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Head-to-head · Best Smokeless Indoor Grills

Hamilton Beach Searing Grill with Lid Window 25361 vs Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill AG301

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Hamilton Beach Searing Grill with Lid Window 25361 comes out ahead by a clear margin (4.4 vs 4.1). The gap is mostly about Cooks who want outdoor-style grill marks indoors for the least money, and who would rather turn a dial than read a menu. The removable lid makes it the better pick than an open-topped grill in an apartment where smoke and cooking odours travel. — read the strengths below before deciding.

Hamilton Beach Searing Grill with Lid Window 25361
Higher ratedRanked #3 in Best Smokeless Indoor Grills
Hamilton Beach Searing Grill with Lid Window 25361
2 sourcesall derived$76.77

Two independent test kitchens reached the same conclusion about this grill from opposite directions. Serious Eats made it her budget pick after testing eight smokeless grills, praising a dial that was hot when it needed to be and stayed that way. Reviewed, testing nine indoor grills, called it their first choice for anyone set on an open grill and got deep grill marks on burgers, chicken and fish. Both flagged the same flaw: the underside of the plate is uncoated and traps food.

Strengths
  • — Serious Eats' budget pick out of eight smokeless grills tested, and Reviewed's first choice among open grills after testing nine
  • — Grate perforation is the mechanism Serious Eats found actually reduces smoke, and this grill has holes between the ridges so fat leaves the element quickly
  • — Removable lid traps smoke, steam and grease splatter when closed, then comes off so skewers and long cuts fit with the sides open
Watch-outs
  • — The underside of the grill plate is not coated in the same nonstick finish as the top, so food and oil stick there — a real nuisance if you hand wash
  • — Serious Eats found the lid clunky to operate
  • — A rotary dial gives no numeric feedback, so you cannot set a specific temperature the way you can on a grill with a digital readout
$76.77 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →
Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill AG301
Ranked #5 in Best Smokeless Indoor Grills
Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill AG301
4 sources2 derived$219.99

The AG301 grills by blowing 500°F air down onto a hot grate rather than by heating it from below, and reviewers split on whether that counts. Reviewed tested burgers, chicken, salmon and strip steak and was "very impressed," reporting it "entirely smokeless throughout." Real Homes scored it 4 out of 5 and found very little smoke or cooking smell. Serious Eats, testing eight smokeless grills, concluded it behaved more like an air fryer than a grill and did not produce good grill marks. All three agree it is bulky and slow to preheat.

Strengths
  • — Three separate testers reported essentially no smoke — Reviewed called it "entirely smokeless throughout" its grilling tests
  • — 1760 watts driving a 10-by-10-inch ceramic-coated grate, with LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH and MAX settings running 400°F, 450°F, 500°F and up to 510°F
  • — The air fryer is genuinely good and preheats in about three minutes, against roughly eight for the grill
Watch-outs
  • — Serious Eats disagrees with the other testers outright, finding that on the grill setting "it just didn't provide good grill marks"
  • — The grate leaves curved grill marks rather than straight lines, and because the lid does not press down it only marks one side at a time
  • — Preheat is long — Reviewed measured about eight minutes, Real Homes seven to eight, The Spruce Eats five to eight depending on setting
$219.99 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Hamilton Beach Searing Grill with Lid Window 25361

Serious Eats ranked this second behind the Zojirushi EB-CC15 Indoor Electric Grill, and the tiebreaker was cleaning: the Zojirushi's grate is nonstick on both faces, this one only on top. In exchange the Hamilton Beach has a lid the Zojirushi lacks, which contains smoke and speeds cooking, and every removable part goes in the dishwasher. It is far simpler than the Breville BGR820XL The Smart Grill and well under half the price of the Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill & Griddle GR101, and unlike the Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill AG301 it does one job only.

Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill AG301

The AG301 is the multi-function outlier here and the Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill & Griddle GR101 is Ninja's own answer to its biggest problems — no eight-minute preheat, a fraction of the bulk, and grill marks nobody disputes. Against the Zojirushi EB-CC15 Indoor Electric Grill and the Hamilton Beach Searing Grill with Lid Window 25361 it costs two to three times as much and cooks by circulating air rather than by direct contact heat. The Breville BGR820XL The Smart Grill is the alternative if you want one appliance doing several jobs but want real contact grilling.

Specs side-by-side

SpecHamilton Beach Searing Grill with Lid Window 25361Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill AG301
Grill TypeOpen electric searing grill with removable lid5-in-1 indoor grill, air fryer, roaster, baker and dehydrator
Temperature Range200–450°F—
Plate TypeCeramic nonstick, removable—
Smoke ReductionPerforated grate over drip tray; lid contains smokeCyclonic Grilling Technology — 500°F circulating air with a lid-mounted splatter shield
ControlsRotary dial with preheat indicator light—
Dishwasher SafeGrilling plate, drip tray and lidGrate, pot, basket and splatter shield
Dimensions16.73 W × 12.4 D × 6.81 H in—
Weight8 lb—
Voltage120V120V
Model25361 (retail SKU 25361MN)AG301
Cooking Surface118 sq in, serves up to 6—
Power1500W1760W
Warranty1 year limited1 year limited
Grill Temperature Settings—LOW 400°F, MEDIUM 450°F, HIGH 500°F, MAX up to 510°F
Grill Grate—10 × 10 in ceramic-coated, PTFE and PFOA free
Crisper Basket—4 qt
Cooking Pot—6 qt
← See the full ranking of best smokeless indoor grills