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Table grills

The best table grill for four people

Four people eating at the same time need surface, and a grill that runs out of it cooks in relays. Only one maker here publishes the square centimeters; the rest say "large".

By

The one you can size

The Tefal GC3060 is first because it publishes both surfaces: about 93 in² (600 cm²) closed and 186 in² (1,200 cm²) open. It also adds a gratin position the others cannot match, and its plates and drip tray are removable and dishwasher-safe.

Its weakness is the thermostat: three unnamed steps, with no degrees published.

When you want to stop guessing

The Philips HD6307/70 is the only contact grill here with a food probe that reads the core temperature of the food, and a published range of 60 to 220 °C (428 °F). Every other grill in this family measures the plate, which tells you nothing about the middle of a chicken breast.

It publishes neither plate area nor wattage.

When two things cook at once

The Braun MultiGrill 9 runs two independent temperature zones — a steak seared on one side, vegetables gentler on the other, finishing together. It also takes waffle plates, which makes it the only grill on this site that covers a second family. A sear function reaches a published 265 °C (509 °F).

What we would not do

Choose on wattage. Three of these four publish 2,000 W or nothing at all; what separates them is area, control and whether the plates come out.

Which appliance earns its place?

You cook at the table with guests
The criterion is how fast the plate recovers when everybody loads it at once.
You want less smoke indoors
Look at how fat is drained and whether the element is above or below: that decides smoke far more than any marketing term.
You want to grill and to keep food warm
A plate with distinct zones is more useful than a hotter uniform one.
You have very little storage
A folding or contact grill takes a fraction of the space, at the cost of the shared-table experience.

Picking by what you make

Grilling at the table

The point of the format: everyone cooks their own, and the appliance has to keep up with four people starting at once.

Meat and vegetables together

Where a plate with a hot zone and a cooler one earns its place, because they do not cook at the same rate.

Indoors with little ventilation

The real constraint for most kitchens. Fat drainage and element position decide how much smoke you live with.

Quick weekday cooking

A table grill is a fast plate that heats in minutes, which is a genuine everyday use beyond entertaining.

The handful of figures that count

Heat recovery when fully loaded
The number that matters and that no one publishes. Four people loading a cold plate at once is the test; a heavy or cast plate handles it, a thin one does not.
Fat drainage and the drip tray
Fat reaching the element is what makes smoke. A sloped plate with a real tray underneath is worth more than any coating claim.
Plate material and coating
Cast holds heat and marks well; coated aluminum heats fast and wears. Both are valid, for different evenings.
Whether the plate detaches for washing
This appliance is used with fat and washed every time. A fixed plate over an element is the one that stops being cleaned properly.
Thermostat position and control
A plate with the sensor at one end runs unevenly. Adjustable, reachable control matters when the appliance is in the middle of the table.

Which figure for which kitchen

What you wantWhat decides itWhat does not
Everyone grilling at oncePlate mass and recoveryPeak temperature
Less smokeFat drainageThe word 'smokeless'
Easy cleaningA removable plateA non-stick claim
Mixed cookingZoned heatTotal wattage

The common slips

Loading a cold plate
Four portions on a plate that has not fully preheated drops the temperature and steams everything. Waiting a few minutes changes the whole meal.
Believing 'smokeless'
Any grill hot enough to brown will smoke when fat meets heat. Drainage design reduces it; nothing removes it indoors.
Cutting on the plate
A knife on a coated plate ends the coating, and there is no repairing it. It is the commonest way these appliances are ruined.
Running the drip tray dry
Many designs expect a little water in the tray to catch fat and stop it smoking. Empty, the tray bakes the fat instead.

By the household you cook for

The family of four
A heavy plate with good drainage and a removable surface. The format working as intended.
The small flat
A contact or folding grill: less sociable, far less storage, and quicker for one or two.
The frequent host
Plate mass and recovery over everything else: that is what stops the meal stalling when the table fills.

Cleaning, parts and working life

A table grill is judged by how easily it is cleaned, because it is cleaned after every use with fat still on it. What ruins these appliances is a coating scratched by utensils and fat baked onto an element that cannot be reached.

  • Clean the plate while still warm, with a wooden or silicone scraper.
  • Empty and wash the drip tray every time: cold fat is far worse.
  • Never use metal utensils or abrasive pads on a coated plate.
  • Check the element and the underside of the plate periodically, where fat accumulates unseen.

Safety

A hot open plate on a table with people around it.

  • Route the cable so it cannot be caught by anyone seated.
  • Use a heat-resistant mat: these plates transmit heat to the table.
  • Never pour water on a hot plate to clean it: it warps and spits.
  • Let it cool completely before moving or storing.

