The Best Raclette Grill

In the past few years, raclette grills have become quite famous in homes as people gather and make the cooking a social activity that fits perfectly in a family friendly setting. A raclette grill is an electric indoor grill placed at the center of the table, and allows people to both cook and grill at the same time. If you want to cook vegetables or melt some cheese, you can do it in the small non-stick dishes (called coupelles) while grilling meat, vegetables, and other food on the top.

A raclette grill is a great addition to your home as well, especially if you love inviting friends and family over. It speeds up the cooking process as it allows you to cook several ingredients simultaneously, and you’re not chained to your kitchen while guests are in another room. A raclette grill also keeps your food warm as you dine, and you and your family and friends can also have the experience of being chefs for the day, creating new exciting meals for themselves.

If you’re in the market for a new raclette grill, we’ve researched the options available. Below are the best raclette grills, summarized:

If you’re looking to buy a raclette grill, there are some things you should take into consideration as you scout for the right one for your home:

Things to Consider When Getting a Raclette Grill

1. Round vs. rectangular

Raclette grills usually come in two shapes: Round and rectangular. Round raclette grills are more compact and convenient and let you easily turn over your pieces of meat without having to twist and turn. They work better for small square or round tables, as they don’t take up too much space. Rectangular grills work better if you have a rectangular table as well, as it will allow your guests to reach and grill their own pieces of meat without having to stretch too much.

2. Serving capacity

Raclette grills have a capacity of 2-8 persons. If you are planning to use your raclette grill for personal purposes, then just get a small one that suits your family size. If you plan to use your raclette grill as you serve and entertain guests, getting grills with bigger capacity is a lot better. If you host parties regularly, you might want to even get more than one grill and have them set up next to each other.

3. Grill, griddle, or granite top

When choosing a raclette grill, one of the things to take into consideration is what the grill’s cooking surface is made of, and how it’s shaped. The more popular kinds are grill, griddle, and granite tops. A grill top has raised ridges that allow food to cook directly over the heat source, which results in nice sear marks and great taste. A griddle pan has a smooth, flat surface that adds more direct heat to your food. A granite top is much more expensive but retains heat better and therefore adds more delicious crust on your food, as it keeps searing for longer than on an non-stick aluminum top.

4. Heat controls

Some raclette grills can only be turned on or plugged in and it’s up to you to look after your food to make sure it does not burn up. Other raclette grills will let you control the temperature, turning it up or down, depending on your preference, so you can opt to cook or grill faster or let your food cook slowly instead. 

Swissmar Classic 8-Person Raclette Grill

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The Swissmar Classic Raclette is a great raclette grill if you’re part of a large family or if you’re buying a raclette with the purpose of entertaining guests in mind. It can serve up to eight people with ease and comes with 8 non-stick raclette dishes and a user manual with recipes. The raclette dishes can be used to melt your cheeses or broil your sauces to perfection.

No need to worry about burning your fingers either, as the raclette dishes all have handles that are cool to the touch, even as you cook your food. The Swissmar Classic Raclette also comes with 8 heat-resistant spatulas so you can turn over your food with ease. If you are worried about staining your table, you can also opt to purchase the stainless steel raclette dish holders that will help protect your table from grease splatters and burns.

This raclette grill comes with a non-stick cast aluminum grill plate that lets you grill your favorite meat, seafood, and vegetables. You can also reverse it to cook crepes, pancakes, fajitas, quesadillas, and more. If you don’t want to use the aluminum grill, however, it is interchangeable with a granite grill stone or a cast iron grill plate that you can purchase separately. The raclette has a 1200 Watt heating element and variable temperature control so you can cook your food and grill your meat just the way you want it.

When it comes to cleaning up, allow the raclette to cool down first before wiping the unplugged base with a damp cloth. You can wash the grill plates or hot stone and the raclette dishes and spatulas in warm water with mild detergent. For better cleaning, you can opt to soak them for a few minutes.

Features:

• Suitable for: 8 persons
• Base materials: Enameled steel
• Top materials: Cast non-stick aluminum
• Adjustable heat control: Yes
• Dimensions: 16.50 x 9.60 x 5.60 inches
• Wattage: 1200 Watts

Milliard Raclette Grill

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If you’re looking for something simple and portable, look no further–the Milliard Raclette Grill might just be the one you need. It lets you cook up meats, vegetables, and seafood with ease as well as heat sauces, melt cheese, or cook other food in the raclettes. You and your guests can easily snag a piece of meat from the grill and drizzle some cheese on to it or dip it into your cheese pan.

