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How to use a Tefal tabletop grill

Updated: 16 October 2026

The grill is out of the box and the socket is a UK 3-pin. How to use a Tefal tabletop grill depends on which machine you bought, because an OptiGrill will not start its sensor cycle if the lid was not opened fully, and a SuperGrill will never beep for rare or medium. The [Tefal tabletop grill comparison](/hub/portable-grills/tefal-tabletop-grill) is the buying table. The Products Compared editorial team followed Tefal’s instruction FAQs and the UK review notes on 16 October 2026. No lab cook was run. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Temperatures below are the maker’s published figures, not a probe reading of your unit.

The grill is out of the box and the socket is a UK 3-pin.

Our top picks

Tefal Tefal OptiGrill+ XL GC722D40

Best overall

Tefal Tefal OptiGrill+ XL GC722D40
8.9/10about £129.99
View offer
Tefal Tefal SuperGrill 3-in-1 XL GC520DG1

Best value

Tefal Tefal SuperGrill 3-in-1 XL GC520DG1
6.6/10about £114.99
View offer
Tefal Tefal OptiGrill One GC7P08G0

Alternative

Tefal Tefal OptiGrill One GC7P08G0
6.0/10about £91.63
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before the first heat
  2. 2.Running an OptiGrill cycle
  3. 3.Running the SuperGrill’s three positions
  4. 4.When to unplug and stop

Before the first heat

Peel the shipping film before any programme. UK reviews of the SuperGrill mention stickers and glue left on the plates, and a first heat will bake that residue into the non-stick. Wash the plates and the drip tray, seat the tray, and dry the body. The cord stays out of the sink. On an OptiGrill, the cycle expects a clear plate and the lid sequence below. On a SuperGrill, set the dial and the position, and add the food once the plate is hot. Do not park a manual grill on its hottest empty setting. BBC Good Food treats about 260°C as a caution for empty non-stick, and the OptiGrill One bullets go up to 270°C in manual mode. Smoke from old fat belongs on the cleaning page.

Running an OptiGrill cycle

Open the lid fully before you load. Tefal’s UK FAQ for the OptiGrill+ XL family says the purple light stays on if the lid was not opened fully, because the sensor missed its reference. Close the lid onto the food and leave the cycle. If the purple light sticks, open the lid all the way and start again. Cooking colours run from yellow for rare to red for well-done. A UK review of the OptiGrill+ lifts a steak between yellow and orange for medium-rare, so you still watch the colour. A second batch does not need a cool-down. Open the lid fully again so the sensor resets.
Tefal Tefal OptiGrill+ XL GC722D40

Testsieger

Tefal Tefal OptiGrill+ XL GC722D40
8.9/10about £129.99
View offer

Running the SuperGrill’s three positions

The SuperGrill 3-in-1 XL has no doneness light. You choose contact, a 180° barbecue opening, or the oven position, and you choose one of three temperature settings. The shop page states 800 cm² in that closed position and 1,600 cm² open. Good Housekeeping’s wording was “up to 800 cm² when opened flat”, which does not match the shop line. Do not add the two areas together. The oven position holds the upper plate at three heights. The hinge is the fault in UK reviews: a lid that leans, and an upper plate that would not clip back. Reseat it before you heat. The buying fork is the OptiGrill vs SuperGrill page.

When to unplug and stop

Unplug and stop when the behaviour is no longer a setting you chose. Fat on a dirty plate is a wash, once the grill has cooled. Smoke from the housing, a smell of electrics, or a scorch on the body means you switch off at the socket and leave the casing closed. Two OptiGrill One reviews say the grill tripped the supply. If a breaker trips, leave it off. A plate that will not clip, or a hinge that will not hold 180°, is a return while the goods are new. A missing beep on a SuperGrill is not a fault. That grill never had one. The buying guide separates the sensor from the dial if you are still choosing.

Common questions

Do I preheat with the plates empty?
On an OptiGrill, the programme expects plates clear of food, stickers gone and the tray seated, then the lid sequence. On a SuperGrill, heat in the position you will use and add the food once the plate is hot. Leave an empty top manual setting alone. BBC Good Food cites about 260°C as a caution for empty non-stick.
Why does the purple light stay on after I close the lid?
Tefal’s FAQ for the OptiGrill+ XL family says the purple light stays on when the lid was not opened fully, so the sensor missed its reference. Open the lid all the way, wait for the cue to move, then close it on the food. Leaving it open for more than about a minute can trip a safety reset on that FAQ. The SuperGrill has no purple light.
Which colour is medium on an OptiGrill+?
Tefal’s cooking colours run from yellow for rare to red for well-done. A UK review of the OptiGrill+ lifts steak between yellow and orange for medium-rare. The FAQ also maps manual mode to about 110°C, 190°C, 225°C and 270°C. Those figures are the maker’s, not a probe test of this listing. Stop at the colour you want. There is no separate beep that means medium.
Can I cook a second batch without unplugging?
Tefal’s OptiGrill+ XL FAQ says a second batch does not need a cool-down. Open the lid fully so the sensor takes a new reference, then load. An open lid for more than about a minute can trigger the safety reset. A SuperGrill stays on too, and you still turn the food yourself.
When do I stop and call someone?
Switch off at the socket if the housing smokes, if you smell electrics, or if the breaker trips. Two OptiGrill One reviews report a trip. Do not keep resetting the breaker to finish the cook. Plate smoke after bacon is a cleaning job once the grill is cool. A plate that will not clip, or a hinge that will not hold, goes back to the retailer while the goods are new. Do not open the casing.

Related pages

Tefal tabletop grill

Best Tefal tabletop grill: top pick and best value

Tefal indoor grill buying guide: four machine types

How to clean a Tefal grill so the next heat is clear

OptiGrill vs SuperGrill for steak or an open plate

Sources

Public UK sources first, then the eight amazon.co.uk listings. Prices, stars, and review counts are the figures in the staged files.

  1. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK — Electrical Equipment Safety Regulations 2016, Great Britain (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. Electrical Safety First — portable grills (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Tefal UK — grills (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Tefal UK — warranty (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. London Fire Brigade — cooking safety (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. BBC Good Food — non-stick coatings (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for the eight Tefal tabletop grills in this set (retrieved 16 October 2026)