If you’re looking for an indoor grill that not only sears food beautifully but is compact and easy to store too, then the Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill is a great option. It’s affordable too and is among some of the cheapest options in our round-up of the best indoor grills.
Unlike the Cuisinart Indoor Griddler, Hamilton Beach 25361 is a grilling specialist. It reaches high heats for spot on searing, whether you’re cooking steaks and burgers, or adding flavor to crisp vegetable kabobs. While the functionality might be on the simple side, this makes the Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill easy to use.
Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill: Pricing and value
The Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill is currently available for around $70. While it’s not the cheapest on the market, it does sit towards the more affordable end so it’s a good option for anyone wanting to try out an indoor grill without having to make much of an investment.
Functionality-wise it is fairly simple, especially when compared to the similarly priced Cuisinart Griddler Indoor Grill, which is designed to grill and griddle a wide range of foods, but it still offers good value for anyone keen to have a good grilling experience. It’s well-suited to searing thanks to high heat capabilities, so if you are specifically looking for a great grill, as opposed to something with wider cooking capabilities, then the Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill still offers great value for money.
Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill: Features
Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill is one of the simpler grills we reviewed, but what it does, it does well. It can reach up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit for searing foods to lock in flavor and juices, or the adjustable temperature dial allows you to choose the perfect temperature for whatever you’re cooking. The closing lid even allows you to create those signature grill marks.
There’s also no need to keep raising the lid to check on your food either. The convenient window allows you to keep an eye on how dinner is coming along while also keeping the heat from escaping.
The 118 square-inch grilling surface can comfortably cook enough food for up to six people, so while the Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill is compact enough for easy storage, it can still cater to family-sized meals. The extra large drip tray also means that even large meaty meals needn’t cause a mess, enabling it to catch any juices before they spill onto your countertop. The non-stick grill plate is removable and dishwasher safe, as are the indoor grill hood and the extra-large drip tray, so this grill is a cinch to clean.
For the most effective grill use, it’s best to ensure that the plates are properly preheated before use. The Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill utilizes both power and preheat lights for both safety, and to help remove the guesswork when it comes to using the grill.
What lets this grill down, however, is its build. Coated in plastic, the grill isn’t the best quality we’ve seen, and we’d have some concerns about how well that plastic could handle the heat of the grill.
Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill: User reviews
The Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill is popular with users, who rate it at an average of 4.5 out of 5 on Amazon. Multiple reviews mention that they were impressed with how little smoke this indoor grill produced, so they didn’t need to worry about it setting off smoke alarms whenever they used this indoor grill. Most reviews noted that they were impressed with the cooking results too. Enthusiastic outdoor grillers noted that you can tell the difference between the results of an outdoor grill and this indoor grill, but the differences were so minimal that they didn’t mind.
A number of reviews praised how easy clean up was too, even those without a dishwasher noted that they had no trouble keeping the grill clean after use.
There are some negative reviews too, however. These include criticisms of the grill’s build as a whole. Some users claim the plastic coating becomes ‘brittle’ and isn’t executed well. Others add that the plastic around the tray ‘melted a bit’.
Should you buy the Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill?
The Hamilton Beach 25361 Indoor Grill is an affordable indoor grill that can create deliciously seared foods with the signature grill marks you would expect. The adjustable temperature means you can cook steaks quickly at searing temperatures, or lower it for slower cooked foods like chicken. While it might not quite measure up to the flavor of an outdoor grill, it comes impressively close.
