Plancha or barbecue for pure conviviality: a perfect draw!
Whether it’s the plancha or the barbecue, these 2 appliances are evenly matched in terms of conviviality. The plancha on its trolley and the fixed barbecue – most often – liven up sunny days and summer evenings. They make it possible to organise a convivial outdoor meal with friends, family or neighbours. The garden, the terrace, the poolside… are all places where it feels good to cook outdoors and get together around some lovely grilled food.
Preparation and heat-up time: a real race against the clock
The essential preparation of the barbecue
Barbecue purists traditionally prepare a charcoal fire. Between lighting the fire, watching over the flames and building up a bed of embers, you should allow a good 30 minutes to preheat your barbecue. If the wind joins in too, the fire can be harder to control. Then comes the race against the clock: you have to carefully manage the slow cooking of the food before you can fully enjoy your guests’ company.
The plancha and its speedy performance
With the plancha, preparations move up a gear. The gas plancha connected to a butane/propane gas bottle is up and running in a few seconds, with no effort or particular risk, thanks to the Piezo ignition. As for the electric plancha, simply turn the adjustable thermostat knob once the appliance is plugged in. The rapid rise in temperature takes less than 10 minutes. The cooking plate is ready to use as soon as it is hot!
Cooking: the plancha vs barbecue match
The barbecue scores a point for its characteristic taste
Cooking on a charcoal barbecue is done on a horizontal cooking grid above the fire. At high temperatures, the fat in the food melts and drips into the fire. The contact between the fat and the embers leads to the formation of smoke.
It is precisely this smoke from the charcoal that gives grilled food its highly characteristic taste. The fuel releases a unique aroma that varies according to the type of wood used. Adding wood chips (oak or beech, for example) enhances the flavours. The food absorbs the heat and thus becomes infused with the smoke.
The barbecue therefore scores a point for that smoky taste so characteristic of meat cooked on the grill!
The plancha excels in varied cooking
The plancha comes close to the barbecue taste thanks to the addition of herbs and seasonings on meat or fish. But plancha cooking is not as limited as barbecue cooking. With an electric or gas plancha, the culinary possibilities are endless.
This perfectly smooth cooking plate makes it possible to cook a much wider variety of food: from crustaceans and shellfish to whole fish, julienne vegetables or even fruit. There is no shortage of plancha recipes. Enough to delight all your guests! Cooking on the plancha also means varying your cooking methods, such as:
- grilling a beautiful entrecôte steak with herbes de Provence,
- searing a delicate fish,
- preparing a paella
- steaming vegetables,
- braising fruit…
Even an electric or gas barbecue cannot compete with the plancha when it comes to varied recipes and cooking methods.
When it comes to cooking quality, the plancha is ahead of the barbecue
Healthy cooking with the plancha
The plancha offers healthy cooking to be enjoyed endlessly, with flavoursome products and very little fat. Simply pour a drizzle of olive oil onto the hot plate or add a little marinade to the product being cooked. Cooking is fast and particularly even. The heat is controlled by the thermostat (electric plancha) or by adjusting the flame (gas plancha). Setting the temperature according to the food being cooked is essential to achieve excellent cooking quality. The rapid rise in temperature combined with precise cooking are the keys to perfect cooking. Plancha cooking, which is particularly healthy and light, thus preserves the flavours and organoleptic properties of food!
Unlike the barbecue, there is no direct contact with the flame when cooking on the plancha. Fat and juices from the food drain into a collection tray. They are not burnt and do not release harmful smoke.
The potentially harmful cooking of the barbecue
The charcoal barbecue is often criticised by advocates of healthy plancha cooking for its unpleasant, even toxic, smoke. Cooking at high temperatures (above 200°C) leads to the formation of harmful compounds on food, especially on cuts of meat and fish. Under the heat of the barbecue, the juices and fats in the products melt and pour onto the embers. Smoke laden with harmful chemical substances is then released from the fire and contaminates the grilled food. A high fat content in meat or fish combined with excessive heat during cooking leads to heavy caramelisation or even charring of the grilled food. Various carcinogenic compounds are thus released as a result of barbecue cooking.
Burning charcoal also creates hydrocarbons which, though aromatic, are also toxic as soon as charring occurs. Charcoal briquettes are not necessarily the best alternative, given that they are very often made from petroleum by-products.
In any event, scientific studies and the French National Cancer Institute confirm the toxic risks of any cooking method involving direct contact with the flame, such as the barbecue.
Easy cleaning: advantage plancha
When it comes to cleaning, the plancha is one step ahead of the barbecue. The drainage of juices and fat into the collection drawer makes maintaining the plancha much easier. Depending on the material and coating of the plate (cast iron, steel, enamel, chrome or stainless steel), the plancha can be cleaned with a metal or silicone spatula, or with a sponge and washing-up liquid. The fat collection tray is removable and washable in the dishwasher. A little white vinegar on the plate and the plancha regains all its shine, ready for the next cooking session!
Cleaning a barbecue is far more tedious. The grill tends to get dirty more easily. In particular, you have to:
- remove the cold ashes,
- scour the fire bowl full of grime,
- scrub the grids encrusted with cooking fat using a wire brush
- and clean the outside of the barbecue.
And it is often very difficult to restore the barbecue to its original appearance.
Plancha or barbecue: all that remains is to count the points! The barbecue, relegated to the back of the garage, gives way to the plancha, the clear winner of this cooking match. Simple and quick to use, healthy and varied cooking, easy cleaning… The plancha has every advantage to make you a champion of enjoyable outdoor cooking. On your plates, get set, plancha!