BBQ Grills and Ovens - What’s the Difference
Knowing the fact that BBQ grills and ovens are useful and indispensable in our busy lifestyle and gastronomic living, have you ever wondered what exactly are the differences between them? Is one more useful than the other? Or do they have the same valuable features and functions that are both beneficial to the quality of your cooked foods?
In simple terms, a grill is a cooking appliance that comes with a grate or a grill plate. Cooking the food comes from the heat underneath. On the other hand, an oven is a chamber that is thermally insulated for heating or baking.
Here are the main factors that determine the basic differences between BBQ grills and ovens
- Power
- Cooking time
- Price
- Heating time
- Burners
- Economical
- Heat distribution
- Temperature management
- Benefits
- Limitations
| BBQ Grills | Ovens | |
| Power | Wood, coal, electricity, gas | Natural gas such as LPG, butane, propane, wood, electricity |
| Cooking time | Cooking time is less in wood and coal grills. | Conventional ovens require more time to cook food. |
| Price | Price varies depending on the grill. Outdoor grills are more expensive than electric ones that can be used outdoors and indoors. | The oven’s price varies on what it runs on and the initial set-up charges. |
| Heating time | Grills running on wood or coal heat faster than those powered by electricity. | Ovens running on wood, natural gas, or even coal heat faster than electricity-powered ones. |
| Burners | Grills have no burners. | Ovens come with burners, coils, etc. |
| Economical | The economic factor of grills depends on the type of grills and how you use them. Wood, coal, and electric grills are quite expensive. The grilling pans appear to be economical in the process. | The oven type determines whether or not it is more economical than the other. Gas ovens are more economical than electricity-powered ovens. |
| Heat distribution | Electric grills have more even heat distribution than coal and wood grills with uneven heat. | Electric ovens distribute heat more evenly than gas ovens as they get more heat at the top. |
| Temperature management | Coal, gas, and wood grills require manual temperature management. On the other hand, it is automatically managed in electric grills. | Managing temperature is easy in almost all types of ovens. |
| Benefits | The food cooked in wood or coal grills is quite juicy and tasty. On the other hand, the electric grill takes pride in cooking healthy foods as it allows the fats in meat to seep out during its cooking process. | The benefits you can get from each oven depend on the type of oven. Electric ovens are cheaper to install and easier to clean. Gas ovens, on the contrary, appear to be cheaper in the long run and heat faster than their electric counterparts. |
| Limitations | Stoves and electric grills are cheaper than coal and wood grills. These wood and coal units also require an outdoor space to set up. | Electric ovens are expensive and useless when power outages occur. In terms of heating time, these are slower than their gas counterparts. However, gas ovens require expensive installations and repairs with gas leakage danger and being harder to clean. |
Are BBQ grills just for barbecues?
BBQ grills are not just for cooking barbecues. Cooking barbecue is different from the actual grilling process in terms of cooking time and temperature plus the meat’s quality. Cooking barbecues require a low indirect heat for hours in a slow manner. The meat used for barbecue is the more inexpensive cuts, fatty and tough ones.
On the contrary, tender or lean meat, seafood, and chicken require high heat and fast cooking. This is because you need to bring the internal temperature to a safe level without the dryness in meat.
Here’s a quick guide to help you decide whether to grill or barbecue your meat.
| BBQ | Grill |
| Beef brisket | Hamburgers |
| Whole turkeys, ducks, and chickens | Boneless turkey, duck, or chicken |
| Whole meat/ arms and shoulders | Chops and steaks |
| Beef or ribs | Sausages and hotdogs |
| Half or whole pig, beef or goat | Fish, shrimp, and oysters on the half shell |
Grilling and Roasting - Are They the Same?
Grilling and roasting are other confusing methods for food preparation that comes along with the subject of BBQ grills and ovens. So, what's the difference between these two?
Grilling is a fast cooking method that giving the meat a nice brown charred colour once done. On the other hand, roasting is a slow process and works best for more significant pieces or cuts of meat.
Here’s a quick guide to help you decide whether to grill or barbecue your meat.
|
Grilling |
Roasting |
| steak | whole chicken |
| lamb chops | whole lamb |
| chicken legs / other thin cuts/vegetables | vegetables |
Either grilling or roasting can cook vegetables and some meats. You can tell which method is used by its taste or flavor.
Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Love BBQ Grills and Ovens for Gastronomic Living
The yummy taste and aroma of the food from BBQ grills and ovens is just an obvious benefit and reason why you should love these cooking devices for a gastronomic living. These have more fantastic features and value than you have ever imagined. Check out the top reasons here.
Healthy Cooking
Cooking barbecues and other food favourites in grills and ovens are a great way to treat yourself to healthy cooking and lifestyle. The healthier ways to cook your food than the usual style include grilling, baking, broiling, stir-frying, and steaming.