Our choices, and what justifies them

  1. Table grills & griddles

    Tefal GC3060 3-in-1 Contact and Table Grill

    2,000 W · 93 in² (600 cm²) closed · 186 in² (1,200 cm²) open

    The three-in-one that publishes its surface: about 93 in² (600 cm²) as a contact grill, 186 in² (1,200 cm²) opened flat as a table grill or BBQ. 2,000 W, a three-step adjustable thermostat with an indicator light, a dedicated gratin position, and non-stick plates and drip tray that come out for the dishwasher.

    Best for: A household of three or four that wants to know, before buying, how much fits.

    7.8/10

    Search Amazon for this model Read the review
  2. Table grills & griddles

    Philips HD6307/70

    60–220 °C (140 to 428 °F) · food probe · 8 presets

    The only contact grill of the four with a food probe and a published temperature range. Philips states the probe monitors the core temperature of the food, digital control sets anything between 60 and 220 °C (428 °F), eight presets cover the usual jobs, the top opens 180° into a table grill, and the plates are removable.

    Best for: Anyone who has ever cut a steak open to see whether it was done.

    7.8/10

    Search Amazon for this model Read the review
  3. Table grills & griddles

    Braun CG9167

    265 °C (509 °F) sear · 2 zones · waffle plates

    MultiGrill 9: three cooking positions, two independent temperature zones, a food probe, a sear function Braun states reaches 265 °C (509 °F) in minutes, and heating elements built into the plates. All plates are non-stick, removable and dishwasher-safe — and the set includes grill, flat and waffle plates.

    Best for: A household that grills often, cooks two things at once, and would rather not own a waffle iron too.

    8.4/10

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

What readers want to know

How much plate area do four people need?

More than any of these makers will tell you, except one. Tefal publishes about 93 in² (600 cm²) closed and 186 in² (1,200 cm²) opened flat; nothing else on this site publishes either figure, so it is the only model you can size against your own table.

Contact grill or flat table grill?

A contact grill cooks both sides at once and drains fat down a sloped plate; a flat grill keeps everything in the pan and doubles the surface. All three grills here do both, which is why the plate area matters more than the format.

How much power for four people?

Power matters less than plate mass and recovery: a heavy plate at moderate power outperforms a thin plate at high power when four portions land at once.

Are 'smokeless' grills really smokeless?

No grill hot enough to brown is smoke-free. What varies is how well fat is drained away from the element, and that is what to look at.

Cast or coated plate?

Cast holds heat and marks food better; coated heats faster and releases more easily but wears. Choose on whether you value recovery or convenience.

Should I put water in the drip tray?

On designs that call for it, yes: it catches fat and stops it burning. Check the manual, because not every model expects it.

Why does my food steam instead of grilling?

Either the plate was loaded before it was fully hot, or it is too crowded. Both drop the surface temperature below what browning needs.

Can the plate go in the dishwasher?

Only if it detaches and the maker allows it. Repeated hot cycles shorten the life of any coating, so hand washing while warm is usually kinder.

Each appliance, and the kitchen it earns its space in

Tefal GC3060 3-in-1 Contact and Table Grill

Fits: A household of three or four that wants to know, before buying, how much fits.

Main asset: Publishes both plate areas — about 93 in² (600 cm²) closed and 186 in² (1,200 cm²) open

Main drawback: Three fixed thermostat steps, where the ADE offers a stepless dial

Read the full review →

Philips HD6307/70

Fits: Anyone who has ever cut a steak open to see whether it was done.

Main asset: A food probe that monitors core temperature — the specification that ends guesswork

Main drawback: Philips publishes no plate area and no wattage

Read the full review →

Braun CG9167

Fits: A household that grills often, cooks two things at once, and would rather not own a waffle iron too.

Main asset: Two independent temperature zones — two foods at two temperatures at once

Main drawback: Three to five times the price of the other three grills here

Read the full review →

What goes with one of these

Baskets, liners and spares from the same aisle, at the price we recorded. Check they fit the appliance you pick before ordering: it depends on the capacity and the part number, which the product page states.

If you only read one line

  • If what you need most is our rating → look at Braun CG9167

Pairings worth reading

Two appliances compared directly, where that page already exists in this guide or this aisle.

How this order was decided

The appliances here are from the catalog of this site. Specifications are what the maker publishes and what the Amazon listing shows; prices are the Keepa figure on the date below, and both change. Ranking uses declared specifications, the balance of stated strengths and stated limits, and price. Nothing on this site has been cooked with, and no page here says otherwise.

Last checked on

Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.

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