coated, durable porcelain enamel non-stick finish; lifts out for easy clean-up
- 1500 watts of power: ideal for searing steaks, hamburgers, veggies and more
The Chef’s Choice 880 is the more expensive option among the two grills because it is built with long-lasting material. With a cast-iron surface, its material choice is a love letter to old-fashioned cooking.
For those familiar with cast iron cookware, you know that this is a bit more difficult to clean. It addresses this limit by having a double coating of porcelain enamel for its nonstick finish. As a result, you can use it in the dishwasher, but be wary if the finish ever fades.
The plate level is at the exact square inches as the other Chef’s Choice grill. It‘s also pretty solid at providing consistent heating temperatures.
While this model isn’t as popular as George Foreman’s or Hamilton Beach’s models, it does deserve a place among the best available indoor grills on Amazon.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Grill plate surface covered in nonstick coating for easy cleaning. | More expensive. |
| Made of durable material. | Cast iron surface is covered with the enamel surface. |
| Easy to clean with removable trays. | |
| Best Chef’s Choice Indoor Grills Reviews |
What Makes Chef’s Choice Indoor Grills Worth It?
Among different types of grills, Chef’s choice is underrated. That’s because Chef’s choice grills focus on many areas with proven effectiveness.
How Does The Grill Wattage Help With Cooking?
At 1500 watts, that provides you an excellent temperature potential. Wattage enables the grill to have high heat, reaching the minimum internal temperatures mentioned in their manuals.
The Chef’s Choice grills stick at this wattage, making them suitable replacements for a CUSIMAX smokeless grill. The higher wattage reduces cooking times by maintaining the high temperatures.
Chef’s Choice Grilling Dimensions
Product dimensions don’t say much about the grilling surface. However, Chef’s Choice grills make it clear that they have 141 square inches of surface area to work with.
This surface area enables you to cook multiple items at once. However, the flat temperature across this grill means you can only cook a single type of item at once.
This means there’s less chance of you partially searing meat, but it also means you’ll have to use alternative cooking surfaces for different temperatures.
Chef’s Choice “Ready to Grill” Indication
Indicator lights located on the side of either grill inform the cook when the surface is at an adequate temperature. The heating elements have a breakdown into four different cooking modes:
- The lower settings are suitable for vegetables and fish
- The middle settings are great for burgers
- The high settings are great for searing meat like steaks and pork chops
These settings hold some familiarity with standard electric grills, meaning that this is what you should expect to get at entry-level.
Many beginners prefer to see a number and a digital display, which is one common criticism of Chef’s Choice grills. However, that criticism applies to most entry-level grills.
Chef’s Choice Heating Times
The owner’s manual dictates that the average time for reaching the desired temperature is about 15 minutes. However, you can see times go as high as 20 minutes on the highest setting.
This wait time is about average with the 1500 watt power levels.
Chef’s Choice Water Level Indicators
Electric smokeless indoor grills like Chef’s Choice have a water level indicator telling you when to fill them. To fill it, pull the drip tray out from the bottom-front portion of the grill.
Failing to fill the drip tray will result in it potentially burning up. Forgetting this will void the warranty, forcing you to come out of pocket for the next one. This mistake is common among indoor electric grills.
Some customer service groups are known to show mercy with this mistake. There’s no fault in asking for another grill if you make this common mistake.
Cord Voltage of Chef’s Choice Grills
The voltage of your cord is 120V, meaning that it’s most suitable for newer outlets. If you want to plug an extension cord into it, the cable must handle 20 amps.
Dishwasher Safe Plates and Trays / How To Clean The Chef’s Choice Grill
Like most electric grills, the griddle plates can be removed and placed inside the dishwasher. Be sure that the grill is cool before doing this, as you might injure yourself or damage the dishwasher.
You must clean the grill surface with warm soapy water. Don’t use any materials that may be harmful to sensitive stomachs.
You can also remove the drip tray from the bottom of the grill for machine cleaning. It’s best to clean the surface with a plastic brush while hot, as that will help the removal of debris as well.
Accessories You Need With the Chef’s Choice Grill
Accessories should work to improve your cooking experience. In this case, cleaning supplies, an additional griddle plate, and utensils are a good start.
First, the Chef’s Choice G880000 is a Griddle plate that fits both the 878 and 880. Its dimensions are the same, and it is made of ceramic, making it suitable as a nonstick surface.
A good griddle cleaning kit with this is the Cuisinart CCK-358. It comes with a scraper, scrubbing pads, and a grooved handle device. This kit enables you to get between the perforated slots between electric grills quickly.
FourHare offers an excellent set of stainless steel accessories in another attempt to focus on a small-time company. These are long and professional spatulas, making them suitable for use with all grills.
When grilling, it’s essential to be prepared with proper cleaning supplies and equipment. Otherwise, you may end up singing your hand or tongs trying to get to a steak that has been on that grill a bit too long.
A Closer Look At The Chef’s Choice Brand
Before moving on, let’s take a closer look at the Chef’s Choice brand. Despite having less of a recognizable brand name, they’ve been around quite a while.
EdgeCraft, the owner of this brand, was founded back in Chef’s Choice. Chef’s Choice is known more as a brand of electric knife sharpener which premiered in 1985.
EdgeCraft spread Chef’s Choice recognition to commercial success in the early 90s. During this time, they introduced a series of commercial electric sharpeners that expanded to cutlery, electric food slicers, and (eventually) an electric indoor smokeless grill.
Despite this, they have a much smaller following on Amazon than Hamilton Beach or George Foreman. Still, they’ve gained success in other areas.
Final Thoughts
Chef’s Choice is more recognizable in locations outside of Amazon. The next time you walk around Walmart, you might find one in those aisles. Still, if you don’t have a nearby Walmart, Amazon is the next place to start.
Both the 880 and 878 are excellent models. However, one is made of cast iron, giving it a bit more lastability. Depending on your priorities, either can be a perfect choice for your kitchen.
If you like either of these grills, please consider clicking our Amazon Affiliate links above. Through those links, we can continue to produce content that helps you on your electric grill journey. Thanks for reading.
