Breville The Smart Grill vs Hamilton Beach Electric Indoor Searing Grill

The Breville costs 3-4x more than the Hamilton Beach, and the Hamilton Beach actually scored higher in consensus testing. That's a brutal value equation for Breville. The premium buys you better build quality, a lid, and the tilted plate concept — but when the budget option lands on the same recommended list and outscores it, the price gap becomes very hard to defend for casual indoor grillers.

The Breville's tilted plate is the smarter design on paper — channeling grease away from the heating element before it can burn is the right approach. But the drainage hole is too small, which limits how well it actually works in practice. The Hamilton Beach takes a simpler approach with a dense hole pattern that whisks fat away quickly, and it's effective enough that Serious Eats recommended it without reservation. Neither is truly smokeless, but the Hamilton Beach's solution is more reliable given the Breville's drainage limitation.

Epicurious testing found the Hamilton Beach took nearly twice as long to cook food as faster competitors. That's not a minor footnote — if you're cooking after work on a weeknight, doubling your cook time matters. The Breville's enclosed lid and precise temperature control give it a real edge in cooking efficiency and consistency, especially for thicker cuts that benefit from trapped heat.

The Hamilton Beach's uncoated grate bottom is a genuine pain — Serious Eats specifically called it harder to scrub than competitors. After a greasy burger or marinated chicken thigh, that matters. The Breville's premium build includes better surface treatments that make post-cook cleanup significantly less miserable. If you hate doing dishes, this is the one area where the Breville's higher price actually translates to a better daily experience.