Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

How to use a teppanyaki grill

Updated: 16.10.2026

You have a numbered dial, a light, and a non-stick plate, and the light has just gone out. On most of these electric plates that is the thermostat, until the plate stays cold. This is how to use a teppanyaki grill the first time: seat the probe if there is one, preheat with a window open, oil thinly, stay in the room, and wipe only when the surface is cool. The [teppanyaki grill comparison](/hub/portable-grills/teppanyaki-grill) is the nine amazon.co.uk plates this advice sits beside. The Products Compared editorial team used those listings and public UK safety notes on 16 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a numbered dial, a light, and a non-stick plate, and the light has just gone out. On most of these electric plates that is the thermostat, until the plate stays cold.

Our top picks

Quest Quest Large teppanyaki grill

Best overall

Quest Quest Large teppanyaki grill
8.4/10about £28.50
View offer
AEWHALE AEWHALE 3-in-1 electric grill plate

Alternative

AEWHALE AEWHALE 3-in-1 electric grill plate
6.0/10about £61.99
View offer
BOSKA Boska Electric Griddle Pro

Alternative

BOSKA Boska Electric Griddle Pro
4.6/10about £69.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before you plug it in
  2. 2.Heat, oil, and the light
  3. 3.While food is on the plate
  4. 4.Cool, wipe, and what not to soak
  5. 5.When to stop using it

Before you plug it in

It should be a UK three-pin BS 1363 plug. A scorched plug, or a fuse that blows again, is a stop. If a two-pin plug arrives, send it back. Do not cut the moulded plug off. Seat a temperature probe fully. AEWHALE's listing says the knob only reaches 213°C if the probe is aligned. Give the first heat an empty plate and an open window. Do not run it at the top of the dial. Keep water out of the probe socket. Length checks sit on the buying guide.

Heat, oil, and the light

Spread a thin film of oil. A pool of oil is what smokes. When the light goes out, the surface has reached the setting, and the light comes back as it cools. Do not copy another brand's degree bands onto a Quest dial. Only Boska and AEWHALE state Celsius in this set. A light that never returns, while the plate stays cold, is not cycling. Quest Large reviews include a unit that stopped after about 30 minutes. A Geepas review describes a first use where the light went out and the plate did not heat again. If your plate will not reheat at all, stop.
Quest Quest Large teppanyaki grill

Testsieger

Quest Quest Large teppanyaki grill
8.4/10about £28.50
View offer

While food is on the plate

Cook one layer. A crowded plate steams, and eggs weld to a coating that was only lightly oiled. Push fat toward the drain with a wooden spatula if the hole is small. Metal will cut the coating. Stay in the kitchen. London Fire Brigade's cooking advice is that grill cooking is not left unattended. A heat alarm is the indoor topic, on the indoor teppanyaki grill page. Eggs want a moderate number. Sliced meat wants a hotter number, and space so the surface can recover when the thermostat clicks off. If the dial has no degrees, note which number sets an egg and which browns a thin slice. The light being out means the set point is met, not that you can leave.

Cool, wipe, and what not to soak

Switch off, pull the plug, and wait until the plate is cool enough to touch. Then empty the drip tray. Hot fat tipped toward you is the avoidable burn. Wipe with a soft cloth and a drop of washing-up liquid. A green pad will dull the non-stick, and reviews already describe coatings that lift within months. Do not put the body in the sink. The element is in the base. The tray can be washed. The plate gets a wipe. A little lemon, once the surface is cool, loosens a seafood smell. A coated aluminium plate is not a steel plancha you bake oil into.

When to stop using it

Stop if the plug is hot, browned, or smells of hot plastic, if the fuse blows a second time, or if the light never returns and the plate stays cold. Unplug it. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you 30 days to reject goods that do not conform, counted from the day after an online delivery. Do not open the base, and do not rewire the plug. A short smell on the first empty heat, with a window open, is the manual pattern. Smoke that fills the room once you add bacon is the indoor limit, not a harder scrub.

Common questions

Do you oil the plate before the first cook?
Yes, a thin film, after a short empty heat with the window open. It is not a bath of oil, and it is not the seasoning routine used on bare steel. If the smell becomes lasting smoke before any food is on, switch off and ventilate.
What does it mean when the light goes out?
On a thermostat plate the light goes out at the setting, then comes on as the plate cools. If the light dies and the plate stays cold, that is a fault. Quest, Geepas and Emperial reviews include units that did not heat again. Stop and return those.
Which setting for eggs, if the dial has no degrees?
Use a middle number for eggs and a higher number for thin meat, and write down what your plate did. Quest, LIVIVO and Geepas do not print Celsius. Do not transfer Boska's 215°C or AEWHALE's 213°C onto a numbered Quest dial.
Can the plate go in the sink?
No. Wipe it when it is cool, and wash the drip tray separately. Water in the probe socket or the cord entry is how these bases fail. A scourer or a metal slice cuts the coating.
What tool will not cut the coating?
Wood or silicone. The spatulas in the Quest, LIVIVO, Geepas, Emperial and MisterChef boxes are the right idea, though MisterChef reviews do not always find the eight the bullets promise. A sharp metal slice, a fork, or a green scourer will mark the surface. If a spatula did not arrive, buy a wooden one before the first cook rather than using a knife.
How do you empty the drip tray safely?
Switch off, unplug, and wait until the plate is cool. Then lift the tray out level. Scrape fat toward a small hole with a wooden spatula before you finish. If the tray was missing on arrival, that is a return.

Related pages

Best teppanyaki grill

Teppanyaki grill

Teppanyaki grill buying guide: plate, power and plug

Teppanyaki grill for a caravan: 10 A and 16 A pitches

Indoor teppanyaki grill: smoke, alarms and the extractor

Sources

Public UK sources first, then the nine amazon.co.uk listings and the Quest size page. Prices, stars, and review counts were captured on 15 October 2026.

  1. Electrical Safety First — portable grills (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. Electrical Safety First — plugs and fuses (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK — Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. London Fire Brigade — cooking (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Camping and Caravanning Club — electricity (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. BSI — BS EN IEC 60335-2-9:2023+A11:2023 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 notes (retrieved 15 October 2026)