Good for eight persons, this raclette grill can serve families of big sizes or small house parties. Its reversible grill has the grill side that lets you sear your food the way you want it, while its granite side lets you cook your fish, meat, and veggies in a slow, even way.

With the adjustable grill temperature, the Milliard Raclette Grill is ideal for versatile cooking options. There is an indicator light that makes sure you don’t forget to turn your grill off when you’re done. The reversible grill top and the coupelles are dishwasher safe, so you have no difficulty when it comes to cleaning them. The non-stick surfaces also allow the dishes to slide in and out easily which makes it easier when it’s time to clean up.

If you’re worried about this raclette grill taking up space in storage or when you take it out to use, there’s nothing to worry about as the Milliard Raclette Grill fits well on countertops and even small dining spaces. They also come with eight wooden spatulas for individualized usage and you can opt to use the eight coupelles to heat up different kinds of food or for personalized servings.

Features:

• Suitable for: 8 persons
• Top materials: Granite stone top, aluminum reversible grill top
• Adjustable heat control: Yes
• Dimensions: 18 x 5 x 9.25 inches
• Wattage: 1200 Watts

Salton TPG-315 Round Raclette

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If you’ve got a small round or square table and don’t want your raclette grill to take up too much space, you can try the Salton Round Raclette Grill. It’s a great addition to your home and you don’t have to worry so much about storage as its shape only takes up a small part of your table, countertop, or kitchen cabinet.

The Salton Round Raclette comes with six raclette pans, six spatulas, and a variety of recipes that you can try from. It’s time to unleash your inner chef as you try grilling, heating, and cooking in a way that is both easy and fun!

The raclette dishes can be used to heat up sauces, melt cheese, and cook other kinds of food. It can also be used to melt up chocolate to sprinkle over your ice cream or fruits or any kind of dessert! The spatulas that come with it are specially designed to remove the food from the raclette pans easily so you don’t have to worry about them sticking and being difficult to clean.

With this raclette, you can cook delicious and evenly-grilled food without the use of charcoal or a propane tank. You can grill seafood, meat, sausages, and vegetables on the top cooking surface and then dip them on the sauces and cheese that you are heating underneath.

The Salton Round Raclette has an on/off switch with an indicator light. It is easy to use and easy to clean. The grill plate can be immersed in water to remove grease so you can give it a thorough washing.

Features:

• Suitable for: 6 persons
• Base materials: Stainless steel
• Top materials: Non-stick grill
• Adjustable heat control: No
• Dimensions: 13.30 x 13.30 x 5.70 inches
• Wattage: 1000 Watts

6 Safety Precautions That Are Great to Consider

Having a raclette makes cooking and eating a fun, social activity. Nevertheless, just as it goes with other appliances, you should take extra caution when you are using a raclette. Here are some tips for safety precautions any time you take out your raclette for use:

• Make sure you have a fire extinguisher at hand. You’ll want to have one on hand in case your food catches fire or something goes wrong while you are using your raclette.
• Note where the smoke detectors are placed. When you are grilling seafood, meat, sausages, or just about anything, there’s a chance that your raclette will emit lots of smoke. You don’t want them to trigger the fire alarm and send firefighters over to your house by mistake. If there is a smoke detector directly above your dining table, you can opt to cover it with a shower cap, a dishcloth, or some plastic (just make sure to remove it after!).
• Make sure your room is well-ventilated. Although indoor grills are usually smokeless, they can still let off some smoke especially when you are grilling your meats if the place where you are grilling is not well-ventilated. If you’re doing your grilling indoors, leave your windows open to let the smoke out and the natural air flow in. It will prevent the smoke from entering your lungs and causing some health issues. It will also lessen the chances of the smoke sticking solely to your clothes and hair.
• Cover your table to protect it from grease. Grilling can be a little bit messy and we don’t want the varnish of our dining tables to get ruined. It’s best to cover your table with a plastic mat or single-use table cloths, that are easily washed or disposed of after use.
• Handle the raclette with care. Even if your raclette grill comes with handles that aren’t hot to the touch and spatulas to help you get your food, remember that all parts of the raclette will be heating up while you cook your food. Make sure not to touch any part of the raclette (whether the grill itself or the coupelles or the sides) in case you end up burning your fingers.
• Supervise kids as they cook their food. If you are using a raclette grill and there are children present, they will naturally be very curious about it and want to try cooking or grilling for themselves. You’ll need to help them so they don’t accidentally burn their fingers, or eat food that’s too hot for them.

If you follow and apply these precautionary measures, you’ll get to enjoy your raclette experience more in a safe, fun, and delicious way!