The biggest benefit that you can get in grilling is that it drips off more of the excess fat in meat instead of re-absorbing it as it does in traditional cooking in pans. The plus factor here is that you get tastier and juicier meat without suffering the harmful effects of the excess fats that might have entered your body in traditional cooking pans.
Another health benefit is that it retains such important nutrients as riboflavin and thiamine. Since cooking food with high temperatures over flames requires less time, these essential nutrients never get lost for your nourishment. This is also applicable to vegetables. Less cooking time also preserves the vitamins and minerals in veggies and their texture, colour, and flavour. With grilling, you also lower your calorie intake as you don’t need to add more oil and butter. This is also true with baking in an oven.
Healthier tips:
- Buy organic meat
- Trim as much skin and fat from meat if possible
- Cook such leaner meat cuts as extra lean ground beef, sirloin steak, tenderloin, and chicken
- Make your healthy marinades and sauces to avoid extra sugar
Unbeatable Taste
Do you ever feel like it’s always barbecue season? Gastronomic living makes everything possible with the unbeatable taste of grilled foods and even those cooked in ovens. Yet, grilled foods have more to tell you regarding delicious tastes.
This great taste is based on the “science of grilling” focused on three factors - smoke, the Maillard reaction, and caramelization. Smoke functions as one of the cooking ingredients. The food develops a smoky taste as it is absorbed.
The Maillard reaction happens when you cook food from 280 to 300°F or 138 to 149°C. In the process, sugar molecules break down as they react with amino acids to produce new flavor molecules. This occurs on the food surface with a charred brown crust, enhancing its taste.
Caramelization is another chemical reaction contributing to the great taste of grilled foods. This is almost similar to the Maillard reaction except for the fact that it occurs in protein-free foods. Caramelization does not happen in the meat but in protein-free ingredients such as the sauce, rubs, and marinades.
Great for Socializing
BBQ grills and ovens are great ways to socialize with friends and acquaintances. Whether you go outdoors or stay home, cooking your foods from these healthy options gives you the power and the freedom to expand your horizons as you socialize and destress.
Quoting the words of an American celebrity chef and reality television personality, Bobby Flay, “Grilling takes the formality out of entertaining. Everyone wants to get involved. I love the culture of grilling. It creates an atmosphere that is festive but casual.”
We can surely relate to this as BBQ grilling appeals to all our senses as swimming and basketball do. Not just the flavour, aroma, or unbeatable taste matters. The sense of togetherness and the realization that you belong to a crowd of happy people makes more sense. This is even true with baking cakes, pastries or cooking your favourite food in the oven with friends.
Enjoying Nature and the Great Outdoors
Portable ovens and BBQ grills give you the priceless benefit to stay outdoors and enjoy nature. The Barbecue Season or any other outdoor gathering also provides further health benefits.
The health benefits are priceless and more valuable than the price of gastronomic Qatar’s BBQ grills and ovens. For one thing, you get vitamin D naturally. This vitamin D coming from the sun helps the body absorb minerals that we get from food such as calcium and phosphate. These minerals help our bones and muscles stay healthy. It is also good to know that the freshness we get outdoors imposes further health benefits than we could ever imagine.
Here are more health benefits of staying outdoors.
- The body gets more energy from staying outside
- Staying outdoors helps in better digestion and faster healing as the cell gets more oxygen than in staying indoors
- Fresh air improves focus
- Fresh air promotes a positive mood
- Fresh air boosts the cleansing function of the lungs as it has fewer pollutants than indoor air
- You will surely love all these invaluable health benefits of staying outdoors and enjoying nature while you enjoy the great tasting and aromatic barbecues and other foods cooked in gastronomic Qatar’s BBQ grills and even in portable ovens.
Convenience
Cooking in BBQ grills and ovens provides convenience in all aspects. Next to cooking in a microwave oven, grilling is another way to cook your favorite foods. The faster cooking time involved in grilling, the more convenient it gives you in cooking your favorite foods and enjoying them right away.
This involves quick and less preparation than the traditional version of cooking at home. Another great convenience is that if you cook right on the grill’s grates, you do not have to worry about washing your pots and pans.
Ease of Use
BBQ grills and ovens provide ease of use to anyone who loves barbecues or any meat cuts and vegetable recipes to either grill or bake. In the case of BB grills, these are very easy to operate so you can cook faster and tastier than ever.
You can even place the meat cuts right at the grates so you don’t have to worry about pots and pans that you may have to wash afterwards. This also gives a charred brown colour that entices your appetite even more.
Ovens are also easy to operate. For this reason, you have to follow all the instructions with your favourite recipe and oven settings before you have that favourite cake, pastry, pasta, veggies, or even baked seafood or meat to enjoy.
The Bottom Line
BBQ grills and ovens give you all the health benefits you cannot get from traditional cooking devices. It also boosts your confidence and self-esteem as you socialize and expand your horizons. This, the benefits are almost endless not to mention that you get the best quality materials from gastronomic Qatar’s BBQ grills and ovens.
