Buying guides
How much grill do you need?
Choose cooking space around a real meal, with room for the heat zones and tasks you use most.
Picture your whole menu
Think about the foods that need to cook at the same time: a main course, vegetables and bread may need different amounts of space and attention. A useful grill size leaves room to work without crowding every part of the cooking surface.
Guest counts are only a starting point. The size of the food, the number of courses and whether you cook in batches can change the space you need. Avoid treating a generic servings claim as a precise capacity measurement.
Compare the same measurements
Main cooking area usually describes the primary surface. Total cooking area may include a warming rack, so the two should not be compared as equivalent. Look for the surface dimensions as well as square inches, especially if you regularly use larger cookware.
The advertised width is also different from the overall cart width or a built-in cutout. Compare cooking capacity separately from the dimensions that determine whether the grill fits your space.
Compare grill specifications (opens in a new tab)Leave room for more than one heat zone
Food over active heat cooks differently from food positioned away from it. If you want to brown food and finish it more gently, consider the space and controls available for both tasks. The exact setup depends on the grill.
A side burner can move a pan away from the main grate, while a rotisserie adds another cooking approach. Confirm whether the relevant equipment is included or optional on the configuration you choose.
Read about direct and indirect cooking (opens in a new tab)Spend on the features you will use
Set the grill budget before comparing extras. The finder’s budget covers the matching grill configuration, not the complete island, utility work or optional equipment. Keep those project costs separate as you plan.
Choose a shortlist with the right cooking area and installation first. Then compare conveniences and cooking features, recording anything still to be confirmed in your project brief.
Build your shortlist (opens in a new tab)