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How to use an electric grill with a lid

Updated: 23 October 2026

You have unpacked a contact grill or a lidded plate and you want the first cook to finish properly. The lid does not mean the same thing on every machine, and one cleaning method will wreck the other design. A ready light means the plates are hot. It does not mean the centre of the meat is safe. This page is how to use an electric grill with a lid in the first week. Which model to buy sits on the [electric grill with lid comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/electric-grill-with-lid) and in the [buying guide](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/electric-grill-with-lid/sub/electric-grill-with-lid-buying-guide). Follow the booklet when it conflicts with a tip here.

You have unpacked a contact grill or a lidded plate and you want the first cook to finish properly. The lid does not mean the same thing on every machine, and one cleaning method will wreck the other design.

Our top picks

Tefal Tefal Optigrill Plus XL

Best overall

Tefal Tefal Optigrill Plus XL
9.4/10about £129.99
View offer
George Foreman George Foreman Medium Fit Grill

Best value

George Foreman George Foreman Medium Fit Grill
9.0/10about £33.99
View offer
Ninja Ninja Sizzle Pro XL

Alternative

Ninja Ninja Sizzle Pro XL
9.0/10about £159.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before the first plug
  2. 2.Preheat, lid, and turning
  3. 3.Chicken, pork, and burgers
  4. 4.Clean and put away

Before the first plug

Put the grill on a stable worktop, with the lead off the housing. Electrical Safety First's advice is to ventilate and use a UK three-pin plug. The Medium Fit's box line includes a 3-pin plug. The Ninja bullet names a UK plug. If the plug is warm in the wall, stop and unplug. Clip the drip tray in before you heat. On both CUSIMAX listings assembly is required, and one review said the lid handle holes did not match the glass. If the handle will not fit, do not cook with a loose lid. A little smoke on the first heat is described as normal on Argos support for the Large Fit 25820. Later smoke is fat. If the alarm starts after the first week, read indoor grill for a flat.

Preheat, lid, and turning

Close a contact grill to preheat. The Fit grills, the Immersa, and the Optigrill Plus XL all cook with a heated top plate. Wait for the ready light or the programme prompt, then close the lid. You do not flip a burger as a routine step. Open the lid if fat floods the back. On the Ninja you can cook with the lid up, down, or removed. The lid is a cover. Expert Reviews, on the smaller Sizzle, found that only the base gets hot, so you turn the food. Use the Pro XL's 120°C to 260°C band. The CUSIMAX glass lid is the same kind of cover. You still turn the food. Metal tongs will mark non-stick. Do not wrap food in foil. Oil the food lightly if the booklet allows it.
Tefal Tefal Optigrill Plus XL

Testsieger

Tefal Tefal Optigrill Plus XL
9.4/10about £129.99
View offer

Chicken, pork, and burgers

The Food Standards Agency's guidance for England and Wales is 70°C for two minutes, or an equivalent, for poultry, pork, and minced meat. NHS inform in Scotland gives 75°C for chicken and burgers. Use a probe in the thickest part. A programme light or a ready light only means the machine has finished its cycle. Home-cooked burgers should not have a pink centre. A contact grill can brown the outside while a thick patty is still undercooked. Finish it in a pan or the oven rather than burning the crust. When the food is done, take it off. A closed contact grill keeps cooking it.

Clean and put away

Unplug first. Fixed plates, which reviews assign to both Fit grills, stay on the body. George Foreman's help says to wipe them with a warm damp cloth. Do not immerse the grill. The logo needs a soft brush, not a scourer. The Optigrill bullets say the plates are dishwasher-safe. Lift them off once they are cool enough. This Ninja capture says the Pro XL is not dishwasher safe. The Immersa is the exception: remove the control panel, then the listing says the body can be washed. If a dark residue appears after a dishwasher cycle, use the sink. Do not submerge a CUSIMAX body. Store the lead loosely. Fit reviews say the storage hooks can nick the cable.

Common questions

Why does it smoke the first time?
Argos support for the Large Fit 25820 says a little smoke on first use can be normal if you ventilate. Later smoke is usually fat. Empty the drip tray and open a window. Do not disable a detector.
How do I clean fixed plates?
Unplug the Fit grill, let it cool until it is safe to touch, and wipe with a warm damp cloth, which is George Foreman's own line for non-removable plates. Lift grease out of the logo with a soft brush. Do not put the whole grill in the sink. Do not copy the Immersa's dishwasher claim onto a Fit.
Can I put the Immersa in the sink?
Yes, after you unclip the control panel. Keep the pod dry. If a dark residue appears after a dishwasher cycle, wash in the sink. Do not immerse a Fit, an Optigrill base, a Ninja, or a CUSIMAX body.
Is the ready light enough for chicken?
No. The light means the plates are up to heat or the programme has ended. Use a probe in the thickest piece. A browned crust can hide an undercooked centre on a thick breast. Poultry, pork, and minced meat still need to be cooked through.
Can a burger be pink?
Not when you cook it at home. The FSA burger guidance says home-cooked burgers should not have a pink centre. A contact grill browns fast. If the middle is still pink, finish the burger with more cooking off a clean plate, or start with a thinner patty next time. Steak is a different food. Minced beef is not steak.
How should I store the lead?
Loosely, and clear of the hot housing and of any hook that bites the cable. Fit reviews mention nicks from the storage hooks. Optigrill reviews call the lead very short, so do not stretch it across a sink.

Related pages

Contact grill vs indoor grill

Electric grill with lid

Best indoor electric grill UK: a name for each job

Electric grill with lid: how to choose the right one

Indoor grill for a flat: smoke, the lead and the weight

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 22 October 2026.

  1. Electrical Safety First: portable grills (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK: electrical equipment safety regulations 2016, Great Britain (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Food Standards Agency: cooking your food (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. London Fire Brigade: cooking (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. London Fire Brigade: smoke and heat alarms (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Expert Reviews UK: Ninja Sizzle (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. SharkNinja UK: Ninja Sizzle GR101UK (smaller model, not the Pro XL ASIN) (retrieved 22 October 2026)